UNIVERSITY COUNSELLING · MYP 4 → DP 2

The application is won
years before it is written.

Subject choices in MYP 5. CAS in DP 1. Essays in DP 2. Every one of them widens or narrows what a university can say yes to — and most families find out which, only after the deadline has passed.

THE WINDOW

Two years move faster than they look.

The difference between these two columns is rarely ability. It is whether anyone was mapping the route while the terms went by.

LEFT TO DRIFT

  • Subjects chosen for comfort, then found to be prerequisites the target course required
  • CAS treated as hours to be logged, not a story worth reading
  • A shortlist assembled in DP 2 out of whichever names sound familiar
  • Essays written in the same weeks as mocks, because nobody scheduled them earlier
  • Scholarship deadlines noticed the week after they close

DESIGNED FROM THE START

  • Subjects mapped backwards from the courses the student actually wants
  • CAS planned as evidence of a real interest, documented as it happens
  • A shortlist built on fit, finances and geography — reach, match and safety, all deliberate
  • Essays drafted on a calendar that respects exam season
  • Scholarships identified while there is still time to qualify for them

ELEVEN INCLUSIONS · ONE SYSTEM

Everything the programme covers.

Twelve months of one-to-one mentorship, structured into four phases that run from profile to enrolment.

PHASE 01

Foundation

Who the student is, on paper.

01

Dedicated University Counsellor

One counsellor for twelve months, with monthly one-to-one sessions to review progress, set goals and shape a personalised application strategy.

02

Profile Building & Strategic Planning

Academics, leadership, extracurriculars, internships, competitions, research and community work — developed as one coherent profile, not a scattered list.

03

CAS Planning & Documentation

Structured planning, monitoring and reflection support, so Creativity, Activity and Service becomes a portfolio worth reading.

PHASE 02

Direction

Where the application is aimed.

04

University Research & Shortlisting

Curated recommendations weighed against academic profile, career aspiration, financial reality and geographical preference.

05

Scholarship & Financial Aid Guidance

Merit awards, need-based aid and scholarship routes identified early, with guidance through each application where it applies.

06

Application Strategy & Timeline Management

Deadlines, document preparation, university-specific requirements and submission schedules on one managed calendar.

PHASE 03

Craft

How the case is made.

07

Personal Statement & Supplemental Essay Guidance

Detailed mentoring on statements, college essays and supplemental responses — until the writing sounds like the student and not a template.

08

Application Review & Submission Support

Every application, essay and supporting document reviewed for accuracy, consistency and quality before anything is submitted.

09

Interview Preparation

Mock interviews, personalised feedback and communication coaching, so the interview becomes a conversation rather than a test.

PHASE 04

Alongside, always

The part families feel most.

10

Parent Reflection & Progress Meetings

Quarterly meetings covering academic progress, profile development, application timelines and next steps. Complete transparency, by design.

11

Continuous Mentorship & End-to-End Handholding

From the first plan through university selection to offer evaluation, acceptance and the final enrolment decision — the same people, the whole way.

HOW IT WORKS

It starts with four fields.

01

You send four fields

Name, email, current grade, and where you are hoping to study. That is the entire form.

02

A counsellor reads the profile

We look at where the student is now against where they want to end up, and find the gap.

03

You get a written pathway

A summarised subject and university pathway in your inbox within two working days. Free, and yours to keep.

04

You decide what happens next

If the pathway is useful, we talk about the full programme. If it is not, you have lost nothing.

Where you are right now

Every stage has a different highest-value move.

MYP 4–5

Subject selection is the decision with the longest shadow. Start here and the Diploma is chosen, not inherited.

DP 1

The profile year. CAS, research, competitions and the first honest shortlist all belong in these twelve months.

DP 2

Applications, essays, interviews, offers. Late is not too late — but from here the calendar runs the show.

WHO YOU WILL BE WORKING WITH

Rahul Dutt

SENIOR CONSULTANT · INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

SINCE 1999

For twenty-four years, Rahul Dutt's job has been getting students out of one education system and into another — thousands of them, across every kind of profile, budget and country.

In 1999 he opened Kolkata's first SAT, GRE, GMAT and TOEFL centre, at a point when applying abroad from India meant working without a map. He has been drawing that map ever since.

He has also spent much of that time on the university's side of the table rather than the student's — representing American and British institutions in India, running admissions for an international medical school, and building the study-abroad arm of two national education companies. It is an unusual vantage point, and it is the reason his advice tends to be specific rather than encouraging: he has read the applications, not just written them.

UNIVERSITIES REPRESENTED
University of Central FloridaUniversity of KansasPurdue University NorthwestUniversity of SussexUniversity of Southampton
LEADERSHIP
Head — FIITJEE USA UNIquestGlobal Admissions Head — American University of BarbadosBusiness Head — CollegeDekho Study Abroad
BEFORE EDUCATION
Ten years across IBM, XEROX and Philips

Mentor, strategist, and the person your shortlist will be argued with.

FREE · NO OBLIGATION

Your first pathway, on us.

Four fields, one tap. A counsellor-written summary of the subject and university options that fit your child right now — in your inbox within two working days.

No cost, no obligation, and no mailing list.

QUESTIONS

Before you ask us.

Our school already has a counsellor. Why this?

A school counsellor carries an entire cohort, and that ratio decides how much attention any one file gets. This is one counsellor, one student, twelve months — monthly sessions, quarterly parent meetings, and the time to build a profile rather than only process paperwork. It runs alongside the school process, not instead of it.

When should we start?

MYP 4–5 is ideal, because subject selection is still open. DP 1 is the most common entry point. DP 2 still works for applications, essays and interviews — there is simply less profile left to build.

Do we have to be an Ekkhum tuition student?

No. University counselling is a standalone programme. Families who also tutor with us get the academic and admissions plans built together, but it is not a condition.

Which countries do you cover?

Shortlisting is built around where the student actually wants to go, weighed against entry requirements and budget. Tell us your target countries on the form and the pathway summary will reflect them.

What does the programme cost?

It depends on the stage the student joins at and how much of the cycle is left to run. The free pathway summary comes first — pricing is discussed only once you have seen what the programme would actually do.

What happens after the free pathway summary?

You read it. If it is useful, we set up a call to walk through it and discuss the full twelve-month programme. If it is not, that is the end of it — there is no follow-up sequence.