"Steve Helped My Son Get Into Yale - But More Importantly, He Helped Him Become Human Again"
Shiva Rajagopalan
Parent of Caltech, Princeton, Yale, and Stanford admit
We spent two years and tens of thousands of dollars with one of the largest college prep firms in the country.
They are a behemoth with many former admissions officers from MIT, Stanford, Yale, and other top universities.
By the end of 11th grade, my son Rohan had lost faith in their approach. Every time he accomplished something they asked him to do, they pushed him to do another thing. It was constant, never-ending pushing. He was sleeping very little and working very hard.
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That's when I started listening to Steve Gardner's podcast and heard him talking about how kids need to be healthy and get enough sleep to function at their best.
We decided to switch to Steve four months before applications were due, even though we'd already paid Solomon and wouldn't get that money back. Rohan's health was more important.
I wish I had hired Steve sooner. His expertise is helping students build a compelling narrative about themselves, and he recommends clients start working with him as early as 9th grade.
From Robot to Human
Steve helped Rohan escape what he calls the āimpressiveness trap.ā Rohan had become like a robot - getting things done, earning AP scores, SAT scores, national awards - but just going through the motions.
Steve was the one who helped him get away from that trap and create a real story. For Yale, it was very important to portray Rohan as a human engineer versus just a robotic engineer. Steve was able to create that package with my son, and that really helped.
Rohan had a very STEM-heavy profile - wildfire research with a NASA scientist, perfect test scores, national recognition. Steve said we needed to humanize him for admissions officers. He created a roadmap for Rohan to interview people affected by the recent LA wildfires and use those stories in his essays.
The transformation was visible in Rohan's writing. He had always struggled with writing compared to his STEM skills, but this process made him a better writer and communicator.
Through his essays, you could see a different side - not just STEM work and problem-solving, but genuine care for doing something for the greater good.
What Steve Does Differently
I'm originally from India, where the school of thought is to keep working harder and harder - if you reach one level in STEM, get to the next level. It never ends. That's what I thought college admissions required.
But Steve taught us that's not how it works in American college admissions. Yes, you need capability at a high level. But ultimately, it's about creating a great story that admissions officers can understand and relate to.
Steve knows how to package your story and present your child as a viable candidate. That's what made the difference for us.
After working with both the other firm and Steve, I can tell you:
Steveās approach is much more current. He is currently teaching a leadership and impact course at Harvard Summer School. The admissions game is constantly evolving, and you need someone who's actively working with students right now and knows what's working.
Always Available When You Need Him
I run a business myself, so I know services don't scale easily. But Steveās business model is to be incredibly generous with his availability. No matter how many questions we had or how many meetings we needed for essay writing, Steve was always there and ready to help.
We never had to wonder when we could schedule time with him or wait a week for a meeting. When we needed help, Steve was available. That made all the difference during the stressful final months.
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Rohan was accepted to Yale through Early Action. Yes, the last four months were still stressful. His Common App essay alone took 17 drafts because he's a perfectionist. But it would have been far more stressful without Steve's guidance and reassurance.
Steve's message was clear: You don't have to keep doing more and more.
Let's package what you have now into a compelling story for admissions officers. That's exactly what we did, and it worked.
I'm already telling my friends with college-bound children: If you need someone who knows how admissions into top schools works right now, Steve is that person. Don't push your child into the impressiveness trap. Focus on doing one or two things well, then package that story effectively.
That's what Steve helped us do. And now Rohan can choose to attend Yale, though I expect he will also earn admissions to several other top tier schools and will have his choice.
(SPOILER ALERT: He ended up choosing Stanford over CalTech, Yale, and many other amazing options :) )
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