Mentorship & College Counselling
Aranyo Ray
Yale CS & Psychology · Three-Time ISEF Presenter · Diana Award · Wu Tsai Scholar
Background
- Yale University graduate — Computer Science & Psychology
- Presented at ISEF three times, starting in high school with original nanopesticide research
- Diana Award recipient; Ashoka Young Changemaker
- 1st Place, American Psychological Association at ISEF for a diagnostic autism app
- Congressional App Challenge winner
- Published in Harvard GSAS' Journal of Emerging Investigators
At Yale & Beyond
- Wu Tsai Scholar — researched implicit bias, eye-tracking, and decision-making
- Worked in two psychology labs (School of Medicine & Wu Tsai Institute)
- Teaching assistant for functional programming & data structures
- Yale Undergraduate Consulting Group — clients including Google, BeyondMeat, and Uber
- Experience spanning consulting, regtech, agritech, behavioral science, AI, and finance
- Completed MIT SSP (Biochemistry), Stanford ULO (college math), and MIT LaunchX
Expertise
Areas where I guide students — based on what I've done myself
Awards & Competitions
Science
Community Service
Validation & Recognition
Grants & Funding
Tech
Competitive Summer & Enrichment Programs
Research, Publication & Journals
Arts & Tech Portfolio
How It Works
A structured, high-touch process from first conversation to final decision
Initial Assessment
Deep-dive conversation to understand the student's interests, strengths, academic standing, and goals — before recommending a single thing.
Holistic Profile Building
Build from the bottom up. Identify and encourage the student's best self — academics, extracurriculars, research, leadership, and personal narrative woven together.
Strategic Direction
Specific guidance on tailoring pursuits to build a uniquely competitive profile. Not cookie-cutter: every student gets a different playbook.
Timeline & Execution
An efficient plan bringing all ingredients together: Personal Growth → Fit → Competitive Fit → Right College → Best Application.
Application Strategy
Curriculum planning, standardized testing, letters of recommendation, college essays, interviews, Early vs. Regular decisions, and final selection from offers.
Dedicated Access
I take a small number of students at a time. Each one gets direct, ongoing access to my time and expertise — regular calls, quick-turnaround reviews, and in-person sessions when schedules align. The relationships are close, productive, and lasting.
What Families Say
"[Aranyo] is building something special in the family-tech space and is an extremely talented individual. I think his approach to ‘mindful digital experiences’ is something you'd really appreciate."
"Aranyo helped our daughter find a research topic she was genuinely passionate about. Within eight months she had a publication and three program acceptances. We couldn't have mapped that path on our own."
"What stood out was how he connected our son's love of gaming with real CS research. The ISEF regional win was incredible, but watching our kid find genuine confidence was the bigger win."
"We were skeptical a young mentor could deliver at this level. By the end, our daughter had won a national science award and earned a full scholarship to her top-choice university. Aranyo earned our trust completely."
"Aranyo restructured our son's entire summer plan with surgical precision — the right program, the right research lab, the right sequence. The admissions results spoke for themselves."
"From Dubai, finding a mentor who understands both the Indian and US application landscape is nearly impossible. Aranyo delivered a strategy that got our daughter into three Ivy League schools."
"Our son went from scattered interests to a focused entrepreneurship project that won Diamond Challenge and caught the attention of college reviewers. Aranyo's own startup experience made all the difference."
"He treats every student as an individual, not a template. Our daughter's application essays captured who she really is — and she was admitted Early Decision to her dream school."
"Aranyo helped our son secure an Emergent Ventures grant and build a research portfolio that made his profile genuinely distinctive. The Regeneron STS semifinalist nod was the cherry on top."
"The level of responsiveness is unmatched. Quick essay reviews, late-night calls before deadlines, and genuine care for our daughter's growth — not just her application outcomes."
"Our son had strong academics but no spike. Aranyo helped him build an AI-for-social-good project, present at a national fair, and craft a narrative that landed a merit scholarship worth over $200K."
"We've worked with larger counselling firms before. Aranyo's one-on-one attention and the depth of his own experience outperformed all of them. Our daughter is now thriving at Stanford."
"Aranyo understood the nuances of applying from India to US universities better than anyone we spoke with. Our son won the Congressional App Challenge, got published, and was accepted to his reach school."
Interested in working together?
Get in Touch