This past summer, Harriton senior Samarth Gowda attended a summer program in which he helped to come up with the idea for CampusInsider, a company that matches prospective college students to current undergraduate students at their desired schools so that prospective students can gain a greater understanding of the student experience at the respective institution. The Banner recently had a chance to interview Gowda about his incredible experience this past summer.

HB: Can you tell us about the program you were a part of this past summer?

SG: Over the summer, I was fortunate enough to attend an entrepreneurship program in Boston called Leangap (https://www.leangap.org). A young entrepreneur, named Eddy Zhong, started it as a way to expose high school students to a rigorous program that would allow students to take a real business idea and bring it to market in six weeks. At the program, I was within a group of 33 students, and we formed into teams/companies of six after pitching and voting on our business ideas in the “LeanTank.” For six weeks, my team and I worked on almost every aspect of the startup process from market research to rapid product prototyping to converting sales. In the end, the six teams were able to pitch to real entrepreneurs, investors, venture capitalists, etc. It was a great experience, and I highly recommend anyone interested in tech or entrepreneurship to apply.

HB: What do you want Harriton students to know about CampusInsider?

SG: High school students have always had the problem of finding the best-fit college. College information sessions and tours are expensive and often leave you unclear about which schools you prefer, as they lack authenticity and personalization. Most of the time you exit the tour more confused about which schools you want to apply to rather than being able to narrow it down. You may also have a few schools that you like but do not know which one to apply to early. If this sounds like a problem that you’ve faced, then this is for you. Students need detailed and individualized information when trying to determine their best fit school. Talking to actual college students allows you to be best informed when deciding as they can give you both the pros and cons of their school and information that is usually not available on the regular tours at a fraction of the cost of visiting. You can schedule your talk with a compatible student by going onto https://campusinsider.org and booking a school, and get closer to deciding where you would like to apply.

HB: How can Harriton students contact you if they are interested in working with the company and utilizing the service?

SG: You can head to our website: https://campusinsider.org or contact me [email protected] if you would like more information.

HB: How have the connections you have made helped you with your college process?

SG: After talking to many students at different colleges, I have been able to realize that certain programs that I liked were not for me. I was also able to understand that many of my preconceived notions about a school were incorrect and learn many interesting parts of a school that I originally did not know. However, the most important part is that I was able to understand which schools I wanted to apply to and which schools I did not after gaining more insight that the admissions office had not provided me.

CampusInsider currently offers over 50 schools and employs upwards of 100 mentors. Be sure to check out CampusInsider if you have questions about your college search process!