OIS Alumni Avvalzameer Bhatia attending ULCA wrote an article about SATs and the UC system.

Each year, tens of thousands of students from thousands of schools across the globe vie for the chance to call themselves Bruins. One of the few things unifying that massively varied applicant pool: sitting at a desk and taking the SAT – or the ACT, if that’s your cup of tea.

Standardized test scores are one of 14 factors the University of California uses to comprehensively review admissions applications and assess a student’s readiness for college. But many students have complained about the effectiveness of standardized test scores in determining college success.

Recently, Beyond the Score, a student organization that seeks to challenge the use of standardized tests in University admissions, hosted a town hall to raise awareness about the drawbacks of requiring that applicants take the SAT or ACT. Members of the organization called the tests inherently racist, claiming the structure of standardized tests disadvantages minorities, people of color and students from lower-income families who can’t afford preparatory courses.

​However, standardized tests also have a number of advantages. Test scores allow universities to put applicants from various backgrounds with different academic and grading systems on a level playing field. This gives students with inflated or deflated high school GPAs a fair opportunity to demonstrate their skill sets and knowledge of core concepts expected of university admits.

Click here to read the whole article..
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I recently visited the Indian School of Hospitality in Delhi (opened in August 2018). IHS is a branch of EHL, the most famous hospitality school in the world but IHS costs about 20% of the price. A degree in hospitality sets you up for numerous careers (hotels, restaurants, banks, HR, food blog, luxury brands) because you learn managerial, economic, financial, and interpersonal skills. Apply online www.ish.edu.in (application fee has been waived until Dec 31, IHS looks at the interview more than scores!). Please see me if you are interested.


Ms. Tiffany A. Goulet ​

At NUS, Singapore, the first semester has been great. It has been challenging and a lot of work, but it has been rewarding nonetheless. The studies here are very theoretical, however, group projects and online lectures (so we don't actually have to attend them) are our knights in shining armour.
My picture here is with one of my professional presentation groups from Organizational Behaviour Class. 

Swaraa Lodha (Class of '18)

​The counselling department took a road trip on Nov 23rd to visit FLAME University in Pune. The drive was delightful and the weather made it even better. Tucked right off the Mumbai-Pune expressway, it is easily accessible and has a Golf resort right next door, making it a very green campus with ample nature around.

Flame officially began in 2015 and houses about 800 students and 95 faculty and boasts of a 1:10 student to faculty ratio - giving scope for personalised attention - similar to what students at OIS are used to in the classroom.

The 4 year undergraduate program is compressed into three years for students to get their undergrad degree at the same amount of time as traditional Indian universities.
The curriculum is structured around Experiential and  Interdisciplinary learning, which encourages Critical Thinking, Curiosity and Life long learning.

One unique part of the curriculum is the - Discover India Program- who's approach is to develop critical approach and field immersion together by going on an expedition somewhere in India.
Students form group of 14-16 members and are given a few skill sets - Writing, Arts, Videography, Logistics, Financial planning etc. Each member takes responsibility for one aspect.
Students select a topic and location of study and teams visit the sites for 8-10 days. They then plan their journey to the destination - only train journeys are allowed, since the budget is tight so planning has to be modest and practical. Each group has a Professor as an academic mentor.

At the end of this, the Best report gets a Book Publication (which are showcased in the library on campus), the Best documentary gets to send a 30 minute documentary to film festivals world over and the Best exhibition gets funding to go for a conference! So students get to have the experience, great exposure and recognition for all the hard work they put in.

I highly suggest taking a road trip to this wonderful hidden gem so close to Mumbai for those of you who want to look at Liberal Arts closer to home!

P.S - that is our Alumni Devi Dang with us in the picture :)

-Minal Dhand

​As a part of my semester abroad in London, I made a video covering my time here. So I thought it would be helpful for future students who are maybe considering Northeastern's N.U.in program or any study abroad program.
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Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwftz-e3KsE-- 

Ananya Lunkad (Class of '18)

​Over Diwali break, I was able to visit the Boston campus of Hult Business School.

This is a great option for those students who are looking at a focussed and specialised college experience and was to go head on into studying and focussing on Business and its allied subjects. They offer a range of subject options and specialisations - Finance, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Management and Accounting.

The campus at Boston has welcomed their first cohort of students this year - it is a small and compact class. Their aim is to take students beyond business to prepare them for the world.

They have two buildings dedicated to academics right in the heart of Cambridge, MA with easy and quick accessibility to downtown Boston! They have excellent state of the art modern facilities for students and have two new buildings coming up which will be for accommodation and recreational activities for Hult students.

My interaction with the current students there was amazing - they are very involved and work closely with great faculty, have the opportunity for experiential learning and also have options to take classes across other Universities in Boston including Harvard and MIT. Due to the proximity of the campus to other great colleges and universities - students are able to take advantage of the teaching and learning all across Boston!
One of the professors had a master class with us where 25 counsellors were split into groups to market an action figure to the Board of Directors of company - the activity and class was fun, experiential and a great insight to how teaching in the classroom takes place!

There is an opportunity to move campuses to San Francisco and Boston if you decide to explore and move around during your undergraduate years.
They have a great department dedicated to Career services, which will help and advice you about internship opportunities across Boston and the other campuses too. 
The faculty is from all over the world including professors with great industry experience and PhDs from Harvard (I know you all love the name Harvard right?!).

Overall a great business school with a focus on modern learning with a great mix of traditional experiences in the heart of Boston!!

-Minal Dhand 

It wasn’t until the end of Welcome Week that I realized there was more to New York than Central Park, recreating Gossip Girl pictures at the MET and finding any and every possible event to reinstate "concrete jungle where dreams are made of." NYU truly is in and of the city—the open gated campus virtually draws no restriction with the opportunities that it has to offer. At first, it feels easy to get lost in the mix but it isn’t long before you find yourself running across Washington Square Park to get to your classes without seeing at least one person you know. The pressure of finding your group of friends soon fades away with the numerous events that are purposefully designed to help create the community NYU prides itself on. Whether it’s navigating the subways or finding new parts of the city to explore every weekend, there won’t be a single day that passes you by without leaving behind a story to be told. With just a little over a month to go before my first semester ends, there isn’t any other decision I’m more proud to have made. Even from 12,530 km away, this really is my home away from home. 

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Kainaz Patravala (Class of '18)

I’m at PennState University Park and I love it here! Leaving home can’t be explained as anything but a rollercoaster. It’s literally ups and downs and random bursts of sadness and excitedness. But soon enough everything falls into place. 

For me, the first few weeks were pretty intimidating. PennState is a pretty big school, and it’s easy to get lost in everything that’s happening. But after a few weeks, you’ll find a group of friends, and you’ll end up exploring things together! 

Laundry and communal bathrooms aren’t as big of a deal as they’re made out to be. It’s tough for a while, but after that it just becomes routine. Not only will you feel more independent after going to college, you’ll feel a lot more confident about your decisions as well. 

After a month, PennState felt just as small as OIS did (I didn’t need GoogleMaps anymore) and everything fell into place. It feels like a second home and I’m so glad I ended up here! 

Anjali Jivan (Class of '18)

When I read all the posts below, I felt almost as though I could hear my friends’ voices. It’s been just over a month since uni started, and I already miss school (that’s something I thought none of us would say). I’m at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and there are SO MANY THINGS TO DO HEREE. Right from moving in with just two to three suitcases, to staying up late in your new friend’s dorm room, you’re going to have a blast. It’s gonna be all fun and games for a while, but that being said, classes don’t go slow. It’s not like the first week of school where everything is chill and no one does work and you sit talking to your friends while the teacher tries to calm down the entire class. No. This is different.

​This is a big change. You thought shifting schools and relocating from Bandra to Andheri was a big deal? Wait until you move 13,000 kilometers away to a place you’ve (maybe) never been to. A place that you’re excited, yet sad to go to. A place that you’re going to be for the next four years. A place that’s (literally) going to change the way you think, act, and behave. On move-in day, you’ll see so many Americans moving in, bringing ten whole cartons of things (idk why they pack in cartons but okay)... they even bring a sofa with them, I kid you not. It’s moments like those when you’re going to think to yourself “wow, I’m coming from 13,000 kilometers away and moving into a whole new place with only two suitcases of clothes and one suitcase of mom and Nani's food - again, I’m not kidding.

So, at uni, you’ll get a new email ID - the same way you do at OIS - but for the first month, when you sign in to your devices, you’re going to keep entering @oberoi-is.net. That’s when you know it’s a whole new journey. To be honest, this still keeps happening to me. When you go for extracurricular events - like club meetings, etc. - you’re asked to “sign in” and enter your email ID. I still mistakenly put my OIS email ID. There’s no one way to describe how the transition to uni is going to feel. It’s going to be exciting, tough, emotional, and fulfilling, all at the same time. But, that’s what this is about right? Growing as a person? Just know that no matter where you go, you’re challenging yourself. You’re moving away from your family, your friends, and everyone close to you to go to another country just to get a better education - and party (that’s way down on the list), because you will at some point, even if you’re not a party person. When you go to university, it’s just going to feel like a long vacation at first because most of you will be coming back in December. But I guess it’s only after that that it’ll really hit us that we’re finally at university, huh?

Nandan Venkatesan (Class of '18)

I'm currently in London as a part of Northeastern University's NUin program. Though I feel 3 months is too less a time for such an amazing city like London, I'm enjoying every bit of it. This program offers a perfect balance of academic and college life and what I love about it the most is that I get to see London in a way that I've never seen before and I may not be able to ever again. As a part of my theatre course, I've had the opportunity to see over 15 shows in London which is honestly any theatre-lovers dream come true. I've also visited places throughout the UK like Glasgow, Belfast, Brighton and Bath which I may not have ever made the effort to travel all the way from India so I'm very glad that I made this decision to do a study abroad program. Overall, London has been fantastic and I can't wait to continue my college journey at Northeastern in Boston this Spring.  

Ananya Lunkad (Class of '18)