Oak Park grad writes book on the college admissions process





PASSIONATE—Ishan Puri says colleges like to see that a student cares deeply about something.

PASSIONATE—Ishan Puri says colleges like to see that a student cares deeply about something.

Oak Park native Ishan Puri knows a little about what it takes to gain admission into a top college.

The 2010 Oak Park High School graduate is attending Stanford University, studying economics and linguistics, writing books and building a business aimed at helping students as young as 10 discover what makes them jump out of bed ready to tackle their day with gusto.

While top grades, stellar SAT scores and captivating essays are generally good indicators that a student will attract the attention of an admissions officer, Puri says it is equally important for a college prospect to demonstrate genuine passion for something. He believes that when students harness their passion, success and happiness will follow.

Puri’s passion points many directions. The 19-year-old published a book on college admissions, “The Applicant,” which will hit bookstores in February, and launched a college admissions mentoring business in Thousand Oaks called Synocate, a play on the words synthesize, innovate and educate.

College, he said, helps people develop their imaginations and learn how to be disciplined. Time management skills are also learned in college. These life lessons apply to all facets of life, he said.

Alexandra Martin, a 2005 Oak Park High graduate who also attended Stanford, agrees with the notion that passion is central to success and happiness.

“The fact that our passions are not a means to some end (like) college admissions, colleges can usually smell when you’ve tried to tailor your life to their ‘requirements,’” Martin said.

“Even if you don’t know exactly what your passions are . . . I think the key is to be a person who is willing to take risks and act upon your desires and your beliefs. It’s no wonder colleges tend to like students who are in love with their lives, but you cannot be in love with your life in order to prove yourself to anyone.”

Puri’s interest in language was sparked in high school. After taking language classes at Oak Park High, Puri became fascinated with the subject of linguistics, the science of language. As a 10th-grader he contacted UCLA linguistics professor Edward Stabler. Puri worked with Stabler on research projects for two years while attending Oak Park High.

“When Ishan first got in contact with me, he said he was interested in doing a project on computational linguistics,” Stabler said. “I was surprised that a high school student would be interested in this topic. We see computational linguistics in science fiction movies and in the speech processing on the new smartphones, etc., but most people don’t think about how those things could work.”

Stabler said Puri formulated a mathematical model of vocabulary richness and demonstrated how that varies depending on how carefully a person chooses his or her words.

The research work Puri completed evolved into the basis of his college essay and also played into his book and college mentoring business.

Working with Stabler was, for Puri, a big educational adventure, unusual enough for college admissions officers to take notice.

His work demonstrated initiative, passion, motivation, stick-toitiveness and intellectual curiosity, qualities that top colleges expect from college applicants.

Puri also aced the SATs and won acclaim for a science fair project on linguistic theory.

Puri’s approach to mentoring includes helping kids direct their passion in and out of school.

The sky is the limit for how a passion can be expressed. Students can focus on extracurricular activities or participate in school clubs. Developing a personal interest that leads to independent research could also lead students into identifying their passionate pursuit.

Puri has workshops for parents, fifth- to eighthgraders, and high school students. Courses for the younger set are called Spark, in reference to Puri’s idea that younger children need to spark a passion that they can pursue with zest and motivation. High school students are mentored in a Synocate program called Shine.

Puri conducts his workshops at the Jeng Academic Center, 171 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Ste. 202, Thousand Oaks. A two-hour workshop for parents of fifth- to eighthgrade students will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Sun., Dec. 18.

Three-day student courses are planned during winter break from Dec. 19 to 21. Spark classes will be from 10 a.m. to noon, while Shine sessions will be from 1 to 3 p.m. at the center.

For more information, visit www.synocate.com.


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