Editor Profile Sachin Waikar

Everyone has a good story to tell. I love to help them tell it.

But my career wasn’t always about telling stories. In fact, I entered Stanford as an undergraduate certain of my future occupation: psychologist. I left Stanford with a BA in Psychology with Honors and Distinction (top 10% of the class), Phi Beta Kappa, and admission to UCLA’s clinical psychology PhD program, the nation’s top program.

At UCLA I studied anxiety and depression, publishing multiple research articles and appearing as an expert on the TV show Dateline NBC. But I decided to leave the field soon after completing my PhD. At the time, I was a researcher in an Alzheimer’s lab at a VA hospital and had a private therapy practice in Beverly Hills. Certain that I wished to leave psychology, but unsure of next steps, I pursued opportunities in the business world. It was the late 1990’s, the heady period of dot-coms, start-ups, and overnight millionaires. Because strategy consulting firms—especially McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group, and Bain—were recruiting non-traditional candidates (i.e., non-MBA’s) in unprecedented numbers, I focused on these companies.

I got an offer to join McKinsey and Company, and worked in the firm’s Chicago office for almost three years on a range of projects: a growth study for a major pharmaceutical company; the potential merger of two large retailers; the reorganization of an insurance giant. Despite having learned a great deal at McKinsey—structured problem-solving, intense teamwork, the fine art of PowerPoint—I recognized that consulting, and the corporate world, in general, were not long-term homes for me.

But what was? After leaving two very different careers, and becoming a parent along the way, I had to consider what kind of job I would truly enjoy and excel in. The answer was somewhat unexpected: writing and editing. I had always loved writing—research papers, talent show skits, even emails—but never considered it as a career. Once I did, I was in for life. After leaving McKinsey I wrote two novels (represented by the well-known NYC agency Dystel and Goderich), two screenplays (my first one placed in HBO/Miramax’s Project Greenlight and I was a nominee for an ABC/Disney Writing Talent Grant), and many short stories. My non-fiction appears in Esquire, Parents magazine, Woman International, and two edited anthologies.

Currently, in addition to working on fiction, non-fiction, and screenplays, I am a freelance writer for business professors at a premier MBA program in the Midwest. In this capacity I edit books, business cases, and research articles.

Since my freshman year at Stanford I have also helped others improve their writing, including many friends and acquaintances applying to graduate and professional programs. In this work I use my writing skills and broad range of experience to illuminate candidates’ strengths in their essays and interviews. As a former psychologist I have a keen eye for details that reflect character and issues related to tone. As an ex-McKinsey consultant I bring a structured and quality-driven approach to any work I do. And as a writer and editor I’m doing what I love most: helping others tell the best stories they can.

Before I joined Accepted, my clients were accepted to Brown, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Diego, University of Pennsylvania, USC, UC San Francisco Medical School, UC San Diego Medical School, and Yale Medical School.

Please see the list along the right side of this page for schools where my Accepted clients have gained admission.

Would you like to work with Sachin on your application? Just fill out an inquiry including any information you think will be helpful. Sachin will contact you ASAP.