Last week the startup Westudy.in, intended for Russian high schoolers who wish to study abroad, announced its official launch. Recently the project received $300,000 in seed funding from Mikhail Frolkin, the managing partner of HeadHunter, a leading online resource for Russian job seekers.
Westudy.in presents itself as a one-stop shop for people looking for information about and help in applying to foreign universities. The portal offers numerous articles and a university database; however, its main feature is a network of “experts,” people who are already studying abroad or have studied abroad in the past.
Connected with the website’s users, these “experts” can help potential students at any stage – from information collection to writing cover letters and applications for educational grants. The experts’ services are available in packages with prices ranging from $50 to $1,500. The portal’s share of the amount paid for experts’ services starts at 50% and may vary depending on the adviser’s knowledge and expertise, said Westudy.in founder Alexandra Olenina in an exchange with East-West Digital News.
At present, the portal boasts 65 students from foreign universities and 60 from Russian ones who speak 15 languages as experts. Westudy.in claims that most of its experts are studying for free or even receive scholarships. Therefore, they have first-hand knowledge of how to receive grants and scholarships abroad.
