Student Spotlight: Nihal

 In this series, we spotlight a student hailing from Georgia who worked with Vanguard on his College Application process. Here is our interview with Nihal, who applied to numerous colleges with Vanguard for the Fall of 2026. He was accepted to the University of Georgia, Georgia Institute of Technology, and his dream school the University of Virginia! 

In what ways did you feel more prepared in your college application journey than your peers who did not seek our services?

There were a lot of things that helped me feel prepared but I really like the fact that I had structured writing sessions, for example having weekly study halls and one-on-one meetings with my essay specialist. I feel like this kept me ahead of the game compared to my peers. Looking back on it, I'm quite the procrastinator and if I wasn't part of Vanguard I would feel very behind. Also, I felt very reassured with my narrative and all my supplementals because I had tons of talented specialists to provide various, in-depth feedback on my writing pieces.

Why did you choose Vanguard to work with you during the college application process? What was the biggest help to you in our process?

My family and I chose Vanguard because my older brother used Vanguard last year and he had really good results. Additionally, some family friends of ours who are a few years older also had amazing results with Vanguard which is what prompted us to join. I think the biggest help to me in the college application process was how supportive everyone was during the essay writing process. From the Narrative Essay up to my multiple Supplemental Essays, I had help every step along the way and no matter how difficult it was my Essay Specialists were able to help me.

How did the skills you learned at Vanguard help you after you left the program? Perhaps at school or other areas?

Essay writing and creative writing has definitely gotten a lot easier for me at school, but there are other things Vanguard has really helped me with. In school, I'd say I'm like a pretty strong writer, but I think Vanguard has helped me open up my creative side. I think the most important thing outside of the college application process that Vanguard has helped me with was my Resume because this will help me with applying to summer programs and internships. For this upcoming summer, I'm currently using my resume while cold calling and emailing a few local businesses—mainly asset management firms—to see if they are allowing high schoolers to shadow or do some minimal work.

Would you have felt comfortable doing that cold calling before Vanguard?

No. Vanguard helped me understand how important cold calling and emailing is because you're never going to get an opportunity unless you put yourself out there. I think that was something I needed to know. And also Vanguard really helped with cold emailing because they have templates—and I actually used them for an ongoing project I have in my STEM class. It helped me actually get responses from a few professors where some of my classmates haven't yet.

What were you the most nervous about going into the college process?

The main worry I had was whether or not I would get into any good colleges. I knew that my stats and extracurriculars were pretty good, but I had no idea of how to go about the essay writing process which made me nervous about whether I would end up at a good college.

Was there anything else Vanguard helped you with during the college selection/college counseling process that you would like to highlight?

Coming into Vanguard, I knew that they would be monumental in my essay writing process and would make things much easier for me; however, I did not realize how helpful they would be for helping pick colleges and major choices for that college. Their plethora of resources like the Fiske Guides and research sources like Unigo helped me conduct in-depth research of the colleges that truly fit my liking and personality. Also, the research portion of college counseling also provided me with excellent content for writing my supplements. And beyond all the resources, I feel like everyone was very welcoming and really kind, which made me more motivated to work.

How did your Vanguard Specialist help you through the process and with the anxieties you had going into college applications?

My Vanguard Specialists, Madison and Alina, kept me extremely motivated throughout the process. I had countless writer's block moments and times when I had no idea what to write, but my Specialists kept me motivated and reassured me that I was doing good work. Also, [Specialist] Madison and [Director of College Counseling] Alina were very welcoming which made me feel confident going into each session.

What was essay coaching like at Vanguard?

To be honest, I was quite nervous coming into my first essay session at Vanguard, but with each session I attended I began to get more acclimated. Essay coaching does not really feel like a tutoring session or learning at school is like. Instead it's an opportunity for you to focus on your interests and ideas and have your essay specialists put that into writing. I also feel like every Essay Specialist I interacted with was very approachable and informative which made the essay writing process more enjoyable.

If you are willing to share, what did you end up writing your college essay about and how did the end result turn out? How does the essay you wrote with Vanguard compare to what you would have written about on your own?

I wrote my college essay about my role as the Vice President in my High School's FBLA chapter. Specifically, the essay was about how I resolved issues with AI usage in our chapter considering an incident that happened at the state competition. Around the end of my essay, I went further into how my startup, UniLynk, is a network for students to engage in intellectual conversations, such as AI usage. I believe this essay was incredible and I honestly do not think I could've written half the essay this was had I not joined Vanguard. To be frank, I feel like without guidance from Vanguard I would really have struggled getting the right essay topic.

What colleges did you get into? Where did you choose to go and what are you studying?

I applied to many top universities, but ultimately I ended up getting into UGA, Georgia Tech, and UVA. I was accepted Early Decision into UVA which meant that I had to withdraw my applications from the other schools I applied to, so I don't know which colleges I would've gotten into. At UVA, I will be studying Economics. I hope to apply to the McIntire School of Commerce at the end of my Freshman year, but if I don't end up there I will continue studying Economics with a double major in Statistics or Math.

What are your future goals with your degree?

Once I graduate, I hope to work in high finance, specifically Investment Banking, Sales & Trading or consulting. After that, I aspire to get an MBA from a top university. With this MBA, I hope to go into buy-side finance where I can become an investor in other companies or even create my own startup.

How did it feel applying Early Decision? How did Vanguard help you make that decision?

At first I was kind of reluctant about applying Early Decision anywhere, but then Vanguard was really helpful in finding the perfect school for me. With all the research I did about UVA, I felt super confident applying Early Decision—it matched my interests and I felt like I could really grow by going there. Before Vanguard, I didn't have a clear idea of what colleges I'd be applying to, and like UVA never even took a step into my mind until it was suggested to me. Vanguard was really helpful in broadening my horizons by showing me schools that I wouldn't have thought of before.

What was your favorite part of working with Vanguard or your most proud achievement during your time working with us? Is there anything else you would like to highlight about your experience?

I honestly loved the whole process working with Vanguard from researching colleges to writing my supplements. I would say my proudest achievement is writing my narrative essay because I think the narrative really reflected my character and aspirations. The highlight of my experience is definitely that Vanguard was the reason I got into UVA, which is my dream school. I really like how UVA has a really intimate community with its own unique jargon—like calling campus the Grounds.

What advice would you give to younger Vanguardians embarking on their College Application process?

Rather than approaching essays as just another boring homework assignment, view them as a chance to express who you truly are: your ideas, your thinking, and what really excites you intellectually. Be authentic and open-minded.

Specialist Madison L

Hamilton College