A Track-Specific Guide for Science, Business, Arts, and More

For students applying to top-tier universities, especially in the US, UK, or Singapore, strong academics and test scores are baseline requirements. Another increasingly important requirement is the portfolio —a record of experiences and work that shows sustained interest, capability, and initiative in your chosen field.

This post breaks down how to build a technically sound, strategically curated portfolio, depending on your intended major.

What Exactly Is a Portfolio?

Your portfolio is not a formal document you submit—though parts of it might appear in your essays or interviews. It reflects the answer to:

“What have you actually done to explore this field?”

It includes:

• Independent projects
• Competitions and awards
• Research experience
• Internships or shadowing
• Public-facing work (writing, apps, blogs, etc.)
• Supplementary academic coursework

The portfolio is what gives credibility to your stated interests and goals.

Track 1: Science, Engineering, and Research-Based Fields

This includes students applying for courses like medicine, physics, engineering, computer science, or life sciences.

Core Objectives:

• Show that you’ve engaged with real-world scientific thinking
• Indicate research potential or creative application

What You Should Have:

• Research experience: This can be school-supervised (e.g., IB Extended Essay), summer internships, or mentorship-based projects. If you’ve worked in a lab, submit a report or research poster.
• Competitions: Olympiads (Biology, Chemistry, Physics), AMC, or local science fairs like SSEF or IJHS. Focus on those with national or international standing.
• Independent science projects: Examples include building simulations, coding a machine learning model, or analyzing environmental data sets.
• Published articles or blogs on scientific topics, especially if they show original thought or synthesis.

Optional Enhancements:

• GitHub repository (for CS applicants)
• Science communication via video essays or infographics
• Kaggle participation (for data science students)

Track 2: Business, Economics, and Entrepreneurship

This includes students aiming for degrees in economics, finance, marketing, or business analytics.

Core Objectives:

• Show initiative and leadership through projects
• Display understanding of real-world business mechanics

What You Should Have:

• Competitions: Harvard International Economics Essay Contest, John Locke Essay Competition, or the Young Investor Society.
• Entrepreneurial projects: Small-scale businesses, F&B startups, tutoring services, or e-commerce ventures. Focus on real users, real revenue—even if small.
• Analytical writing: Market analysis blogs, or essays on macroeconomic trends.
• Internships: Even brief ones with startups, marketing agencies, or finance firms are worth documenting—especially if you learned something concrete.

Optional Enhancements:

• Financial modeling (Excel or Python-based)
• Social enterprise projects with measurable impact
• Economics-related Substack or LinkedIn posts showing thought leadership

Track 3: Arts, Humanities, Literature, and Social Sciences

This applies to English, History, Political Science, Philosophy, Art, and similar degrees.

Core Objectives:

• Show intellectual depth, originality, and a strong voice
• Demonstrate consistent work in your medium or academic field
• Engage critically with sources, history, or theory

What You Should Have:

• Published writing or submissions: National competitions (Foyle, NYT Student Essay), school literary magazines, or blogs focused on social commentary or criticism.
• Portfolio of creative work: For arts applicants—sketchbooks, exhibitions, digital portfolios. For filmmakers—reels, scripts, or short films.
• Extended essays or personal research projects that go beyond the syllabus.
• Speech, debate, or Model UN experience with competitive achievements or leadership roles.

Track 4: Computer Science, AI, and Tech-Centered Applicants

This track often overlaps with science, but tech applicants need to show aptitude in building and coding.

Core Objectives:

• Prove problem-solving ability through concrete projects
• Show breadth: frontend/backend, AI, algorithms, etc.

What You Should Have:

• Code repositories: Public GitHub projects with clear README documentation. Focus on usability and originality.
• Apps or websites: Deployed projects (bonus if with users or traction), not just unfinished experiments.
• Hackathon participation: Include project brief, team role, and what was built.
• Online credentials: Harvard CS50, MITx, Google AI—especially if you’ve applied what you learned.

Optional Enhancements:

• Freelance work or open-source contributions
• Technical blog posts explaining algorithms or dev decisions
• Kaggle notebooks, coding YouTube channel, or open-data analysis

Final Advice

1. Start Early. Portfolio building ideally begins by Grade 9 or 10. Every year you delay limits the complexity of what you can accomplish.
   2. Document Everything. Keep a personal Google Drive folder with photos, certificates, and reflection writeups. You’ll need them for writing essays later.
   3. Build Towards a Narrative. Don’t collect random certificates. Choose projects that compound—each one should go deeper or build on the last.
   4. Reflect Constantly. Keep short reflection notes on what you learned, how you failed, and what you’d do differently. This helps immensely during the interview and personal statement stage.

Want Help Structuring Your Portfolio?

We offer 1-on-1 mentoring for students in Science, Business, Tech, and Arts tracks. Our focus is on building a strategic, high-impact portfolio over 6–36 months, aligned with your goals of top-tier universities.