Frequently Asked Questions

Think of the Odyssey Fellowship as your passport to the professional world. With a dedicated coach by your side, you’ll join us on a structured year-long journey to explore your interests and strengths.

Here’s a snapshot of what awaits you:

• Career Exploration: Over eight weeks each, explore four dynamic career domains: design, business, and two others of your choice from healthcare, software & AI, engineering, and law & policy. Dive deep with hands-on projects and learning sessions led by industry experts.
• Real-World Projects: Apply your knowledge through practical, real-world projects that challenge you to think critically and solve problems creatively.
• Transferable Skills Development: Build essential skills that are valued across all professions, enhancing your ability to adapt and thrive in any environment.
• Portfolio Creation: Compile your work into a comprehensive portfolio, showcasing your achievements and learning—a vital tool for college admissions.
• A Week at Bengaluru Basecamp: Experience an immersive week at leading companies, participate in expert-led workshops, and form lasting connections with peers and professionals.

You will be taught by our diverse team of experienced coaches and industry experts from around the globe. Imagine learning from professionals working at companies like Tesla, Nike, McKinsey, Google, Ideo and more. Your teachers will share their real life-stories and become your mentors, guides, and partners in your learning journey. They ensure that your experience is both contemporary and forward-looking. To learn more about your teachers, click here.

Our experienced coaches will work one-on-one with you to help you make the most of the Odyssey Fellowship. They tailor every step, every experience to your interests and needs, ensuring a journey that’s as unique as you are! They meet you on a regular basis to provide timely interventions, give personalised feedback, and create ample opportunities for reflection.

We have designed the Odyssey Fellowship to help you discover what gives you joy and meaning. You get to step out of your classrooms and step into the real world, where you can explore future-ready career domains, build critical transferable skills and take your first step towards building your college portfolio. Along the journey, you build meaningful and long lasting connections within the Odyssey community. We hope this new found awareness & purpose will help you focus better on your academics too.

In the Odyssey Fellowship, you don't have to choose your career domains upfront. Instead, we guide you through the process, ensuring that your selections align with your evolving interests, strengths, and career goals.

Here’s how it works:

• Personalized Guidance: Throughout the fellowship, we assist you in understanding and identifying your interests and strengths. Our coaches work closely with you to consider your background and future aspirations.
• Exploration of Options: You'll have the opportunity to explore four dynamic career domains: design (mandatory), business (mandatory), and two others from healthcare, software & AI, engineering, and law & policy.
• Informed Decisions: Based on the insights gained during initial modules and your personal reflections, we help you choose domains that best fit your unique profile and goals.

We encourage you to approach it with an open mind. The beauty of exploration lies in not just discovering what ignites your passion but also understanding what doesn’t resonate with you. Each experience, each learning, is a stepping stone that brings clarity, insights, and self-awareness. If you still have reservations or uncertainties, we’re just a message away! Feel free to set up a 1:1 chat with our team.

Your coach plays a pivotal role in this journey. They’re not just there to guide you through the curriculum but are also your ally in diving deeper into specific areas of interest. They’ll help identify resources, opportunities, and strategies to explore topics in-depth, ensuring your learning is tailored to your aspirations.

Fellows nationwide will unite at our Bengaluru Basecamp from 20th June to 29th June, 2025. The agenda for our basecamp is a thoughtfully designed mix of hands-on learning, fun activities, group projects, and opportunities to collaborate with experts. They will visit leading companies and learn from industry experts, all while bonding through shared living experiences.

While participating in the Bengaluru Basecamp is optional, we highly recommend it. You will be required to confirm your participation for the Basecamp by 30th April, 2025. This will help ensure smooth coordination of logistics.

As an Odyssey fellow, you're looking at a commitment of 2-3 hours every week for 40 weeks spread across 12 months. Expect to spend about 1.5 hours in class each week and an additional 1 to 1.5 hours each week will be dedicated to team work. You’ll form your own teams, diving into projects that challenge and inspire you.

The Odyssey Fellowship is a blend of both online and in-person experiences - you get the flexibility of online learning along with the richness of in-person interactions and networking.

Our online classes are conducted live in micro-batches of 10-15 fellows. This small group setting ensures personalised attention fostering an environment where you can dive deep into discussions, ask questions, and truly engage with the material and your peers.

In addition, you spend a week at our Bengaluru Basecamp. It’s a week of immersive, in-person learning experiences where you get to go behind the scenes at leading companies, attend expert-led workshops, and build bonds with other fellows that last a lifetime.

We’ve tailored the Odyssey Fellowship to align seamlessly with your school calendar. Accordingly, we schedule most of our sessions on Saturdays and Basecamp is held between 20 June to 29 June, 2025 - during your summer break.

But we get it, balancing both can still be a juggle. Effective time management is a critical skill for your success and your coach will work with you to help you plan your schedule, prioritise actions and find you time to unwind. Click here to look at the fellowship calendar for the class of 2025.

We place great importance on attendance and anticipate that you will be present for all scheduled sessions. Having said that, we have your back when life throws a curveball your way. All our group sessions are recorded. In case you miss a session, you will have access to the recorded content to catch up on what was covered. If you have a scheduled 1:1 session with your coach and are unable to attend, we kindly ask that you inform us in advance. We’re all about making sure you get to learn and have fun.

At Odyssey, we follow a holistic admissions process, which takes into account your academic and non-academic journey, personal context, and interests. We have a 2 step application process that is designed to be a reflective process for you to think through whether you are ready to make the commitment.

Step 1- Fill the application form. It takes less than 30 mins to complete it. Be your authentic self and do not overthink your responses.

Step 2 - Once we review your responses in the application, you will receive a call for a personal interview with our admissions team.

In case you have any questions, please reach out to us at admissions@odyssey.school.

The last day to fill your application for the Odyssey Fellowship is 31th December. We will be making admission offers on a rolling basis so the sooner you complete the process, the higher your chances of getting in.

We are looking for middle school students who have a deep curiosity to learn about how the real world works and are driven to apply their learning into their day to day life. Our fellowship requires a sustained commitment from fellows over 12 months.

Here are a few key attributes we value in our fellows:

• Curiosity: We love interacting with young minds who are always willing to question and explore
• Grit: We seek adventurers who relish challenges and push boundaries
• Discipline and commitment: Most importantly, we value a strong work ethic over everything else

The fee structure for Odyssey Fellowship, class of 2024 is as follows:

• Fellowship fee: $2500
• Fee for the Basecamp in Bengaluru: $1500 (Optional but recommended)

The fellowship fee can be paid in 4 easy instalments of USD 625 each. Please note that:

• All fees mentioned are exclusive of taxes.
• Basecamp fee includes accommodation, meals & local transport. Flights to and from Bengaluru are not included

We believe that finances should not hinder a deserving student's path to success. At Odyssey, you can apply for financial aid by writing an additional essay and submitting relevant financial documents. Our admission process is need-blind i.e. students applying for financial aid will in no way jeopardise their chances of admission. For further queries regarding financial aid, please write to us at financial-aid@odyssey.school.