Sachchit Balamurugan
Book a free call with SachchitSachchit’s intro
I ran independent cancer research for three years, building CNN models for early detection of adrenocortical carcinoma and identifying two novel biomarkers across seven cancer types. The work was published in a peer-reviewed journal and selected to present at the University of Tokyo. I study bioengineering at UC Berkeley.
I know what a research profile looks like because I built one. The readers want to see independent work that goes somewhere, and they want to see it early in the application, not buried under awards. A strong research section pulls a file through, but most applications either list participation in a lab where the student was one of many, or they bury the actual findings in vague language. I'll tell you whether your student's research is differentiated and where it should sit in the activities list, and if the work isn't there yet, I'll tell you what would make it competitive. I also know how to position technical work so that it reads as initiative rather than padding, because I've done it across software internships at State Farm, NLP research at UT Dallas, and quantum chemistry work at SMU.
Most of my application was research and building things, so I work best with students who have technical projects or independent work they need to shape into a compelling narrative. I'll read the activities list and tell you which items are carrying weight and which ones are taking up space. If the student has a project that matters to them, I'll help them write about it so the reader learns something, and I'll make sure the essays and the activities list tell the same story instead of two different ones. If you're interested, book me for free and I'll give you your child's read.
Common questions
Before you book
What does this cost?
We are flexible, and there is a plan here that fits your family. You hear your number on the first call, before anything is agreed. What changes between plans is the kind of experience in the room: a current undergraduate at a school your student is applying to, someone who interviewed applicants for a university as an alumni volunteer, or a former admissions officer who read files and sat in committee. Every one of them is somebody we would put in front of our own family.
Do we need to know what we want before the call?
No, and most families book before they have decided anything. That is the useful time to talk. An hour, no charge, and you will come off the call knowing what we can do for your student.
How many students does one counselor take?
Few enough that the person you meet is the person who reads the drafts. Every counselor sets their own cap and prints it on their page, so you know exactly how much of their year you are getting. If your first choice is full we will introduce you to someone on the roster who suits your student just as well.
Our student is already a senior. Is it too late?
It is not too late. Several counselors here run compressed engagements and take seniors into the autumn, and there is usually more still open in a file than a family expects. Tell us where your student is on the call and we will tell you what we can do with it.
Book a call
How the call is booked.
Sachchit reads your student’s file and builds the plan. The call is an hour-long video call and costs nothing.
Book a free call with SachchitSachchit reads what you tell us about your student before the call, so it starts there rather than at the beginning.
If something changes
The agreement is held by The Scholar’s Bureau rather than by Sachchit personally. If Sachchit cannot finish the cycle we move your student to another counselor on this roster at the price you were already quoted, and everything written down so far moves with them.
The Scholar’s Bureau is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by University of California or any other institution named on this page. Sachchit Balamurugan is an undergraduate at University of California, speaking only as an individual, with no role in its admissions office and no influence over any admissions decision.