By: Hadi Khatri

How many times in your life have you dreamt of something and actually set a foot forward to go capture it? How many times have you helped someone else do the same?

Having failed to overturn multiple US waitlists for my own undergrad applications before my gap year, I’ve often wondered what the results may have looked like if I sought more help. Straight As in O Levels and plenty of extracurriculars made me a bit overconfident, thinking there was no way I wouldn’t get accepted into my dream college. The first hit was the low A-level grades, quite unlike my past academic record. All my hopes for 100% aid banked on a top-percentile SAT score and a scattered activity list. Then came the rejections. 

Thankfully, the next year, I secured admission to reputable universities with enough scholarship to make it affordable for my family, and embarked on the joy-filled, expansive, and enriching ride to Turkey. During my A-levels, I could’ve hardly imagined that learning Turkish, performing hip-hop dance, and traveling through the ancient sites of Istanbul and Ephesus were exactly what I wanted to be doing in college. All that is to say that life’s unpredictability can also surprise us with fulfillment beyond our expectations. 

But to return to my earlier point, there’s something to be said about the village it takes to fulfill your dreams in an ever-more competitive landscape. Since joining Dream 3 last year, I have gained so many insights into top-tier applications, the kind of profiles and essays it takes to secure admission, especially when asking for aid. While joining, I hardly thought that my students would be accepted into top-tier universities such as Northeastern or secure $70,000 in aid at Bucknell. 

The reason behind it? Counsellors at Dream 3 undergo rigorous training throughout the year—learning best practices, evaluating gaps in student profiles, and collectively deciding the best way forward for each student. One of my first assignments was to pull out my own CommonApp essay and rewrite it using Dream 3’s methodology. What I thought back then was a sure-to-succeed essay soon turned out to be a good first draft at best. And the activities? My debating wins could’ve turned into meaningful community service, as a Student Council member, I could’ve led more initiatives, and as President of the Photography Society, I should’ve at least organized an exhibition or annual Photo Book. 

By ‘help’ I don’t necessarily mean counselling; I could’ve shown my essay to more people (teachers, friends, family), I could’ve reached out to more successful alumni, and I could’ve asked more school counsellors to evaluate my profile. Not to mention, I should’ve studied way harder for my CIEs or taken extra classes. I didn’t make the best of the resources available to me, and that’s one thing that Dream 3 has been opening my eyes to. Even in my experience as a counsellor, I’ve realized that students sometimes hesitate to admit failure, use escape tactics when the work is not done, and let their self-perception of high achievers get in the way of seeking help. These are moments when the work steps beyond college applications; we help students realize their shortcomings and build healthier interdependence in their professional lives. Our increasingly ambitious group projects teach this lesson to our students early: we achieve so much more when working with others. 

Beyond the fulfillment that comes from helping younger versions of myself achieve their dreams, my time at Dream 3 has given me an invaluable gift: closure for my own undergrad applications. It was convenient to ascribe my failures to fate, to think that it was just my need for aid or Trump’s rigorous policies that prevented my admission (many top-tier profiles were rejected that year). I’ve realized there are ways to fight against the odds, too; all you need is direction. 

And that’s what Dream 3 is best at: showing you a clear, realistic path to fulfilling your dreams. 

Don’t get me wrong—it takes a lot of hard work, and a lot of reevaluating and recharting along the way, but there are miles of difference between doing it alone and having a dedicated support system to light the way forward.