DNA

Vibha Kagzi is the Founder and CEO of ReachIvy, a premium education and careers advisory.

When I first considered applying for a top school abroad, I felt lost. I had always been a high scorer in academics, and I had consistently pursued co-curricular activities. At this point, I was overwhelmed with a range of choices and a fundamental lack of access to expert guidance.

I did not have access to the granular advice that an expert mentor provides, to help me evaluate and understand all the options, to find my fit and then navigate the intricate application process. With the help of Internet I somehow scrambled to get admitted to Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), without much context or understanding of my chosen path.

For my MBA, I wanted to find a top-ranked University where I would fit in culturally and intellectually. I wanted to make a thoroughly researched decision, without the last-minute stress and scrambling that defined my undergraduate college selection and application process. For my MBA, I began my research four years before the application was due. I also took the GMAT four years before I intended to apply. Being a Finance major from CMU, my quantitative skills were finely honed when I graduated from college. So, taking the test immediately after graduation worked for me. However, I knew that just a strong test score was not my golden ticket to Harvard; as it needed a lot more.

I started to build a strong network of friends who had graduated from top schools, who shared advice based on their personal experiences of applying to top universities. I visited top colleges across the USA, Canada, Europe and Asia to truly understand how colleges differed in their philosophies and teaching styles. I toured many campuses, attended lectures and interacted with students. I gained a holistic perspective on campus life, academic prowess and social interactions across colleges.

I also got detailed inputs from friends, experts and professionals on navigating the application process, and on how to structure my essays. They helped me alleviate my anxiety, and made me realise that a little bit of expert guidance can take someone a long way. Leveraging all the expertise, I applied to and successfully got admitted at both Wharton as well as Harvard.

Deciding between Wharton or Harvard was also a task, as I wanted to be as objectively informed as possible before I finalised my path. I spoke to numerous alumni from both schools who had graduated over 15 years ago, attended new admit sessions and connected with admissions officers and professors.

After I graduated from Harvard, I returned to India to set up ReachIvy, a premium education and careers advisory. My objective is to give students accurate and structured guidance to bridge the knowledge-gap and ensure that they too can reach their goals.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

ReachIvy is a premium education and career advisory that helps aspiring students get accepted into top tier educational institutions globally. We have successful admits at MIT, Columbia, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, London School of Economics, University of Michigan, Oxford, University of Chicago amongst others.

Vibha Kagzi, Founder and CEO, ReachIvy, holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Bachelor of Science from Carnegie Mellon University. She has also pursued courses at the University of California, Berkeley, the London School of Economics and the Indian School of Business.

Our global team of counsellors have also acquired their degrees from premier institutes and are passionate about sharing their experiences with students worldwide.

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