Courses 2025-2026

RECO offers interactive courses for students in Grades 8-12 led by carefully chosen mentors from top universities.

Students create projects on topics of their choice while developing strong critical thinking, research, and academic writing skills

Our Courses at a Glance

RECO Spark

For Grades 8-10

  • Work in a 12-student cohort and 1-on-1 with a mentor to tackle diverse case studies. Build research and craft a research note to kickstart profile-building.

    Applications for Spark 2025 close on August 31, 2025!

  • In our upcoming Spark course starting September 20, 2025, students will create a 1000-word research note on a real-world case study they choose.

    A research note presents early findings and insights to inform ongoing research.

    This project helps builds skills and creates a pathway for more authentic and better quality research projects.

    Applications for RECO Spark close on August 31, 2025.

    • September 20-November 14, 2025

    • 12 live hours of guided peer-learning and individual mentoring

    • 3 hours of total weekly work is required

Explore Spark

RECO Reads

For Grades 10-12

  • Work 1-on-1 with a mentor to read personally curated scholarly texts on any topic you choose. Build exposure and depth for stronger outcomes.

    Craft a research proposal, academic diary, or online blog.

    • 2 months

    • Weekly sessions

    • 3 hours of total work expected per week

    • Start date is minimum 3 weeks after payment is made

Explore Reads

RECO Writes

For Grades 10-12

  • Work 1-on-1 with a mentor to develop a portfolio of 6000+ words of original writing across genres including op-eds, reviews, narratives, explainers, and more. Publish in The RECO Review.

    Applications open in Jan 2026.

  • Published writing portfolio including one short piece (1000 words), one medium-length piece (2000 words), and one long piece (3000 words).

    Portfolios may include op-eds, critical essays, scholarly reviews, letters, narratives, explainers, and more. Themes can range widely.

    • 3-4 months

    • Applications open in January 2026

Explore Writes

RECO is known for the quality of its mentors, student-centered approach, and integrity.

Each of our courses — Spark, Reads, and Writes — is specially designed to support students at different stages of their journeys from Grade 8-12.

Here, our founder — a Stanford and UChicago graduate — takes you through our philosophy and courses.

Why RECO?

Your RECO Project

Across all our courses, student always choose their research topics. The result? Authentic projects and enjoyable learning experiences.

Here’s what RECO students are currently researching.

    • Girls’ Education in India — Economics, sociology, philosophy, and literature.

    • The Funding of Science Research — Policy, business, science, and technology.

    • Undernourishment and Poverty — Sociology, public health, and environmental studies.

    • India and Development — Economics, policy, and history.

    • Irrigation and Sustainability — Environmental studies and policy.

    • Bioacoustics and Marine Conservation — Product design, zoology, and environmental studies

    • Undernourishment and Poverty — Sociology, public health, and environmental studies.

    • Sustainable Fashion — Business, economics, and environmental studies.

    • Girls’ Education in India — Economics, sociology, philosophy, and literature.

    • Gender Discrimination and Rights — Literature, media, and ethics.

    • Sustainable Fashion — Business, economics, and environmental studies.

    • How Digital Twin Technology Developed — History, sociology, biology, and computer science.

    • The Funding of Science Research — Policy, business, science, and technology.

    • Bioacoustics and Marine Conservation — Product design, zoology, and environmental studies

Meet our growing team of mentors.

  • Paritosh Kanoria

    Founder, RECO. MA, University of Chicago. BA, Stanford University.

  • Dr. Marcos Sorá

    Assistant Professor, Economics, UIUC (Fall, 2025). PhD, University of Chicago.

  • Abhishek Dudi

    PhD Student, Environmental Studies, Ashoka University

  • Zachary Kuloszewski

    Ph.D Student, Economics, University of Chicago.

  • Sanam Sheriff

    Visiting Assistant Professor, Creative Writing, Bryn Mawr College. MFA, Washington University in St. Louis.

  • K Mohan Reddy

    PhD Student, Biology, Ashoka University

  • Vivan Malkani

    Clean Energy Consultant, E3. MS, BA, Stanford University.

  • Anirudh Raghavan

    PhD Student, Sociology and Anthropology, Ashoka University

  • Rohin Bhatt

    Advocate, Supreme Court of India. MS, Bioethics, Harvard University.

  • Shabdita Tiwari

    Researcher, BRMA. Member, Royal Historical Society. MA, Ashoka University.

  • Philip Cherian

    Ph.D Student, Physics, Ashoka University. Former Research Fellow, Columbia University.

  • Dr. Anubha Anushree

    PhD, History, Stanford University. Global Editor, The Review of Democracy.

  • Naomi Harris

    Joint PhD Candidate, Comparative Literature and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Chicago.

Featured Student Projects

Our alums emerge confident, curious, and critical. See the magic for yourself!

Karthik Agarwal, Grade 9 student at Seth M.R. Jaipuria School, Lucknow, explored how social media algorithms intensified the Rohingya Refugee Crisis of 2017, drawing on resources like the Amnesty International Report and the Digital Divide: India Inequality Report 2022.

Riya Kaulwar, Grade 10 student at 10X International School, Bangalore, tackled the challenges of integrating arts into STEM education. Drawing from her own experiences and historical sources, Riya proposed a novel interdisciplinary model for education.

Join the right RECO course based on your grade and create an original project on any topic you like.

Spark (Grades 8-10)
Reads (Grades 10-12)

Testimonials

  • “Most students go to college without purpose. RECO is doing important work in helping students make the most of their time in college."

    Anuja Kohli Mariwala, Education Consultant

  • “The approachability and friendliness of the team made my experience extremely enjoyable. I’ve connected with my mentors even post the program.”

    Aarush Kamdar, Grade 11, Don Bosco International School, Mumbai

  • “I appreciated how flexible they were, prioritizing each student and their specific needs and not burdening them with additional work.”

    Fuad Agha, Grade 12, Reva Independent PU, Bangalore

 FAQs

  • Our mentors have all completed their master’s degrees from top universities and are either currently working in think tanks and NGOs or pursuing their PhDs. All our mentors come with teaching experience. Our founder – a graduate of Stanford and the University of Chicago – also always meets students one-on-one at the beginning and end of each course they take with RECO.

  • All our courses are application-based. We are suited for students who are curious, honest, and driven. If your child enjoys reading, writing, and asking questions, and can receive constructive feedback well, RECO might be a good fit.

    We work with students with interests across all disciplines. We are especially suited for students interested in applying to the world’s best universities, such as Stanford, UCLA, Oxford, and Ashoka, among others, given the rigour of our courses.

  • Each RECO program is tailored to a different stage of the Grade 8-12 learning journey.

    RECO Spark is for students in Grades 8–9 who want to build fundamental skills and kickstart their profile-building journeys. RECO Reads is for students in Grades 10-12 who want to dive deep into a field create a a sophisticated academic project. RECO Writes is for advanced students. Applications for RECO Writes will open in January 2026.

    Book a free consultation call to discuss the right course.

  • Colleges look for students who are prepared for college. At RECO, we focus on helping students develop the knowledge, skills, and competencies that colleges look for - independent thinking, writing, intellectual curiosity, and rigour - while also capturing these abilities in authentic projects that stand out.

    RECO students submit their projects to universities to strengthen their applications and also discuss their experiences in their essays and interviews. We also offer Certificates of Completion to all students who complete our programmes, and Certificates of Excellence to very few outstanding students.

  • Yes, many students do more than one RECO program. While each course stands on its own, they are meant to build on one another. For instance, a student might begin with Spark in 9th grade, move to Reads in 10th to deepen their knowledge, and then pursue Writes in 11th to publish high-quality work. Students may also do more than one Spark/Reads course, crafting completely different projects in each.

  • Every student has different strengths and weaknesses and need to grow in different directions.

    Some join us with poor listening skills and leave with a greater respect for others’ perspectives. Others develop greater confidence in their ideas and voice. Some join us with interests in one field and leave with an appreciation for interdisciplinary work. Others join us without much clarity on their interests and leave having found their niche.

    Broadly, we have found students leave with much greater exposure, clarity, confidence, and motivation to learn.

  • All RECO programs begin with a 1-on-1 Disovery Call with our founder – a Stanford and UChicago graduate. In this call, students and our founder jointly discuss and connect the dots between various dimensions of the student’s interests across academics, real-world issues, hobbies, learning styles, and more.

    By the end of the call, the student and the founder co-decide a broad topic area that the student will work on. RECO is known for our commitment to ensuring that students choose topics that genuinely excite them and that they would be willing to pursue for a long time – even after RECO!

    Once the course begins, students begin reading on their topic with their mentors, and their interests become more and more defined.

  • All RECO programmes are conducted online via Zoom. After the initial Discovery Call with our founder, students are assigned a mentor with experience in their field. RECO creates personalized reading lists for each student, and pre-session tasks are assigned to prepare students for their sessions. Most weeks include individual mentorship sessions, ensuring focused guidance. All coordination regarding schedules, assignments, and feedback is handled through WhatsApp and email. If a student is working with a college counselor, we maintain open communication to ensure the student's work at RECO meaningfully contributes to their college application. Our virtual classrooms are designed to be highly interactive. Please watch this video to see what it’s like to interact with RECO’s mentors!