05/09/2025
Following the completion of my undergrad degree in English Literature, I deliberately chose to pursue a graduate degree in management as I was sure I never wanted to be a “teacher.”
Specialising in Human Resource Management, I was all starry-eyed and set out to become an HR professional working out of the corporate offices of big firms. Several interviews later, it was a revelation and a rude shock to see the reservations about hiring a fresher for an HR job that required travel, and that someone with special mobility requirements might not (presumably) be able to fulfill the responsibilities of the role.
I began my journey at the Princeton Review India - Manya Group as a temporary arrangement, with the goal of dismissing the ‘fresher’ tag and transitioning either into the organisation’s HR department or finding a job in HR at another firm. Learning new things, I traversed the nuances of applying for the MS in Mechanical Engineering, as my first-ever applicant, was the first-ever Stanford University admit for the firm. Basking in the glory of this success and being the star of the counseling department, closer to the completion of a year, I decided to delay the possibility of transition, secretly enjoying the sense of fulfilment. 6.5 fulfilling and enriching years later at Manya, I was eating, sleeping, and breathing counselling. Nearly a decade and three organisational stints later, with the aim to be able to work with applicants without the pressure of “defined roles and responsibilities” hindering guidance, I decided to take the leap of faith and launch Anubha Vaid Admissions Consulting.
As Jean De La Fontaine stated that “A person often meets their destiny on the road they took to avoid it!” I dived into the world of education consulting on 5th September 2005, ironically on Teacher’s Day in India. Two decades later, as I celebrate my 20th anniversary of being a higher education consultant, this accidental consulting journey has been a rewarding and fulfilling one, where my smile only becomes wider and brighter when my applicants wish me “Happy Teacher’s Day, Ma’am!”