Parents Testimonials

If we were to describe in one word, our experience with Ara, for our son Arjun, it will be ‘Transformative’!!

Our son was keen to go beyond the conventional rat race of JEE etc, but was struggling to figure out the landscape of institutions that would act like a good springboard for his professional career.

To address this fundamental need, Ara has a robust process, which begins with a deep understanding of the streams that our son wanted to pursue. It culminated in a shortlist of the best reputed institutions both in India & abroad for the chosen streams. This gave enormous clarity to our son. Then began the process of Profile/CV creation, Essay & Interview preparation.

We soon realized that each college has a different operating philosophy, that permeates into their application & admission process. The Ara team understands this very well. Consequently they set a tailored regimen, setting a gruelling pace for our son to build his profile and to prepare for the interviews based on each different college. Throughout this process, they struck the right balance of encouragement & critique. It helped our son to appreciate his inherent potential and also become aware of his areas of improvement.

A disciplined weekly routine with regular touchpoints to track progress was set. Monthly parent meetings helped us keep pace with the entire admission process. This process of Ara which in our opinion is akin to plucking a rough stone and polishing it into a shining gem has yielded results far beyond what we had thought a few months ago.

Today our son has got offers from some of the best ranked universities across India, Europe, Canada & Australia. Full credit to Ara for helping us navigate through a very critical phase of our lives as parents – that of setting our children on the best possible path for their higher education.

We hope that many more parents and students are able to benefit from Ara in their quest for finding a differentiated career path.

When we enrolled with Ara, we were still unsure about what Dhruhee would like to pursue. Under the mentorship of Rupali and Ashish, Dhruhee began her journey of self-discovery. And, wow, has she changed!!! We now see her as a confident, caring and compassionate young adult.

The structured and thought provoking guidance offered by Ashish pushed her to move out of her comfort zone and explore endless possibilities. Every step that Dhruhee thought she couldn’t do, it was Ara who convinced her she could. With offers from all her dream choices, Dhruhee is ready to embark on the most exciting part of her journey of life.

No words can convey the gratitude we feel for Ara. Forever indebted for the way Dhruhee has taken flight. Ara’s presence in our life has changed our perspectives for the better. Will never forget the impact that Ara has made in our lives.

We wanted to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude for the incredible support and guidance you’ve provided to our daughter, Rishika, throughout her college application journey. Your unwavering dedication to her success has not only helped her navigate the complexities of the admission process but has also played a significant role in shaping her into the confident and honest individual she has become.

From the very beginning, you have been a pillar of strength for her, offering guidance at every step of the way. Your ability to instill clarity in her decisions, coupled with your encouragement, has empowered her to make informed choices and pursue her dreams with conviction.

Your availability and willingness to go above and beyond have not gone unnoticed. Whether it was answering her countless questions, providing feedback on her essays, or simply lending an empathetic ear, your support has been invaluable.

Beyond the realm of academics, your mentorship has had a profound impact on her personal growth. Through your guidance, she has not only gained admission to her dream university but has also emerged as a more confident and authentic individual, ready to embrace the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

As parents, we cannot thank you enough for the positive influence you’ve had on our daughter’s life. Your dedication, wisdom, and kindness have left an indelible mark, and we are forever grateful for your role in her journey. Our sincere appreciation.

The best associations are the ones that do not impose any iron clad boundaries, rather are driven by the mindset to reach the best and the attitude to do what it takes to get there.

Ashish was never just a counsellor. Over time he became a trusted friend and mentor to our daughter, Tanshie. Through numerous interactions he familiarised himself with “Tanshie the person” – her strengths, fears, interests, and aspirations. What makes her tick and what holds her back. Her thoughts about her friends, family, school, books, movies, partying..on life in general. His positive attitude, genuineness, candidness, and the ability to call a spade a spade when needed, created a supportive environment where Tanshie felt comfortable and motivated to strive for excellence. He invested significant effort to ensure that every point in her resume was crafted for maximum impact. There was no cookie-cutter approach. Each response in each application was tailored as per the institute’s asks.

Our journey with Ara began at the start of Tanshie’s final year in school. We were really late in the game but Rupali and Ashish gave us the reassurance that we could make the best of what we had. Their comprehensive process of arriving at the final list of Universities was quite an interesting and educating experience for us. There were facets that we hadn’t really thought about earlier. For example, what kind of a life does Tanshie want outside of her study time and outside of her campus. Many more such nuances. And of course matching every selection with her profile. Rupali was knowledgeable and pragmatic about where Tanshie will have a fair chance and where it would be far-fetched. She did not give us any false hopes, nor encouraged us to apply to places that were more in the realm of wishful thinking.

The support continued through the post application phase too. Ashish coached Tanshie on handling the interviews, right down to elements like dress, eye contact, smile, camera position, et al. His deep familiarity with the admission process of some of the Universities was especially beneficial.

We could go on. Will close with expressing our gratitude and appreciation for the scaffolding provided by Ara throughout Tanshie’s University Application process. Their presence and professionalism were immensely reassuring for us as parents. Their dedication and expertise were pivotal in Tanshie securing a place in a Global Top 20 Institute. Thank you Ashish & Rupali!

When we started thinking about college admissions for Srinjay, our thoughts were scattered. As we joined hands with Ara, from the first meeting onwards Rupali and Ashish took charge. They guided all of us about what to expect during the process and placed all the options on the table for us to decide. Rupali patiently explained all the pros and cons of different choices. This helped us channelize our thoughts and focus on what is most beneficial for Srinjay. Ashish, on the other hand, coached Srinjay to realize his potential and motivated him to push the boundaries.

Through their comprehensive knowledge of the educational landscape, they helped us make well-informed decisions. What truly stood out was their dedication to providing personalized attention to Srinjay. They made efforts to understand his strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations, ensuring that the chosen colleges aligned perfectly with his academic and personal goals. Their expertise played a pivotal role in identifying colleges where Srinjay could flourish.

Beyond coaching Srinjay, Ashish and Rupali were always available to offer reassurance and encouragement in moments of doubts, by sharing their own journey as parents and were ready to address any concerns throughout the admissions process. Their genuine care and commitment made a significant difference in our journey, fostering a sense of trust and friendship that extended beyond their roles as college counsellors.

Our son, Soham, got 14 admissions from the 17 applications we submitted – which include Top 10 and Top 50 global Universities. This is even more commendable as we insisted on Economics as a Major – which is very difficult to get into.

Ara put in place a rigorous monitoring mechanism for the activities that they coached Soham for – along with monthly updates to us, the parents.

Ara got Soham to hit the ground running right from early interactions, as they have their SOPs well defined and specific. All the ideas were entirely customized for Soham, the student and Soham, the person; which helped us build a distinctive profile for him vis-a-vis his peer group.

We would like to highlight the way Ara ideated and brainstormed for all the essays, the time they invested in coaching Soham for writing his stories; which I think played a big role in Soham getting Honors acceptances along with admissions directly for BS/MS and BS/MBA programs, which is very rare. Add to that, scholarships we earned.

In fact, Ara continued to handhold us well after that, to objectively choose from the 14 acceptances; and helped with I-20 and Visa procedures.

Above all of this, we believe that Ara played a huge role in the overall development of our son, coaching him on overall personality development, while making him more disciplined.

Our collaboration with Ara has been truly exceptional. Seeing our daughter’s growth during sessions with Rupali and Ashish has been a dream fulfilled. We’re grateful to both of them for offering her such valuable opportunities. Their commitment to fostering our daughter’s personal development and assisting her with college applications has made a positive impact. What stood out the most was their prompt availability and personal attention to all our queries, starting from our first meeting with Rupali to their regular updates and clarity on even the smallest questions.

Despite our delayed connection with them, they consistently delivered and were fully committed to tailoring our daughter’s college choices to align with her unique qualities and aspirations, demonstrating genuine care and support. Their focus on authenticity and honesty ensured that our daughter’s journey was genuine and meaningful. Ashish’s encouragement for her to stay true to herself in her applications, without fabricating information, ensured that her experiences were not just on paper but reflected real-life situations.

Their friendly approach prioritized our daughter’s well-being above all else, and their guidance and encouragement have not only contributed to her current success but have also laid a solid foundation for her future endeavors. Their unwavering belief and dedication have been a guiding light, paving the way for her goals.

We feel fortunate to have such supportive mentors for our daughter, who not only shared their knowledge but also imparted wisdom, nurturing her growth and potential. Their influence will endure as she continues to flourish and make a positive impact in the world.

We wish them all the best and hope they continue to inspire and instil values in future generations.

It was already August and we were caught unprepared, unaware and careless. We were tensed and stressed out – what will our daughter Poorvi do after schooling, what is she capable of? We had seen glimpses of brilliance in her but aiming to send her for schooling to US was a far-fetched dream for us, until we stumbled upon Ara Consulting. Poorvi had scored well in SAT and we really wanted to explore US education for her.

It was indeed already very late and then Ara came to our rescue. The best part about Rupali and Ashish was that they were honest, forthright, and upfront about the situation we were in.

We finalized taking counselling from them for Poorvi’s US admissions. Next few days saw us scrambling for which college to choose and then came a list of prospective colleges from Ara. It all made so much sense. Rupali and her team identified the safety, target, and dream schools for Poorvi, who had hardly interacted with Rupali; who’s experience and knowledge was extremely useful in quickly carving out Poorvi’s admission strategy.

Next few months went in filling up forms, creating Poorvi’s resume, profile and writing essays. There could not be anyone better than Ashish to help her out in this journey. I admit that it is Ashish and his superb grasp on English, essay writing, creating profiles and simply just the knack of what clicks and what does not, that made all the difference. Often Poorvi would come to me to seek relief from Ashish. I took a hard stand and made it clear “you ought to do what Ashish says”. It clicked, she cracked all the safety’s most of them with 100% scholarship and got into targets and few stretch/dream Schools as well, most with over 75% scholarship.

In the process I feel Ara was able to instill a lot of confidence in Poorvi and played a huge role in making her believe that she is a star and deserves to get the best.

As Poorvi leaps into the next phase of her life, it is indeed Ashish, Rupali and Ara, we will always be indebted to. We hope Poorvi does well and would really want to recommend several other Poorvis to seek admission counselling from Ara – Ashish and Rupali. It’s not counselling – they help discover you, what you are, what you can be. We are lucky to have such awesome mentors and counsellors still in this materialistic and robotic world. Thank you Ara, Thank you Ashish and Rupali!

We cannot recommend Ara enough for their exceptional student counselling services for admissions abroad. Their unparalleled expertise and extensive knowledge in the field, coupled with their dedication to helping students achieve their academic goals, is truly remarkable.

What sets Ara apart is their personalized approach towards each student, taking the time to understand their unique needs and tailoring their guidance accordingly. Their availability to answer questions and provide guidance throughout the process of applying for college or university is second to none. Moreover, their professionalism and kindness make the entire process much less stressful and daunting.

Thanks to Ara’s unwavering assistance, our son was able to navigate the complex process of applying to undergraduate university with ease. Their meticulous attention to detail and guidance through the application process instilled the confidence to pursue our son’s admission to his dream university.

We highly recommend Ara for their excellent counselling and mentorship. Any student who works with them is sure to benefit greatly from their expertise, support, and dedication.

When we were planning to send our son for higher studies outside India, we were utterly confused given the options and courses available. We had a big challenge due to different geographies we lived in…

During this period we were referred to Ara Consulting by one of our friends. It was a peak Covid period and physical contact was not possible so the initial discussion happened over Google Meet to basically understand the services offered. It was a great experience during the first interaction itself and we had made up our mind for their services.

We agreed to take very specific services like Planning, Profile Building, Ideation, SOP and CV review. Once we signed up it was a rigorous process for our child. Ara constantly followed up with our son, made him do the SOP and CV and helped him ideate through Review and Challenge process. The end result was fantastic… We found a change in the confidence levels of our son.

We applied for almost 10+ universities having a good mix with help of Ara and got admit offers for 7 of them. This was something big given a short period of 6 months we had to prepare for the whole journey.

What we liked most about this engagement is Ara’s guidance, their availability to discuss and clarify our doubts any time of the day, their deep knowledge of how the education system works and their ability to coach and build. We are extremely happy with the outcome and satisfied with our decision of engaging Ara Consulting without even a referal by any of thier existing clients. What we are happy about is “Ghar jaisa Feel” in every interaction that we have had with them.

We were recommended to Ara Consulting by a friend whose daughter had already worked with them. Our friend said that their child’s journey with Ara was nothing short of transformative. The sceptics that we are, we decided to go ahead with Ara with an open mind and hoped for the best. And the best is exactly what we got. We will forever be grateful to Ashish and Rupali whose guidance and expertise played an instrumental role in our daughter’s successful admission to a prestigious design college in New York.

When my daughter expressed her aspirations to pursue a career in design, we knew the journey ahead would be challenging. The daunting college application process, coupled with the competitive nature of admissions, left us feeling overwhelmed and uncertain. However, our worries dissipated when we met Ashish and Rupali. Not only did they bring their experience to the table, but they also guided us based on their own journey through the process.

From our initial consultation, Rupali exhibited a solid understanding of the nuances within the education landscape in the US and Europe. Their extensive knowledge of various design programs and colleges was evident. What truly set them apart was their personalized approach. They took the time to understand my daughter’s aspirations, strengths, and unique qualities, tailoring their guidance to align perfectly with her goals.

Throughout the application process, Ashish provided unwavering support and expert advice. He meticulously reviewed my daughter’s profile, offering constructive feedback that not only enhanced her work but also boosted her confidence. Their insights into crafting personal statements and application essays were invaluable, showcasing my daughter’s passion and dedication for design.

Their commitment to my daughter’s success was truly exceptional. Ashish and Rupali were always available to address our concerns, provide guidance, and offer reassurance during moments of uncertainty. Their genuine care and encouragement instilled a sense of confidence in my daughter, empowering her to showcase her talents and unique perspective in the best possible light.

I cannot recommend Ara Consulting highly enough for their professionalism, dedication, and genuine passion for guiding students toward their academic aspirations. Their impact on my daughter’s journey toward achieving her dreams is immeasurable, and our family will forever be grateful for their invaluable support