Ivy League whisperers: Why high-end education consultants are in huge demand from Delhi to Dhanbad
students, dreaming of Harvard and Yale, with parents in tow, step into a rather unimpressive building nearby. They come from as far as Amritsar, Dhanbad and Delhi. They make their way to the sixth floor where an amiable-looking, grey-haired, bespectacled man waits for them in his three-room office. Viral Doshi, they believe, has the key to their favourite undergraduate destination—the Ivy League.
The kids are often just 14 years old. When they are in Class IX, they come to Doshi, one of the most sought-after consultants for US college admissions in India, to entrust their next four years to him. These years will be spent in crafting a student life that will tick all the boxes in an application form to a top American college. Doshi’s four-year package costs anywhere between Rs 4 lakh and Rs 7 lakh.
“Applying to universities is not a cookie-cutter process,” says Doshi. “Each application requires a lot of time and attention to detail as a kid’s career is at stake.” He starts by getting to know a student—their favourite subjects and interests. He puts them to a psychometric analysis to crosscheck their strengths and weaknesses. He then sits them down and advises on areas they should focus on and maps out a possible career path.
Doshi’s phone rings day and night. He keeps slots between midnight and 2 am open for students who sneak a call from their boarding schools. Even when he regrets one out of three calls, there is a months-long waiting period to work with him. He has an office in New York, too, where diaspora
