If you are planning to higher education abroad then you must have an impressive portfolio. The portfolio in the past was limited to people from Arts or Design backgrounds to showcase their previous works and impress potential clients. However, from the academic point of view, a portfolio would mean similar yet a lot different than what it used to be.

A student when designing the portfolio must make sure that it includes lifelong learning experiences, goals and achievements. This would mean that a portfolio extends beyond simply the academic achievements and focuses on your learning experience, achievements and goals. You might wonder how this is relevant for higher education, truth is colleges and universities may look at your portfolio and understand what you are trying to achieve based on your past and future ambitions. This along with academic achievements will give them enough of an opportunity to assess the kind of person that they are and whether they deserve a chance to study in their college/university or not.

What must be included in developing an impressive portfolio?

Profile and identity: 

Always begin with basics. Talk about your background, education, any experience that you may have and what your achievements are and what are the goals that you have set forward for yourself in the future.

Overview of one’s studies, research and areas of competencies: 

This is where you dive into a depth analysis of your education, why you chose a field and how that has changed your life. You can talk about areas of competencies which will make case for yourself and how you may be better than the rest and why you should be given preference over the others. This is by far the best place for personalized advertising.

Talk about strengths and weaknesses: 

Everyone makes the mistake of discussing only their strengths and not their weaknesses. At the end of the day, no one likes who simply brags about themselves, hence showing humility and accepting the areas of weakness will make you look more human. This could help in appealing to the human side of the decision-making process.

Develop strategies and goals achieved: 

The strategy would include timelines and deadlines, the strategy to acquire funding, cover expenses, support yourself while studying etc. This can be justified by any previous goals that you have set and achieved in the past. This will give out an impression about the kind of person you are and how you can plan for the future.

Talk about your achievements: 

If you are a student then you may only focus on academic achievements, however, remember that extra-curricular activities such as sports, arts, music etc. can all help in your process. Many universities would give admissions to students simply based on their achievements outside their academic journey. Always make sure that you include as many achievements of yours as possible so that it will increase your chances of getting admission and in many cases may even lead to financial aid such as scholarships and funds.