Profile Building During the Pandemic - Case Studies

By Namita Mehta & Ramya Modukuri

In Part 1 of our series, we covered the basics of what profile building is, what it signals and also explored some options for continuing to develop one’s profile during the ongoing pandemic.?

In this article, we present you some case studies of our students to highlight some of the many online options a student has when trying to pursue their passions online. For each case study, we have included as much context as we could, since holistic evaluation does take into account these factors. We have also added our perspective on each student’s profile and what it signals, based on our experience.

We would like to add here that holistic evaluation also typically looks at letters of recommendation from teachers, a student’s personal essays, the rigor of the curriculum taken by the student, interview performance, and other contextual information (family background and circumstances, challenges etc.). What we have presented here is only a part of the whole story.

Case Study 1 -? The One That Showed ADAPTABILITY and INNOVATION

Outcome: Rice University ED (full-ride scholarship/aid), the University of Texas at Dallas (full-ride scholarship)

Academics: Academically top 1% student; Cambridge AICE Diploma; 1530 SAT, NMSQT Finalist (1520/1520)

Intended Major: Economics with a minor in Computer Science

Pre-COVID: School Captain (elected); Co-chief editor of school magazine for 3 years; Bharatnatyam dance (with arangetram) for 10 years

Online Profile Building Activities:

1. Migrated school magazine online and converted it into a dynamic and engaging platform; made the newsletter more topical with discussions on BLM, #MeToo, LGBTQ+ issues, the farmer protests in India and the 2020 elections in the US
2. Introduced an advice column to help students deal with mental health and other issues during COVID
3. Hosted events like anti-cyberbullying campaigns and Wellness Week, where the Student Council discussed and tried to help both students and teachers with lockdown-related problems by inviting doctors and therapists to speak
4. Took a course on Introduction to Neuroeconomics offered by the National Research University Higher School of Economics to delve deeper into economics

Namita and Ramya’s Perspective: This student innovatively transitioned their pre-COVID activities online. They did not start something completely new but instead adapted to the online world. They showed two vital skills by doing these activities–the ability to adapt and innovate; skills that universities value deeply.?

Case Study 2 - The One That Showed LEADERSHIP and COMPASSION

Outcome: The University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, Huron at Western University (CAD 100K Presidential Scholarship), Colgate University, Carleton College, Ashoka University

Academics: Academically top 10% student; Cambridge AICE Diploma

Intended Major: Politics and Economics

Pre-COVID: International debater representing Team India; School Captain (elected); Head of Debate Club; Co-chief editor of school magazine; Election Commission in charge of restructuring the Student Council (grade 12)

Online Profile Building Activities:

1. Moved the debate club online and expanded the club; successfully coached 2 juniors to be selected into the Indian team for international debates; coached? a student to reach the national level
2. Created Orators Club for grades 7 and 8 students to help them transition into the high school debate club smoothly
3. Re-structured the Student Council to enable greater accountability; conducted completely online student elections
4. Attended the Ashoka University YSP summer programme, which enabled them to understand that they only wanted to be in an institution that followed the liberal education philosophy
5. Tutored a grade 10 student (who had joined the school in grade 10) to cover the entire grade 9 syllabus for? IGCSE Economics

Namita and Ramya’s Perspective: Besides transitioning the debate club to an online format, this student showed true leadership by working with their juniors in different capacities. This student not only trained juniors for the debate club but also created a club for young debaters giving them a platform for discourse. Moreover, this student also tutored a student showing their willingness to go above and beyond for others. This student shows true leadership and compassion–again two skills valued by highly selective universities.

Case Study 3 -? The One That Showed RESILIENCE and DETERMINATION

Outcome: Emory University ED2, University of Richmond, Northeastern University (USD 17k scholarship per year)

Academics: Academically top 10% student; ISC Curriculum

Intended Major: Pre-Business & Computer Science

Pre-COVID: State Level Swimmer; Bharatnatyam dancer (year 5); Vice Captain (Student Council); Committee member of Computer Club; Volunteer at various institutions?

Online Profile Building Activities:

1. Took a course on Programming for Everybody (Python), offered by the University of Michigan
2. Enrolled in an enrichment programme by Clever Harvey (Junior CTO Online Course) where they created an algorithm for designing an app, including flowcharts and user display windows. The app was designed to simplify the user experience for teachers and reduce time workload through artificial intelligence
3. Co-founded an initiative, called Help Bengal Breathe, to plant trees and saplings that were damaged due to Cyclone Amphan. Organised an interactive games tournament where the proceeds supported the initiative
4. Conducted and convened online meetings to teach young children the importance and advantages of computer science
5. Taught classical Bharatnatyam using a digital medium to 18 girls at Adarsh Hindi Vidyalaya, an underprivileged school??

Namita and Ramya’s Perspective: As a national level swimmer pre-COVID, most of this student’s time would have been spent staying fit and training for competitions. Instead of letting this affect them, this student pursued their other interests such as dance and coding. In addition, this student acted when a cyclone hit their town. These activities show that this student is resilient in pursuing their interests and determined to create a positive impact, no matter what.?

Case Study 4 - The One That Showed CREATIVITY and COMPASSION

Outcome: College of William & Mary, Lehigh University, American University, Drew University, Sciences Po, Ashoka University, Krea University

Academics: Academically top 15% student; CBSE Curriculum

Intended Major: International Relation/Political Science?

Pre-COVID: Carnatic Classical Music Performer; MUN Participant; Horse Rider; Assistant teacher and Pastoral volunteer at South Indian Village School???

Online Profile Building Activities:

1. Created a personal YouTube channel where they incorporated international news, events and their personal opinions into the? lyrics of popular songs and performed them to promote awareness?
2. Started a blog to express their creative side, pen poems, conduct reviews, write articles & opinion pieces on news & entertainment
3. Developed and created home-schooling worksheets to teach English to children of labourers; coordinated with a team around the country to align curriculum
4. Enrolled in courses such as Moral Foundations of Politics by Yale University and 'Paradoxes of War by Princeton University

Namita and Ramya’s Perspective: Instead of just waiting to perform their music online, this student immediately created a YouTube channel to share their music. In the absence of MUN–which this student used as a medium to share their opinions on politics and economies–they started a blog to overcome this hurdle. Instead of stopping their volunteer work as they could not travel to the South Indian Village School, this student continued to support migrants by providing online learning material. Through these endeavours, this student demonstrated their creativity and compassion, which impressed admissions officers.?

Case Study 5 -? The One That Showed TRUE PASSION

Outcome: University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Imperial College London, University of Manchester

Academics: 39 points final IB, in top 30% of his grade?

Intended Major: Materials Science/Environmental Engineering

Pre-COVID: - Leader of the Environment Club; Founder of residential E-Waste Club; enrolled in academic programmes such as Knowledge@Wharton, Solarizer (IIT Bombay) and Nanotech course at Amity University; Founder of residential Solar Installation Panel Project Volunteer at various NGOs

Online Profile Building Activities:

1. Completed and published a book, All Shades of Green, to educate readers about the threats we impose on the planet. Presented easy-to-adopt solutions to inspire readers to make small lifestyle changes for a greener shade of living. Promoted the book online through various webinars and talks
2. Created content? for EnvironEarth where they decided themes and posts for their website, blog and Instagram page to spread awareness about environmental issues
3. Completed two different internships with Ernst & Young: Climate Resilient Agriculture (funded by the World Bank) and a project funded by the Gates Foundation to increase accessibility to medical workers in rural India
4. Continued ongoing research project on nanoparticles
5. Helped organise the Dhirubhai Ambani International Math Olympiad (online) which raised money for NGOs Aseema and Muktangan

Namita and Ramya’s Perspective: Despite the pandemic, this student’s genuine passion for the environment is evident. Not only did they compile their ideas in a book, but they also created content for an environmental blog as well as completed two internships focused on climate change and access. This student shows a consistent theme (of environmental sustainability) that goes hand in hand with their intended major.??

So now you must be wondering how you can take your passions online. Follow us, as we bring you a select set of activity options each week for the next three weeks.?