RECO Reads Sr.
Show advanced reading skills and knowledge in any academic area. Craft a niche research proposal or write six mini scholarly reviews.
For students in Grades 10–12 to build advanced reading and thinking skills and craft an original written project to show they’re college-ready.
2 months | 8+ live hours | 1500+ words |Individual mentoring
Overview and Purpose
Colleges expect students to arrive ready to engage with complex academic texts — yet this is one of the areas most high schoolers struggle with. RECO Reads Senior helps students bridge that gap by reading advanced scholarly works with guided mentor support and documenting their process along the way. In an age where AI makes it easy to summarize or skim, this program builds the discipline and depth needed for real academic inquiry. Students leave with tangible evidence that demonstrate to colleges their ability to read, think, and engage critically with challenging ideas.
Choose between 2 tracks
Meet your individual mentor once a week for 2 months. Discuss readings we curate just for you. Create any one of the following academic projects.
Specialised Track
-
Formal research proposal showing familiarity with research process, purpose and design.
-
Colleges want students with end-to-end research experience, not just published research papers. As every college knows, this always begins with a proposal.
Writing a research proposal helps applicants show a sophisticated appreciation of research provides genuine, rich experiences to discuss in essays and interviews.
-
Students planning to write a research paper in the short term.
-
Curated scholarly articles and primary sources in your chosen topic.
Big Questions Track
-
Personal reading diary analyzing and comparing texts by the greatest thinkers in your field.
-
Writing research papers involves reading highly specialized literature, but usually not the most influential texts that have shaped entire fields.
This course helps students show their maturity to wrestle with large abstract questions and their…
Writing research papers involves reading highly specialized literature, but often not the most influential texts that have shaped entire fields.
This course helps students demonstrate their ability to tackle big questions and showcase intellectual maturity and depth of thought.
-
Students with multiple interests who want to survey diverse fields before deciding their intended major. Also suitable for students to build strong foundations in one discipline.
Note: This course is demanding and meant for driven students only.
-
A wide selection of texts within a single discipline or theme, chosen to help you demonstrate mastery of the field.
Show your advanced reading skills
Specialized Track (Research Proposal)
Writing a research proposal shows colleges that you understand how academic research actually works — from identifying a gap to designing a method and structuring a formal argument. It reflects intellectual independence, depth of inquiry, and readiness for college-level study. Students often use their proposals as the foundation for future research projects or to demonstrate their ability to secure funding and pursue original academic work.
Big Questions Track (Mini Reviews)
Writing a series of mini reviews helps students show breadth of thought and academic curiosity. By reading and reflecting on six major works within a chosen discipline — such as Oxford’s recommended economics reading list — students demonstrate genuine engagement with their subject and an ability to connect ideas across thinkers. This is especially useful for UK applicants, where intellectual range and independent reading are key parts of the admissions process.
How To Join
Step 1 (Optional): Book a free consultation to understand the course
Step 2: Fill out our short application form
Step 3: Be yourself in our friendly interview
Step 4: Start RECO-ing!
Explore More Options
FAQs
-
The discovery call is meant to understand where a student’s strengths and curiosity lie. A suggestion on the project option will be made after the discovery call. That said, a student might also enter the discovery call with a clear intention to pursue a particular project.
-
Switching tracks mid-way is not recommended because each one follows a different reading and assignment plan. However, this is possible in some cases, depending on how far along the course a student already is.
-
Most students spend 2–3 hours per week outside the mentor sessions. This includes reading, making notes, and completing short writing assignments. Like any college-level class, students will get from the course what they put into it.
-
No. In the application process, we are looking more for curiosity, humility, and drive rather than prior experience or minimum reading level. Mentors will select texts that suit your child’s current reading level. The annotated bibliography project option, however, is invite-only. Invitations will be made depending on the student’s level, as assessed by RECO. Click here to apply.
-
At the end of the course, your child will have a call with the founder to decide next steps, such as publication, larger projects, and integration with the student’s other profile-building activities.
-
Students are usually in grades 10 or 11 and are curious, motivated, and ready to push themselves to the next level. Most are preparing for university applications in any subject to prestigious universities in the US, UK, India, and beyond.
-
They will need to do another round of RECO Reads. Please note that this will not be a repetition of learning outcomes. The second course (or any additional course) will be completely redesigned for the student, helping them flourish in an entirely new direction.
-
Yes. Parents and students can book a free consultation with RECO to understand the program and decide if it’s a good fit.
-
Yes, if the student has followed our honour code.
Students in all three tracks of Reads may apply to publish their work on The Hive or The RECO Review – RECO’s publications for high school students.
Students in the Online Written Content track are encouraged to publish their work on Substack, Medium, or LinkedIn. Their work may also be featured on The Hive.
Students can also explore other pubilcation options during their post-course Future Directions call with the Founder of RECO. Students will be guided on how they can approach publication, keeping in mind the purpose of college applications.
-
Yes. Strong readers often benefit the most! Our mentors are usually PhD students from top universities. Your child will be assigned texts that are more complex than the ones they have already read and be engaged in deeper, perhaps college-level questions. We customize readings and discussions so students don’t just read more but they read better.
-
If you complete the course while adhering to our honour code, you will receive a Certificate of Completion, signed by the Founder of RECO. You may request your mentor for a Letter of Recommendation, but this is provided only in exceptional cases and is not guaranteed. Certificates of Excellence are provided to only our top 15-20% of students.
-
If you complete the course while adhering to our honour code, you will be invited to present your work at our half-yearly Virtual Student Showcase and our In-Person Student Showcase (Mumbai, July 2026). Here, you will take questions, gain feedback, and earn a recording to submit to universities proving the authenticity of your work.