Delhi student with 8 band score in IELTS aims to pursue finance from the UK

A student of class 12 from Apeejay Saket, Sudhanshu Kumar has made his family and mentors proud by scoring an impressive eight band in IELTS. He was coached by experienced professionals at Hayden & Reynott, whom he credits for his success. In an interview, the young student speaks about his plans of studying abroad, tips for IELTS, and more. Read:

Which country are you planning to go to?

I am planning to apply in the UK and may be to some other country that I have not decided on yet. I want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in management or finance, the latter being my first preference. I am planning to pursue a career in financial analytics or investment banking.

How did you develop your interest in finance?

My father is a chartered accountant, which kindled my interest in finance. I would like to believe that I am good with numbers. That is also the reason I took Commerce for class 12.

Also Read: ‘My teachers at Hayden & Reynott guided me very well and helped me secure a good SAT score’

Have you shortlisted the universities you want to apply to?

In the UK, I would obviously be targeting the top universities like Oxford and Cambridge, but it all depends on my eligibility. I would be taking advice from my counsellor for this. I would begin with the application process once my midterm exams are over.

How did you decide to study abroad?

My parents were interested in sending me abroad for my undergraduate course. They thought it would be beneficial for me, so they enrolled me in Hayden & Reynott. It was our mutual decision.

Are you planning to take any other exams?

For foreign admissions, I would not be taking any other exam. But I would definitely take the CUET and some other exams for Indian universities.

What role did Apeejay Saket have in preparing you for the future?

It was through my teacher Himanshu sir from Apeejay Saket that I got to know about Hayden & Reynott and went ahead with my plan to pursue IELTS. My school has been very cooperative throughout my journey. Not just academics, Apeejay also helped me nurture the co-scholastic areas through induction into various school clubs, the prefectorial board, and so on. They have always provided a lot of help.

How important are co-curricular activities for foreign admissions? What kind of activities are you particularly interested in?

A lot of focus is put on co-curricular activities when it comes to foreign colleges including your SOPs and essays. At school, I have been involved in social work with the Rotary club. Currently, our school is also associated with Special Olympics Bharat. I am also among the founding members of the youth club of my school.

You scored an eight band. Can you share some tips to perform well in IELTS?

Apart from counselling, it is very important to take mock exams. There are some YouTube channels that help a lot, especially for topics like essay writing. For the Speaking test, there is a lot of focus on confidence. So, you have to work on that aspect to get a good band. For the Listening test, you can practise listening modules and also watch English shows. To excel in the Writing test, you need to work on improving your vocabulary—your marks are deducted if you repeat a certain word more than twice or thrice. To learn more words, read newspapers or sample answers from good websites.