Ishaan Thakur · Office Hours

Ishaan Thakur

Office Hours

Real college application help from someone who just did it.

Book your free intro call

I'm Ishaan.

I'm from Frisco, Texas, and I go to the University of Chicago.

I started at UC Berkeley Haas. When I applied to colleges, I got into a lot of them, more than most people expected. That wasn't luck. I'd figured out something most applicants miss: this process isn't about being the smartest kid in the room. It's about knowing how to tell your story so the people reading it actually get who you are.

Then I did it again. I transferred into UChicago, which is its own brutal process, and got in. So I know this from both sides, freshman admissions and transfers, and I know what actually moves the needle versus what's a waste of time.

Now I help students from home do the same thing. Not generic advice you could Google. Not some service that rewrites your essay until it sounds like everyone else's. Real help, from someone who recently sat exactly where you're sitting, and who actually cares whether you get in.

Ishaan Thakur

Schools I was admitted to

Book your free 30-minute intro call.

No commitment. Just a conversation to see if I can help.

Book your free intro call

What I help with

Essays

The personal statement and the supplements. This is where most applications are won or lost, and it's what I'm best at. I help you find your real story and tell it well. You write it. I help you make it land.

School list

Building a list that fits who you actually are. Reach, target, and safety, so you're not applying blind.

Strategy and timeline

What to prioritize, what's due when, and how to keep the whole thing from falling apart in the fall.

Ishaan speaking at a TEDx event

I help you write the best, truest version of your application, the one that sounds like you and makes them get who you are.

How it works

  1. 1

    Book a free 30-minute call.

    We talk. No charge, no pressure. You get a feel for whether I'm the right fit for you.

  2. 2

    If it's a fit, book a session.

    Pick the session length you want and pay for just that session. Nothing to buy in advance.

  3. 3

    We get to work.

    Sessions, essay feedback, school list, whatever you need. We make real progress every time.

What it costs

Most private college counselors charge $200 an hour or more. I charge a fraction of that, and you only pay for the session you book.

Start with a free intro call, then choose the length that fits what you need. You only ever pay for the session you book.

  • Free intro call · 30 minutes Free
  • Working session · 30 minutes $49.99
  • Working session · 60 minutes $84.99
  • Working session · 90 minutes $109.99
Book a session

Common questions

Completely free. Thirty minutes, no card, nothing owed. It's just a chance to talk through where you're at and whether I'm the right person to help. If it's not a fit, you've lost nothing.

Never, and I'd push back if you asked. The fastest way to sink a great application is an essay that doesn't sound like you. My job is to pull your real story out and help you shape it so it sounds like you on your best day. Your words, sharpened.

Timing, mostly. A lot of counselors are working off how admissions looked a long time ago. I went through all of this recently, so I know what readers actually respond to now and what's not worth stressing over. And you're not handed off to anyone, it's me, start to finish.

We meet one-on-one over video. You choose how long you want, 30, 60, or 90 minutes, and that's all you pay for. Book one when you need it. There's nothing to lock into and nothing to cancel.

Whatever's stressing you out most. Usually that's the essays, figuring out a realistic list of schools, or just a game plan for the months ahead so nothing sneaks up on you. We spend the time wherever it helps you most.

Yes, and it's something I know personally. Transferring works differently from applying out of high school, different timeline, different things schools care about, and I've been through it myself. If that's where you are, I can help.

Ready to start?

Book your free 30-minute intro call. Let's talk and see if I can help.

Book your free intro call

Questions? Email me at ithakur@uchicago.edu