Manu Chauhan’s Journey to Stanford with 100% Scholarship

Studying at Stanford is practically every student’s dream but only a few make it there and then there are even fewer that make it with 100% scholarship. Manu Chauhan is one of those exceptionally blessed stduents. Even amidst the pandemic, Manu Chauhan, son of a village salesman, didn’t give up his hopes and dreams. He made it to Stanford University with a 100% scholarship. Coming from an economically disadvantaged family, he was aware that it was only his intellect through which he could make it big. 

Early Life 

Manu studied in the local government primary school in the village of Akrabad till the 5th grade. He then shifted to Vidyagyan School in the year of 2014 for further studies. Vidyagyan is a residential school for the underprivileged in Uttar Pradesh. It is run by the Shiv Nadar Foundation.

Manu Chauhan’s Achievements 

Chauhan, since the beginning of his academic journey, was determined on achieving big milestones in life. In his 10th boards he scored 95.4%. He was also awarded the outstanding performance award in Assessment of Scholastic Skills through Educational Testing Twice. He was also the best speaker in the intra class debate competition. In addition to these accomplishments, he also won a gold medal in the Open State Level Table Tennis Championship in 2018.

He started preparing for his college applications in class 11. In this process he was helped by his school counsellors and was also in touch with counsellors form Delhi. He worked very diligently on his college applications. He appeared for the SAT, in which he scored 1470 out of 1600. His college board’s scholarship paid for the SAT exam. 

Check Out How to get into Stanford MBA

Why did Manu choose Stanford

When asked about why he chose Stanford specifically, Chauhan was quoted saying, “It is among the top universities of the world and the research infrastructure is excellent. Indian Universities do not offer the opportunity of research. I want to bring change and that requires the right access which Stanford provides me.”

Check Out How to Get into Stanford 

Manu Chauhan on the Pandemic 

Speaking of the pandemic, he said that it was quite a hard time for him and his family as the family wanted to help the migrant workers but didn’t have the required resources to do so. So, they started selling old newspapers to get enough money to help the migrant labourers. Through this he helped 12 people and emerged as a local hero as well.

For Future Aspirants 

His words for students who wish to pursue further studies abroad were, ““It is possible. There are many institutions and organizations that are there to help you. Keep your eyes and ears open and work towards it.”

Manu Chauhan is indeed very elated and excited about the new chapter of his life. He has received the first vaccination dose. If the situation gets better, he is expectedly going to the USA in the 1st week of September to pursue a Bachelor’s in International Relations and Economics at Stanford University.

Gandharv’s Study Abroad Journey to Stanford University

So, this was all about Manu’s journey from Aligarh to Stanford. Hope this story inspires you to pursue studies abroad. We wish Manu all the best for his journey ahead and also hope that he excels in every stage of life. For more such inspiring content, stay connected with Leverage Edu!