College Shortcuts
Neha Gupta
Exam answer sheet or application paper blurry view on table in examination room with blur education background of school university students taking exam test writing answer in seat row with stress
With long-awaited college decision letters starting to fill students’ mailboxes, the subtle reminder of high stress and hyper competition surrounding the world of college admissions rears its ugly head once more. With increasing numbers of applications to America’s leading institutions of higher educations, the stakes have never been higher; students and parents alike find themselves fretting over the perfect resume, the perfect essay, the perfect transcript—the list goes on and on.
In 2004, Houston’s own Neha Gupta decided to tackle this challenge and founded College Shortcuts. Starting off with a few students looking to improve their applications, Gupta’s firm has rapidly grown and serviced thousands of families looking to unlock their true potential in the college admissions process. Dubbed the “Netflix” for college consulting, Gupta and her team offer a series of online crash courses and one-on-one coaching services that carefully guide students, as early as their sophomore year, through the nebulous world of college applications. Over the years, 95% of students who have worked with Gupta have reported gaining admission to their top three choices. Student likewise have gained access to millions of dollars in college scholarships that ease the burden of attendance and create more accessibility to an invaluable college education.
Parents from around the country routinely tune in to Gupta’s Facebook live streams to gain further insights into the college process, from the initial application, through the essay crafting, all the way to the final press of the “submit” button. She remarks that her zeal and tenacity in this field stems from her unremitting belief that every child matters and is capable of unlocking his/her full potential.
As her team has grown, Gupta still makes time to play an active role in coaching her students. She notes, “Having the immigrant drive makes me work harder than anyone else I know in my industry. If you knew my parents, you would understand why I work seven days a week. My parents moved here with $20 bucks in their pocket and built multi-million dollar companies from scratch. For me, I knew that I had to follow my passion and help as many kids as I could. Now, we have launched an entire team of consultants with our College Mastery Program that will be working one on one with students on every part of the application process for those parents who want a concierge level experience in college admissions. We decided to expand our concierge service for families because the average high school student will get one or two meetings with their counselor. No one in their right mind, would invest in anything for over $100,000 without having someone advise them in the process – whether it be a house, car, or job. Having a consultant can be crucial in this process, especially for parents who didn’t go to school here,” says Gupta.
College Shortcuts today services clients around the United States and continues to assist students in gaining admission to the U.S. News Report’s Top 25 ranked universities. More details about services, including a free informational consultation, can be found at www.collegeshortcuts.com.
Neha Gupta, neha@eliteprivatetutors.com