COVID-19 Opens Unique Opportunities for Indian Students to Study Abroad: Be-Ivy Education
Bengaluru, India: “While the COVID-19 pandemic has upended the education sector globally, it is also a time of great opportunities for Indian students. This is one of the years where detailed attention to all aspects of the application process, especially facets related to personal statements, essay prompts, resumes, extra and co-curricular activities become crucial. With many schools making standardized tests like SAT, GRE, and GMAT optional, admissions offices are paying more attention to the holistic student to determine the ‘best fit’ for their programs. It is what you have done and how well you’re able to present it to them that makes a difference. Realizing this, many parents and students are reaching out to us to help them with this process.” explained Dr. John Franco Tharakan, the Founder CEO of Be-Ivy Education.
Be-Ivy Education, a Bengaluru based avant-garde educational organization nurturing adolescents to better their best, announced that it has won the prestigious Times Business Award for Excellence in Student Counselling and International Education. The award, instituted by India’s leading English financial daily Times of India, recognizes excellence across various categories in the fields of Business, Corporate and Government Policies, and Economics in India.
Leading Bollywood actress - Raveena Tandon presented the award to Be-Ivy Education and lauded their efforts and accomplishments over the years in the field of International Education.
Be-Ivy Education nurtures human potential through a 3600 value-based, expert-led, psychology-driven curriculum for career coaching, personality development, and international education in early adolescence.
Founded in 2018 by Ivy League alumni, including CEO Dr. John Franco Tharakan, an alumnus of Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Be-Ivy Education aims to revolutionize India’s academic environment with global best practices to impart critical skills such as leadership, diplomacy, traditional and digital communication, community engagement and living with ‘heart’ to teenage students.
Commenting on the receipt of the Times Business Award, Dr. John Franco Tharakan, CEO, Be-Ivy Education Education said, “We are honored to gain such an illustrious recognition so early in our journey which keeps us on track in our journey to emerge as a world-class alternative to conventional education. As the name suggests, Be-Ivy Education emboldens youngsters from different parts of the world to embody the traits and values that are essential for not just realizing their ambition to pursue higher education in the world’s highest-ranked institutions, but also molding their personalities to become global leaders and high achievers for life.”
With the motto "Fidem or Faith”, Be-Ivy Education prepares students individually from 13 years of age to introspect, identify and hone their innate talent and build their necessary skill sets. Following a battery of psychometric, biometric, and other standardized tests, students are counseled along with their families to build competence in the areas that best match their abilities and interests.
“Apart from studying at Ivy League universities, my co-founders and I have interacted extensively with and even volunteered at the Admissions Department of these universities. We, therefore, gained first-hand experience of key criteria that the admissions committees consider while selecting students. Our program is designed to address these requirements to ensure a higher chance of admission. After a nearly three to five-year-long association with us, our students will carry forward their learning well beyond their academic years,” Dr. Tharakan said.
“I believe that while stakeholders like parents, teachers and the learning environment (schools, universities, etc.) are important, the student has to be the center of our activities always,” said Dr. Tharakan, addressing a select gathering of Heads of International Schools and Student Counsellors at a webinar organized by The Association of International Schools in India (TAISI) on October 23, 2020. This student-centric focus is seen in the packages offered at Be-Ivy Education which spans counseling, career determination, mind, and body wellness as well as overseas admissions guidance for enrolled students, including test preparation, college selection and application services, visa, and relocation services.
Through a multi-faceted mentoring, coaching, and training program spread across 32 modules, the life-changing experience at Be-Ivy Education has enabled students to secure admissions at the world’s top universities, including Harvard University, Stanford University, and Oxford University. “It is the ‘best fit’ that is more important than the ‘best brand”, cautions Dr. Tharakan emphasizing that it's crucial for students to go to schools that meet their study and personality styles rather than just go to a big brand school that could make the child uncomfortable.
Some uniquely crafted courses include ‘Discover Teens’, designed to explore a student’s multiple competencies or quotients (Intelligence Quotient, Emotional Quotient, Adversity Quotient, Curiosity Quotient, and Spiritual Quotient) and Fine Etiquette and Dining Programme in collaboration with five-star hotels, which empowers students to comport themselves appropriately in gatherings with distinguished guests.
With premier global partnerships with exclusive institutions, non-governmental organizations, and professionals par excellence across diverse fields internationally, Be-Ivy Education provides students with the first-hand experience of learning from the very captains of the industry that they dream of conquering. “If a student wishes to study Robotics Engineering at Carnegie-Mellon, through our deep-seated network, we facilitate a conversation between the student and a faculty member from the University. If a student aims to become a pilot, we arrange for a talk with an aviation expert or a pilot to allow the teenager to hear from a veteran in the field. This helps them understand how professions play out in the real world and facilitate informed career decisions” Dr. Tharakan explained.
What makes Be-Ivy Education the first-of-its-kind educational endeavor is the investment in understanding and molding the psyche of each aspirant aiming to become the next diplomat, innovator, business leader, politician, or even a globally renowned musician or artist.
“Adolescence is a challenging time for teenage students and their families. This is why our approach, whether for career counseling or mentoring and training is guided by psychologists and behavior trainers specializing in adolescence. Oftentimes, it is the parents who need to be counseled on why a particular field is not the right fit for their child, a reality which can be distressing for them. This focus on psychological development for the family has led several students to unearth talents they did not know they possess and help parents become more accepting of their children’s choices.”
Be-Ivy Education will also be organizing their first-ever virtual Model United Nations competition on October 31st and November 1st, 2020.
As Be-Ivy Education slowly expands its operations, the founders hope that the recent policy changes will create a positive climate for transforming Be-Ivy Education into a unique international school. “The purpose of education is not just academics but igniting self-discovery in a child. They need to understand that they are unique and have a very special role to play. It will always be our vision to achieve this,” Dr. Tharakan concluded.
