Book excerpt: ‘Indian Roots, Ivy Admits: 85 Essays that Got Indian Students into the Ivy League and Stanford’ is an inspired collaborative by Viral Doshi, top education consultant in India, and Mridula Maluste, leading writing and editorial consultant for university applications and more. Writing the Common Application essay is one of the most anxiety-inducing tasks that many aspiring university students encounter. The essay is meant to uniquely identify each student, and give him and her the winning edge. But how do fresh young high-schoolers captivate admissions officers through their narratives, portray themselves as agents of change, and chronicle personal achievements and individual talents without seeming to brag? How does one avoid such pitfalls, stand out and even shine in this highly competitive environment? Here to answer all these questions is a rare, illuminating gem of a book that will lead all young contenders on the path to drafting successful overseas education applications. ‘Indian Roots, Ivy Admits: 85 Essays that got Indian Students into the Ivy League and Stanford’ is for any student who aims to pursue higher education in world-class universities. It fulfils its promise to engage and empower aspiring candidates, and tops that by giving them valuable perspectives in reflecting on their lives, and in analyzing and composing thoroughly engaging essays. Every essay within these pages has been written by a young student who earned a well-deserved place in an Ivy League university or Stanford. Each essay is followed by an insightful review and an in-depth assessment that will help aspirants understand how to approach, map and write their own strongly structured, creative application essays. Curated by Viral Doshi and Mridula Maluste, two of India’s leading experts in the domain of education, this book is an invaluable resource for students and teachers, as well as enthusiastic parents.