Your Ultimate College Journey: Your Pathway to College with our Full-Service Planning & Admissions Support
Complete College Success: 1:1 Planning & Unlimited Application & Admissions Guidance
***FREE First 30 mins Consultation***
The ideal time to start is in 8th grade. However, don't worry—we're here to support you, no matter when you begin.
From Dreams to Acceptance: Comprehensive College Planning & Admissions Counseling
College Planning Service
Our College Planning Service offers a comprehensive and personalized approach to student development, focusing on building a holistic profile that stands out. We emphasize two distinct areas that set our service apart: passion projects and intellectual vitality.
- Passion Projects: We guide students in developing and executing projects that demonstrate their commitment to the community and create a meaningful impact. These projects showcase depth, progression, and unwavering dedication, reflecting the student's passion and leadership qualities.
- Intellectual Vitality: We also focus on highlighting students' intellectual curiosity and brainpower. Through tailored strategies, we help students engage in activities and pursuits that demonstrate their intellectual vitality, showcasing their critical thinking, creativity, and academic prowess.
- National-Level Awards: We provide nominations for students to gain prestigious national awards, such as the President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) and the Congressional Medal Awards. These accolades highlight students' dedication to community service and personal development.
- Summer Activities Alignment: We help students plan and align their summer activities to enhance and boost their college profiles. This includes recommending programs, internships, and volunteer opportunities that align with their interests and goals.
- Meetings Structure:
- Our first meeting is a family meeting with the student and parents, lasting approximately 4 hours. This session helps immerse and familiarize everyone with the areas of the profile we will be focusing on.
- Follow-up meetings are task-based and results-oriented, with around four meetings per year.
- Between meetings, families and students are welcome to contact us anytime with any questions or concerns. Additional meetings can be scheduled on an as-needed basis.
Our service includes:
- Personalized course selection for academic and personal growth.
- Guidance on extracurricular activities, community service, and leadership opportunities.
- Support in developing passion projects that highlight students' commitment and impact on the community.
- Strategies to showcase intellectual vitality through academic and personal achievements.
- Assistance with national-level award nominations to recognize students' accomplishments.
- Guidance on aligning summer activities to further enhance college profiles.
- Structured meetings to ensure comprehensive support and continuous progress.
Through this unique approach, we ensure that each student's profile is well-rounded, highlighting both their passion for making a difference and their intellectual capabilities.
College Admissions Counseling
We offer comprehensive 1:1 support for the entire college applications process, providing personalized guidance at every step, including:
- Resume Writing: Crafting a standout resume tailored to each student’s achievements and goals.
- Letters of Recommendation: Assisting students in obtaining strong recommendations from teachers and counselors.
- College List Creation: Developing a customized list of best-fit colleges (Reach / target / Safety) and determining the best time to apply ED/EA/RD:.
- UCs + CSUs + 6 Commonapp colleges (OR)
- 10 to 12 Commonapp colleges
- Activity Reporting: Guiding students in reporting activities, awards, and recognitions, and helping to prepare detailed descriptions.
- Academic History: Assisting with the accurate reporting of academic history.
- Major Selection: Helping students select suitable majors for each college on their list.
- Essay Writing Guidance:
- Understanding Writing Nuances: Teaching the intricacies of effective essay writing.
- Brainstorming: Helping students choose essay prompts that align with their experiences and goals.
- Ideation Assistance: Providing creative ideas and guidance for each essay question.
- Unlimited Reviews: Offering continuous feedback and revisions until essays are polished and ready for submission.
- Comprehensive Support: Extending similar guidance to supplemental essays and other written responses.
- Financial Aid & Scholarships: Providing guidance on financial aid applications and scholarship opportunities.
- Admissions Interview Prep: Preparing students for college admissions interviews with mock interviews and feedback.
- Application Review: Conducting a thorough review of the entire application before submission.
- College Selection Assistance: Helping students select the best college based on acceptance offers.
Sample Recommended Schedule for Admissions Work (Grade 11 to 12)
Starting early helps reduce stress! We recommend beginning around February of Junior year to spread out activities:
- February-March: Understand and gather data on the student's academic and extracurricular achievements.
- April-May: Complete important tasks before the end of the Junior year.
- June: Students complete an essay writing course and then meet 1:1 to brainstorm, ideate, and work on application documents.
- July-December: Meet as needed and provide remote guidance until all applications are submitted.
- January-February: Prepare for interviews.
- March-April: Finalize college selection with additional meetings as needed.
Join the Ranks of Our Successful Students!
Are you ready to work hard, smart, and commit to following expert guidance? If so, sign up now and start your journey towards success with our dedicated college counseling program.
Effective College Counseling Approach:
- Student-Centered Sessions: To achieve the best results, students need to work directly with the counselor. Parents are welcome to join the first meeting, but for ongoing sessions, students will take the lead. This helps them build confidence and responsibility.
- Building Trust and Understanding: Direct interaction with the counselor is key to understanding each student's unique strengths and goals. This personal connection ensures that the guidance provided is tailored to the student's needs.
- Honest and Accurate Guidance: Expect honest and accurate information throughout the process, avoiding common myths and misconceptions. The focus is on what truly works for college admissions.
- Commitment to Progress: Students are encouraged to follow the guidance and steps outlined. If they encounter any challenges, they can discuss them openly, allowing for adjustments and continued progress.
- Task-Based Growth: Meetings are designed to be task-based, with follow-ups scheduled based on task reviews and status updates. These meetings are scheduled on an as-needed basis, as agreed upon by both the student and the counselor. This approach promotes responsibility and maturity, helping students understand the purpose behind each task. Open discussions and questions are always encouraged.
- Standing Out with a Unique Plan: To truly stand out, it's important for students to follow a personalized plan tailored to their strengths and goals. This plan helps reduce distractions and encourages students to avoid simply following what their peers are doing. Every step and activity is customized to the individual, ensuring focused and meaningful progress. By adhering to this unique plan, students can achieve their full potential.
- Strategic Planning for Holistic Profiles: Time and activities are strategically planned to demonstrate a cohesive and effective holistic student profile. This ensures that every aspect of the student's journey is aligned with their goals and aspirations, creating a well-rounded and impressive application.
By following this approach, students will be well-prepared and equipped for successful college admissions.
Now that you have explored the details about our College Planning and College Admissions Counseling services, it's time to secure your spot with our expert college counselor. This is a unique opportunity to be guided by our Counselor, Shanti Balaraman, a renowned research mentor and college counselor. Only a very selective number of students get the chance to work directly with her, ensuring personalized and exceptional guidance.
Don't miss out on this exclusive opportunity—reserve your spot today and take the first step towards academic success!
Complete Package with both College Planning and College Admissions Services
(Personalized 1:1 College Planning and unlimited guidance for the full college applications & admissions process)
Current 8th Grader
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Current 9th Grader
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Current 10th Grader
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Current 11th Grader
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Late 11th grade for Comprehensive Application Services only
Comprehensive College Applications/Admissions Package only:
UCs + CSUs + 6 Commonapp colleges (OR) 10 to 12 Commonapp Colleges
Intro to our Independent College Counselor:
Shanti Balaraman, a trailblazer in transformative education, has dedicated over 16 years to revolutionizing our traditional industrialist educational system. As a staunch advocate for practical learning, she has played a pivotal role in shaping effective pedagogical methodologies that encourage independent thinking and foster a genuine connection with the real world.
Across the nation, Shanti has mentored and guided hundreds of students, helping them uncover their passions, recognize their strengths and weaknesses, and discover a profound sense of purpose. Armed with the right information and guidance, these students have embarked on their unique academic and career journeys.
Now, in her retirement, Shanti leverages her wealth of knowledge and experience to continue supporting today’s youth. As a Research Mentor and Independent College Counselor, she remains committed to empowering the next generation.
Her approaches to college counseling have been more pertinent especially during this era of holistic selection process. You will not see any gimmicks or false claims!
Are you ready to start your journey with such expert guidance?
Contact Us:
info@childrensinnovationcenter.org
Phone/Text: 510-894-1497
We usually reply within one or two days. If our reply is not in the inbox, please also check spam folder and move it. Please add our email id to your contact list.
Your Pathway to Excellence
Unlock your future with Shanti Balaraman's expert college counseling and research mentoring programs through Children’s Innovation Center. With a proven track record of helping students (100% success rate) secure acceptances to top-tier, highly selective colleges, Shanti is dedicated to transforming aspirations into achievements. Her students are not only prepared for academic excellence but are also ready to become changemakers, confidently tackling real-world problems. Join the community of thriving students who have stepped confidently into their dream schools.
Please submit the below form if you are interested in our College Counselling Services.
We will contact you back at our earliest.
Celebrating the Class of 2024: College Acceptances Unveiled!
We are thrilled to announce that our students have received acceptances from some of the most prestigious colleges and universities across the nation. Their hard work, resilience, and passion have paid off, and we couldn’t be prouder.
The outcomes unequivocally demonstrate that our strategic approach, which emphasizes students’ uniqueness, personal qualities, achievements, and abilities through their essays, activities, and comprehensive applications, has resulted in unparalleled opportunities for our students. Notably, some of them have been awarded very lucrative merit scholarships ranging from $8,000 to $100,000.
- Stony Brook – Biology (Premed)
- Rutgers – Biomedical Engineering (Premed)
- New Jersey Institute of Technology - Biotechnology
- University of Southern California (2) – International Business, Computer Science
- San Jose State University – Aerospace Engineering
- Santa Clara University – Computer Science and Engineering
- UC Berkeley – Biology (Premed)
- UC Merced (4) – Sociology(Prelaw), Political Science(Prelaw), Management and Business Economics, Biomedical engineering
- UC Riverside (3) – Electrical Engineering, Finance/Economics, Biochemistry (Premed)
- UC Santa Cruz – Biomedical Engineering & Bioinformatics
Congratulations, Class of 2024! 
Celebrating Our Exceptional Research Students’ Admissions Success - 2024!
Dear Students and Parents,
I am thrilled to share the remarkable admissions results achieved by some of our outstanding research students from the class of 2024. Their dedication, perseverance, and commitment to excellence have led to incredible opportunities:
- KG.: KG completed her research during 9th grade and went above and beyond by participating in various competitions. Her hard work has paid off, as she has been accepted into Stanford University’s College of Engineering.
- CC.: CC continued his research journey, which began in 10th grade. His impressive work caught the attention of multiple institutions, and he has now committed to UC Berkeley, pursuing Biology on the premed track.
- NV.: NV’s research efforts in 9th grade have culminated in an acceptance to the prestigious Georgia Institute of Technology, where he will study Mechanical Engineering.
- NG.: NG’s dedication to research during 10th grade has led him to the University of Southern California, where he will major in Computer Science.
- AG.: AG’s consistent research journey since 9th grade has earned her a merit scholarship of $83,000 for Computer Engineering at Santa Clara University.
- RV.: RV’s research endeavors during 10th grade were rewarded with a substantial scholarship of approximately $100,000 from Rutgers University for Biomedical Engineering.
These recent successes underscore the value of my research program and the transformative impact it has on our students. By persevering and following my guidance, they have achieved remarkable outcomes. I hope their achievements inspire you as well!
Remember, every great innovation begins with a single step. Take yours today! 
For more information, visit our Research Program webpage : Emerging Innovators Research Program for High School Students (childrensinnovationcenter.org)
Congratulations to the Class of 2023!
A very fulfilling year for our admissions counseling services!
This year, 60% of our students comprised of first-generation / underrepresented communities. We guided our students to secure their life-changing college admissions and secure financial-aid. (full-ride tuition aid, merit scholarship, Cal grant, Pell grant, need-based institutional grant, work/study program)
Through our student-centric, comprehensive and personalized counseling and guidance, all of our students have accepted admissions from their top choice colleges!
Here are their final destination colleges and intended majors (Each student had received several other offers and decided to attend the following colleges)
Duke – Biology BS / minor in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
Boston University – BS in Business Administration (Information Science focus – minor in Entrepreneurship)
Santa Clara University – Computer Science
Purdue University (2) – Data Science; Computer Engineering
University of Southern California – Computer Science with an emphasis on game design
Indiana University – Kelley School of Business – Business – Economics and Finance focus
UC Berkeley (3)– Computer Science; Civil and Environmental Engineering; International studies (pre-law)
UC LA (2)– Nursing; Computer Science
UC Irvine – Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
UC Santa Barbara – Political Science (pre-law)
University of Washington, Seattle – Informatics
Best Wishes to all students!
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Congratulations to the Class of 2022!
Academic Pathways Taken: Pre-med, Pre-law, Electrical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Economics, Nursing, and Biotechnology.
Many of our students have received merit scholarships - Full-ride, UC Regents, Dean's Scholarship, Partial as large as $120,000 to smallest $5,000!
- UC Berkeley
- UCLA
- UC Davis
- UC Riverside
- UC Santa Cruz
- Purdue
- Cal Poly SLO
- San Francisco State University
- San Jose State University
- Georgia Tech
- University of Washington, Seattle
- Loyola Marymount University
- Santa Clara University
- University of San Francisco
- University of Texas, Dallas
- Arizona State University
- San Diego State University
- Oregon State University
It is notable that we do not pre-screen and pick our students to work with. Students have come to us when other private counselors did not want to take them. We believe that every student can be shown the path to success and the results speak for themselves. It is the mutual belief and trust that creates the positive energy and motivation to pursue academic success.
