Program · Grades 8–9

Foundation

The two years in which curiosity is taken seriously. A roadmap, honest conversations and the first real reading, long before anyone mentions an application.

Length
Two academic years
Mentor
One senior mentor, throughout
Sessions
Fortnightly, 60 minutes
Format
New Delhi or online

What it covers

Four strands, one curious student.

Nothing here is about building a profile for its own sake. It is about finding what a student genuinely wants to know more about.

  1. i.

    Academic roadmap

    Subject choices, board and curriculum decisions made with the next four years in view, and explained to parents in writing.

  2. ii.

    Discovering interests

    Structured conversations and a reading list that change as the student does. We look for the question they keep returning to.

  3. iii.

    Reading and early projects

    Books, courses and small independent projects chosen to deepen one or two real interests, not to fill a list.

  4. iv.

    Habits of serious work

    Writing, note-taking and time management, built quietly now so that the harder years feel possible.

How the work unfolds

Grade 8

Mapping the curiosity

Term one
Introductory conversations with student and parents. A first reading list.
Term two
Academic roadmap written and shared. First small project chosen.
Summer
Independent reading or a short course in the area of interest.

Grade 9

Going deeper

Term one
One or two interests chosen for depth. Project plan agreed.
Term two
First piece of written work. Early competitions considered, not rushed.
Summer
The hand-over into Signature, with the same mentor.

Next · Grades 10–11: Signature

Program · Grades 10–11

Signature

The two years in which interest becomes evidence. Research, original work and responsibility that admissions readers can believe.

Length
Two academic years
Mentor
One senior mentor, throughout
Sessions
Fortnightly, 60 minutes
Format
New Delhi or online

What it covers

Five strands, one coherent student.

We do not ask students to do everything. We help them do a few things with unusual seriousness, so the whole reads as one person.

  1. i.

    Research

    A real question, pursued properly. We help students frame it, find a supervisor where appropriate, and carry it to a written piece of work.

  2. ii.

    Passion projects

    Something the student builds, makes or starts, sustained over months rather than weeks, and grown from genuine interest.

  3. iii.

    Competitions

    A short, deliberate list of olympiads, essay prizes and challenges that fit the student's field, with preparation planned well ahead.

  4. iv.

    Summer programs

    Guidance on selective summer programs worth the time, and on applying to them. We will say when a paid program adds little.

  5. v.

    Leadership

    Responsibility with consequence, in school or beyond it. Titles matter far less than what changed because the student was there.

How the work unfolds

Grade 10

Finding the question

Term one
Intellectual interview, reading list and a written two-year plan shared with parents.
Term two
Research question framed. Passion project scoped. Competition calendar set.
Summer
First selective summer program or independent research period.

Grade 11

Building the evidence

Term one
Research written up. Leadership role taking shape. Testing plan confirmed.
Term two
First university list drafted, with our candid view of each choice.
Summer
Essay thinking begins. The hand-over to Admissions, with the same mentor.

Next · Grade 12: Admissions

Program · Grade 12

Admissions

The year the work is written down. A considered list, essays in the student's own voice, and every application submitted with care.

Length
One academic year
Mentor
One senior mentor, throughout
Sessions
Weekly in application season
Format
New Delhi or online

What it covers

Five parts, one honest application.

We question, advise and refine. We never write an essay for a student, and we never hide our view of where they stand.

  1. i.

    University list strategy

    A balanced list built on evidence, with our candid view of each choice and the reasons behind it.

  2. ii.

    Personal statements and essays

    Many drafts, each one more the student's own. We help them find what only they can say.

  3. iii.

    Supplements

    Every university-specific question answered with the same care as the main essay.

  4. iv.

    Interviews

    Practice conversations with senior mentors, so the student is ready to think aloud, not recite.

  5. v.

    Submission and decisions

    Deadlines, forms, recommendations and, in spring, the choice between offers. We stay until it is made.

How the work unfolds

Before term

Setting the list

Summer
List finalised. Essay ideas drafted. Recommenders approached.
August
Main essay in full draft. Early round strategy agreed with parents.

Grade 12

Writing and deciding

Autumn
Early applications submitted. Supplements and interviews prepared.
Winter
Regular round applications completed and checked twice.
Spring
Offers weighed together. The final decision, and the move to university.

Next · Specialised: Tracks

Program · Specialised

Tracks

Focused support for decisions and systems that reward particular preparation. Taken on their own, or alongside another program.

Length
By arrangement
Mentor
A specialist senior mentor
Sessions
Planned around deadlines
Format
New Delhi or online

What it covers

Three tracks, each with its own rules.

Each system asks for something different. We prepare students for the one they are actually applying to.

  1. i.

    Early Decision and Early Action

    Whether to apply early, where, and what that commits a family to. A clear recommendation with our reasons.

  2. ii.

    UK and Oxbridge

    Subject choice, the personal statement, admissions tests and interview preparation for Oxford, Cambridge and leading UK universities.

  3. iii.

    Postgraduate admissions

    Master's and doctoral applications: programme choice, statements of purpose and approaches to supervisors.

Back to the start: Foundation

For parents

What you will see, and when.

  • A written plan in the first month
  • A termly report and conversation with both parents
  • Direct access to your child's mentor, with a reply within one working day
  • An honest view of where your child stands, every term

Founding Cohort · Ten places

Every program is open to founding families at half our standard fee.

Fixed for the full length of the program, including the move from one stage to the next.

Apply for the Founding CohortRequest a private consultation