RBN Education Consulting

I specialise in mentoring highly ambitious professionals receive admission from leading postgraduate programs globally. My expertise lies in crafting and editing high-quality bespoke application materials (including statements and essays) that top universities demand. 

I have assisted over 150 applicants receive admission from leading universities across 12 countries. My clients have received over USD 250,000 in scholarships.

As I am a freelancer, my charges are extremely competitive and typically lower than reputed consultancies in the same category of services, while providing better (as per my clients' feedback) services.

Founder

Host of After the Master Podcast

Ivyprep India

Education Mentor

The Red Pen

As an external consultant, I work closely with the head of the postgraduate admissions team on crafting high-quality application materials, particularly statements and essays. 

These materials are meant for a range of postgraduate programs and fields of studies, primarily across the US and UK.

Consultant

Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment

Senior Research Fellow/Coordinator

The Nature Conservancy

Conducted field research for 6 forestry and restoration projects in northeastern Minnesota. 

Monitored and surveyed plantings in sites for the "Coastal Climate Adaptation Project", spread across 4 watersheds using the RelevE protocol.

Conducted stand assessments for over 8000 acres of forest along the Mississippi River in the Chippewa National Forest (in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service) to prioritize forest management.

Ground proofed LiDAR data through field surveys. 

Obtained trends by comparing growth statistics of planted seedlings by species and site.

Generated heat maps to obtain trends in climate data such as mean precipitation, mean, maximum and minimum temperature using historic data (1900-2015) using ArcGIS.

Research Assistant

University of Michigan

Assisted with research related to the recruitment of forest stands in Michigan.

Identification and segregated seeds for nearly 100 species from seed traps set in various properties owned by the University of  Michigan as well as other sites throughout the state of Michigan.
 
Updated and managed a database with historic data to determine trends in the rate of recruitment in the stands. 

Evaluated canopy cover of stands throughout Michigan by analyzing hemishperical photographs (using HemiView).

Berenty Reserve Naturelle 

Planned and executed a forest management plan aimed at reforesting gaps at multiple sites within the reserve. 

Surveyed and prepared the research blocks by identifying and supervising the removal of invasive and other undesirable species. 

Recorded growth metrics for seedlings, saplings, and adult trees within the research blocks.
 
Supervised the planting of over 1300 seedlings of nearly 30 species of trees.
 
Created a database with the measurements of all the seedlings as well as existing trees. 

Daily interaction with stakeholders including the owner, Madame Claire Foulon, Dr. Vanessa 
Winchester and a team of local residents to coordinate the planting. 

Trained a team of local residents to sustain and continue similar projects in the future.

Research Intern

Mahindra & Mahindra

Intern

AFCONS Infrastructure Limited - A Shapoorji Pallonji Group Company

Simplified 1:1 higher education and admissions mentoring | I help ambitious people reach leading universities | University of Michigan alum

I help high-achieving students & professionals apply to top graduate programs primarily in the US and the UK. I strive to deliver the quality that top universities demand, and I'd love to help you in your journey!

From computer science to creative writing, civil engineering, biomedical engineering, environmental engineering, entrepreneurship and even fashion design, I've independently assisted over 100 applicants receive offers from leading programs from 12 countries, mainly the US and the UK.

Here are select admits my clients have received: https://rbnedu.com/results/

Do you wish to pursue higher education at a top university? 

I specialize in complete application support including editing essays, statements, LORs and CVs, among other application documents, across fields of study. Most importantly, I tailor my work to highlight your story and achievements. 

"Your success is my success." - this is my motto. 
 
I also produce a weekly video podcast, 'After the Master', where I talk to professionals who have recently earned a master's degree, about their experiences during grad school, and their career advice for young professionals.

ETH Zurich: scholarship and regular application deadline (Nov 30)
Key requirement: Tabular CV. (CV template below)

ETHZ is one of the most sought-after "top" universities in Europe. Especially this year! 

Their ESOP scholarship program is open to all master's students, and it is extremely competitive (2% acceptance rate). 

To stand out, you absolutely need to have an extraordinary CV, and in a tabular format (I believe for all programs).

Here are some links by ETH Zurich: 

1. CV Example: https://lnkd.in/gcJCc44x

2. CV guidelines: https://lnkd.in/gx6tGbNi

3. Another example (more relevant for visa): https://lnkd.in/gDke7TqZ 

4. My downloadable and editable tabular CV template: https://lnkd.in/gRpNpF4j (In the CV section)

Repost ♻️ to help a friend!


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For complete guidelines on 17 CV sections in my 50-pg CV guide (including AI prompts to personalise your descriptions), check my profile Rubin Sagar :)

Rubin Sagar

Craft a top 1% CV with my CV Guide | Founder @Rbnedu | I help ambitious people reach top universities

How to write a statement of purpose, if it's the only statement your application asks for. 

Guidelines from Stanford University. 

P.S. Always prioritize and answer the specific questions/prompts your application asks. The tips provided in this post covers what most statement of purpose prompts would ask for, but there are variants with prompts/requirements that differ.

Stanford University SOP Guidelines 

The #1 reason your statement of purpose isn't impactful:


You're telling when you should be showing.

The "Show, Don't Tell" rule is paramount in a persuasive Statement of Purpose (SOP) or personal statement.

Admissions officers don't want buzzwords; they want concrete evidence and vivid specifics.

Show them your impact, don't just state your skills.

--
Telling: I have strong leadership skills and managed my research team effectively.

Showing: As the lead undergraduate researcher, I designed the experimental workflow for the \text{Cr}(\text{III}) reduction project, which resulted in a 22% increase in synthesis yield within four months.

--
Telling: I am very interested in data analysis and have a passion for machine learning.

Showing: Utilizing Python's Scikit-learn library, I built a random forest classifier for the public health dataset, achieving a cross-validation accuracy of 91.5% in predicting regional disease outbreaks.

--
Telling: I overcame a significant challenge to complete my thesis project.

Showing: When a critical piece of equipment failed three weeks before my defense, I swiftly pivoted to a computationally-driven simulation approach using MATLAB, completing the necessary 300 hours of modeling to meet the submission deadline.

--
Generic prose will sink your statements.

Specificity and detail create a memorable, undeniable case for your admission.

The personal statement/personal history statement (if required with a statement of purpose) often flabbergasts first-time graduate applicants. Some tips:

1. A personal statement must highlight your strengths, supported with examples, in terms of competence and commitment. 

- Connect your strongest academic achievements (as described in your SOP) with your values and personal traits. Is there a personal reason for pursuing your chosen field (e.g., facing extreme pollution that motivates your interest in sustainable aviation)?

- Descriptions of your commitment should be based on demonstrations through specific anecdotes (e.g., working long hours to solve a problem, overcoming challenges in research, resilience in pursuing problems). Don’t merely assert your commitment.

- You could also share your commitment to the academic discipline, such as how you served or led discipline-related activities and communities. If appropriate, you could describe how you were involved in mentoring future generations of students or doing outreach activities to broaden participation in your field.

2. Describe how your lived experiences contribute to the social, intellectual, or cultural diversity within a campus community and your chosen field.

- Often, you're not just writing about the aspects that drive you. You must also reflect on your unique background, personal identity, challenges, or significant life events that have shaped your specific worldview.

- Connect how these experiences give you a distinct perspective—intellectually, socially, or culturally—that differs from that of your peers (think about your immediate peers in the present or recent past).

- Finally, explain how this unique viewpoint will actively enrich classroom discussions, research, and the overall campus community in your specific field. Often, universities value your contribution to the department by participation in student-led groups and events.

3. Identify weaknesses or anomalies in your application—e.g., a significant drop in your GPA during a term; weak GRE score; a significant career/academic gap, changes in your academic trajectory, etc.

- Factually state what went wrong. Do not get melodramatic and provide concrete evidence wherever possible. 

- Never ever blame anyone else. Do not show others in a negative light.

- Be concise (don’t dwell on the issues), but also be complete (don’t lead to other potentially unanswered questions). For example, if a drop in grades during a term was due to a health issue, explain whether the health issue is recurring, managed now with medication, resolved, etc.

- For more nuanced challenges, focus on overcoming them. Do not make excuses. 

-- 
These are general tips, and the personal statement/personal history statement you write must directly address the guidelines and prompts asked by the program(s) you apply to. 

Examples in a future post!

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