Independent college admissions counselling
Essays, positioning, and applications that actually sound like the student.
A student may have good marks and plenty of activities, yet still struggle to explain what they care about. We help them find that direction and carry it through their college choices, essays and applications.
A small practice, by choice
We work with a small number of students each year.
That gives us time to read their work, understand their choices, and notice when the plan needs to change.
You work directly with us. We take time over the college list and the thinking behind an essay, rather than passing the student through a standard process.
Our work is counseling only. We take no commissions from test-prep providers or summer programmes.
Grades 9–12
In focus
This application season
Another set of eyes before you submit.
A focused review of the idea, evidence and structure in a Common App or UCAS draft.
How we work
What does your child need at this stage?
We begin by understanding the student: what they enjoy, how they think, and what their work actually shows. The plan follows from that.
Explore our college admissions counseling, including the scope at each stage.
Our work is counseling only. We do not sell test preparation, take summer-program commissions, or write essays for students.
01
Grades 9–10
Interests and subject choices
Subject direction, small projects, and worthwhile exploration. We help students find a few things worth pursuing without turning early high school into an admissions race.
02
Grade 11
Planning before the application year
Academic depth, activities, testing plans and an early college direction. This is the time to decide what deserves more attention and what can be dropped.
03
Grade 12 & the current cycle
Essays and application execution
College lists, essays, activities, recommendations and interviews. We help the parts hold together while the student does the thinking and writing.
The people behind AltView
Why we started AltView
We started AltView after navigating admissions with our own daughter, who was accepted to both Princeton and IIT. We saw how much confusing advice families receive, and how much it helps to have someone who knows the student well.
We wanted to offer the kind of close, considered guidance we had looked for ourselves. Families work directly with us. We discuss the difficult choices as well as the encouraging ones, and we do not promise admission.
Sanjeeta Katiyar
MCA (University of Pune)
Executive MBA (IIM Calcutta)
Sanjeeta runs the day-to-day counseling practice, working with students on profile development, college lists, application strategy and parent communication.
Dr. Apoorv Durga
B.Tech (IIT-BHU) · MBA (IIM Calcutta)
PhD (FMS, Delhi University)
Apoorv leads strategic planning and the analytical work: research, competitive positioning, and how the application holds together.
Essay coaching is led by Adithi Rao, a screenwriter, playwright and author who helps students find material worth writing about and develop it in their own voice.
A feel for our approach
Some of the questions we spend time on.
Our Field Notes discuss the questions families actually face: essays, testing, college lists, and decisions that are easy to rush.
A parent’s guide to US and UK admissions
Watch our webinar on the admissions process, with questions from parents.
MAPS: understand the student first
A structured assessment covering interests, subject appetite, academic readiness and decision clarity.
A conversation about your child
Considering ongoing counseling?
Use a free 30-minute discovery call to talk about scope, fit and availability. Tell us your child’s grade, where they are in the process, and what feels unclear.
For substantive advice on a specific college decision, the Deep Session includes advance preparation, a focused session and a written assessment.