Helped 700+ study abroad in TOP univ (MIT Harvard etc) & get MAANG jobs via ScholarStrategy | 95K+ | Bestselling Author | LI Top Voices

I help ambitious students and professionals make brain-smart, AI-proof career choices in a world that’s changing faster than ever.

I’m the founder of Scholar Strategy and 24NorthStar, two purpose-driven platforms that have guided over 1,000 clients into top global universities (MIT, Harvard, Stanford, CMU, UIUC, INSEAD…) and career paths at companies like FAANG, Tesla, Microsoft, Salesforce, and more.

Unlike most consultants, I don’t earn commission from universities.
That means: I work only for my students.
No shady affiliations. No sales targets. Just real advice, backed by research and results.

Before this, I studied Computer Science at UIUC, dropped out of my MBA at NYU Stern after landing two full-time job offers, and joined a data startup in Manhattan. I’ve worked on Wall Street, run NYU’s first entrepreneurship summit (yes, Seth Godin was a speaker), and even got featured on Fred Wilson’s AVC blog.

After moving back to India, I turned my focus to career coaching, authorship, and storytelling. Today, I speak at IITs, IIMs, and startup events, and mentor young minds looking to build meaningful careers in tech, business, and beyond.

📚 I’ve authored 3 bestselling books on Indian startups:

No Shortcuts (award-winning interviews with Zerodha, Ather, Freshworks founders)
Unstartup (early story of Unacademy)
Futurepreneurs (deeptech & AI startups, co-authored with MIT alum Varun Aggarwal)

My content on careers, startups, and the future of work has reached 30M+ views and 400K+ followers across platforms.

If you’re:
🚀 Planning a master’s abroad
🧠 Unsure how to future-proof your career in the age of AI
👨‍👩‍👧 A parent figuring out what’s next for your child...

→ Reach out here:
🎓 Scholar Strategy (for MS/MBA): https://scholarstrategy.com/contact
🎓 24NorthStar (for high schoolers): https://24northstar.com

~3 lakh students appeared for CAT 2025.
~5,500 will make it to the IIMs.

The remaining ~2.95 lakh can either beat themselves up for not making it
or they can do one of the following:

1. Think about what you actually wanted to do ’after’ an MBA and try it directly.

Most people don’t realise this, but a large number of careers don’t even require an MBA especially roles in startups, product, growth, ops, and strategy.

2. If an MBA is truly critical for your career goal (IB, Consulting, core Finance),
get solid work experience and apply again later with a much stronger profile.

3. Take the GMAT instead.

There are many schools in India (and of course abroad) that accept GMAT scores, including ISB, SP Jain, XLRI, and select routes at IIM A/B/C.

Plus, the GMAT score is valid for 5 years.

Better yet:

1. Go to a tier-2 B-school, build real skills, get a job, and then post on LinkedIn about how you “made it” despite not going to an IIM.

2. Become a content creator around MBA prep and admissions and sometimes earn more than what you would have post-IIM.

3. Start a anti-MBA podcast and invite Nikhil Kamath to endorse. 

Trust me, there’s always a silver lining.

Hope you find yours soon 🙂

Nistha Tripathi

Most parents don’t raise kids.
They raise validation projects.

The goal isn’t to understand the child.
It’s to show off the child.

Trophies by 10.
Coding by 12.
IIT by 17.
And a US visa by 21.

Not because the child wants it.
But because the parent needs proof they did everything “right.”

You think it’s love.
But sometimes, it’s pressure dressed as pride.

→ You force music lessons, not for joy, but for certificates.
→ You push math Olympiads, not for curiosity, but for clout.
→ You micromanage careers, not for the child’s future, but your own reputation.

And if the child resists?

You call them “ungrateful.”
“Lazy.”
“Confused.”

But maybe they’re just tired of being a bullet point in your brag sheet.

Here’s the truth:

👉 A child is not your second chance.
👉 They are not your resume.
👉 They are not here to fix your regrets.

So ask yourself:

Are you raising a child?
Or building a case study for society?

There’s a difference.
And your kid can feel it.

PS. This post is for me as a parent. Especially as somebody who professionally counsels on education and careers, I need to know where to stop.

A senior engineer I know just packed up his life in Seattle.
Two kids in school.
$180K salary.
He’s moving back to India.

Another student finished her MS, got OPT, even worked for a year.
But employer refused to sponsor a H1B in 2025.
She is packing bags. 

And no, these are not isolated cases anymore.
When I left the US years ago, people found it ridiculous.
“Why would anyone leave the US?”

Today?
A lot of Indians are leaving the US because the equation has changed.
👉 Visas are unpredictable
👉 H1B feels like a lottery, not a pathway
👉 Green cards are decades away
👉 Layoffs + politics have raised the stress cost of staying

In my latest YouTube video, I break this down clearly:
- 7 types of Indians who are leaving the US right now
- Who is leaving by choice vs who is being pushed out
- Who should still stay and who should seriously rethink the US dream

(YouTube link for full video mentioned in the first comment)

Watch it to make well-informed decisions about your career and life. 

PS. Join 75,000 people who watch our weekly long analysis and tips on the YT channel (Scholar Strategy TV) if you haven't 🙏

#scholarstrategy #24northstar

One of my student life regrets is that I didn't do a (research) internship in Europe. Its the best place to spend your summer and when you can do it for FREE, actually get paid for it, why not?

In fact CERN pays you 93 Swiss Francs i.e. ₹10,000 per day!

Now unfortunately, many options that were available last year are not running this year such as Youth Action Summit Italy or closed early such as UNIL Summer Research Program. But there are 4 legit fully funded internships you can still apply for in 2026:

(But deadlines are close by, so hurry)

1️⃣ MPIA Summer Internship 2026 (Germany)

- Astronomy/physics undergrads
- pays €1,000/month
- Deadline: 15th Jan

2️⃣ CERN Summer Student Programme (Switzerland)

- For Physics/Eng/CS/Math undergrads
- pays 93CHF/day
- Deadline: 26th Jan

I have covered the details and additional two internship opportunities which are lesser known in todays YT video (link in the first comment).

Watch it to start 2026 on a winning note.

Thing is this year is going to be tricky to find good internships. So, start early and create multiple options. Competition is SUPER high!

PS. Join 75,000 people who watch our weekly long analysis and tips on the YT channel (Scholar Strategy TV) if you haven't 🙏

#scholarstrategy #24northstar

In a world where AI reads and writes for you,
people who still read books will win.

When everyone scrolls through tweets and reels,
those who can read essays and ideas in depth will win.

When everyone’s quoting ChatGPT,
those who can read a research paper and draw their own conclusions will win.

When everyone’s taking soft, shortcut courses,
those who study Physics and Math will win.

When everyone learns to prompt ChatGPT,
those who can actually build the next ChatGPT will win.

When AI floods the internet with content,
clarity becomes a superpower.

As I rebuild my life and career in the AI era,
I have realized that tools will keep changing,
but the ability to think clearly will never go out of style.

#careerlongcuts

“You are a bad mother if you hire a nanny.”

I’ve heard this. I am sure you have too. 
And I’ve felt the judgment behind it.

As if asking for help means caring less.

Now, here’s the shocking part:

A recent research paper showed that even when women earn equally,
even when they work the same hours,
even when they hire help-

The mental work of motherhood does NOT reduce.

It’s called Cognitive Labor. 
The “invisible work”.

- Ordering diapers at 1 am. 
- Remembering feeding schedules.
- Ordering next size shoes in time.
- Tracking doctor visits and vaccinations.
- Watching her interactions on the playground.
- Making sure she naps enough but not too much.

You can outsource tasks.
You cannot outsource responsibility.

Even with a nanny, the mental load stays with the mother.

The study found something even more uncomfortable:

→ This cognitive load doesn’t reduce with more money or more equality at home.
It sticks.

Once the mother becomes the default “thinker-in-chief” of the household, the role becomes permanent. Researchers call this gendered cognitive stickiness.

As a career coach, I’ve seen how this plays out professionally.

Brilliant women burning out quietly, not because they’re incapable, but because they’re mentally maxed out.

As a mother, I’ve lived it.

Hiring help didn’t make me less involved.
It made visible the work no one counts.

So no, hiring a nanny doesn’t make you a bad mother.

Believing that mothers should carry unlimited invisible labor without acknowledgment - that’s what quietly breaks women.

I hope it changes.  

PS. Research study (Take a Load Off? Not for Mothers: Gender, Cognitive Labor, and the Limits of Time and Money) link mentioned in the first comment. Do read it.

#workingmoms

This company is openly calling out college education as a waste of time and money.

I’ve often wondered when the day will come when degrees look optional.
I think we are closer to it than we think.

And this isn’t a random startup saying it.
It’s the tech giant Palantir.

Palantir runs the Meritocracy Fellowship, inviting talented young people to skip a traditional degree and instead work with them through a paid fellowship.

→ The idea is simple (and deeply uncomfortable):
If you’re already good at building, problem-solving, and thinking in systems,
why spend four years proving it through exams?

Instead of classrooms and tests, fellows work on live global projects, learn directly from elite engineers, and earn serious money while doing it.

I know it is not for everyone but if your kid can learn in unconventional environments, then this is a dream place.

And I believe more such opportunities will be opening up.

Why?

Because traditional education and degree is not catching up with the real world, the tech advancement and the AI disruption.

Western college is putting people in debt.

Indian school is still rewarding remembering the names of rivers and rulers instead of analysis and critical thinking.

We don't stand a chance unless we reinvent our education.

Tell me what you think about such programs? And would you want your kid to get through one?

PS. If you want more details on it or link, comment below.

graphical user interface, text, application, chat or text message

AI models are starting to crack high-level math problems, not just textbook exercises.

They’re solving Olympiad-style questions by combining reasoning models with formal proof checkers.

Take Harmonic: a startup building AI that reasons using formal proofs (via tools like Lean), showing sudden jumps in solving Erdős-style problems.

This isn’t “AI learned math.”
This is AI learning how mathematicians think.

What’s new isn’t raw intelligence.
It’s verification: the AI can check its own logic, step by step.

As Harmonic founder Tudor Achim puts it, when math and CS professors with reputations to protect start using these tools, that’s the real evidence.

My takeaway:
Computation is being commoditized.
Judgment, problem framing, and intellectual taste are not.

That’s where serious careers will compound.

Imagine reaching Israel for work and within a few days, conflict with Palestine escalates so much that you can hear scary bombings rocking your neighborhood.

“Dude, you now have a phenomenal story to tell your grandkids,” I told him once I knew he got back to India safely on the next flight out.  

He’s technically an ex-client, but over the years he’s become more of a friend. I’ve watched his journey closely, from a fairly nondescript bachelor’s degree in Indore to building an impressive career at a fast-growing startup headquartered in Boston. We’ve stayed in touch through multiple moves, decisions, and transitions.

We catch up regularly and thats when he told me how that single, completely unpredictable event in Israel had quietly shaped many of his life decisions:
– why his GC took a different timeline
– why he is now working from India
– why certain “perfectly planned” paths never happened

What struck me was this:
When we met, I had been reading The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb.

And sitting across from me was a living example of it.

What are the odds that you move to a country for work…
right before it becomes the epicenter of a major geopolitical crisis?

Almost zero.

Until it happens.

That’s the uncomfortable truth about careers and life:
You cannot plan for everything.

As Nassim Taleb writes (in this very lovely book) - 

Black Swan events happen precisely because no one ever expects them to happen. And that is why you cannot prepare for them. Ever. 

In fact, AI is a grey swan event (plausible but very unlikely to happen). And we have seen what it is doing to the world. 

And that’s okay. 

The lesson here isn’t pessimism.
It’s realism and humility.

Your plans will fail at some point. Not because you were careless, but because the world doesn’t cooperate with linear thinking.

And where do we see them more clearly in 2025 when degrees, visas, job offers, promotions - everything seemed to be falling apart. 

What does help is building skills that travel with you across roles, countries, and industries. Making decisions that preserve optionality. Avoiding paths that collapse the moment one assumption breaks.

We obsess over choosing the “right” degree, the “right” country, the “right” timeline.

But does it matter as much as what is happening around you? 

Watching him talk about it so calmly (no bitterness, no drama) reminded me of something simple but hard to practice.

You don’t always beat Black Swan events.
Sometimes, you just accept them with grace.

And then you keep going.

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