Ishaan Thakur · Office Hours Book your free call

Ishaan Thakur

Office Hours

Real college application help from someone who just did it.

Book your free 30-minute call

I'm Ishaan.

I'm from Frisco, 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 call.

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

Book your free 30-minute 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, buy credits.

    Credits are how you pay for time. Buy a little to start, or more if you want.

  3. 3

    We get to work.

    Sessions, essay feedback, school list, whatever you need. Credits come off as we go.

What it costs

Most private college counselors charge $200 an hour or more. I charge $100. Students with a Frisco ISD email pay less, because this is home.

You buy credits and spend them on time. 1 credit is $25. A standard hour is 4 credits. Frisco ISD students pay 3 credits an hour.

Credit packs

4 credits

$99.99

One hour. A good way to start.

Buy 4 credits

10 credits

$229.99

A few sessions and some real essay work.

Buy 10 credits

40 credits

$749.99

Full support, and the best value per credit.

Buy 40 credits

Used credits are charged at the standard $25 per credit. Unused credits are refundable within 30 days.

Ready to start?

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

Book your free 30-minute call

Questions? Email me at ithakur@uchicago.edu