Building a Portfolio
The words “student portfolio” are often brought into our vocabulary starting from around 9th grade which might seem incredibly daunting at first. A student portfolio is a collection of work including projects, ventures, initiatives, rewards and even reflections that one has experienced throughout high school. In today’s day and age, universities and colleges look for a part of who the student is when looking through applicants. A portfolio reflects a student’s interests apart from their academic self, there are other ways to express oneself.
How does a student start building a portfolio? Is a very valid commonly asked question
- Figure out your interests and aspirations
- Research about initiatives in your school that align with said interests
- Apply for the initiatives according to the eligibility
- Actively participate in said initiatives
- Keep track of all the rewards and accomplishments
- Write about your experiences and reflect on lessons learnt.
- Look out for opportunities to write research papers, partake in internships, courses aligning to your subjects chosen.
A portfolio can contain multiple interests ranging from art to science, but an important thing to remember is there have to be details or interests that apply to the future academic possibilities an individual wants to follow. In my experience building my portfolio, I chose to focus on humanities core extra curriculars for example MUNs, NPOs, Political Literacy and Journalism to work towards my goal of working in international journalism.
A student portfolio gives us the opportunity to present ourselves as the determined, curious, eager students we want to be while it is a privilege to be able to build one. Balancing academics and extra curriculars might not seem like an easy task which is why it is advisable to start working towards these goals in the earlier years of high school so it is not as overwhelming before graduation. As a student, I’ve had my fair share of lessons from working towards a portfolio and studying simultaneously, no matter how overwhelming it may seem please don’t knock it till you try it ; It might bring about major perspectives towards your career or aspirations.