My first business for 10 years now has been international school placements and education advisory services.
One Friday, I sent an email to a school to apply for a student and I got a rather quick response quite different from the normal response. The normal response would have been – “Go online to complete an application form for the student” or “Here’s the link”. The response I got was, ‘What is the child’s profile’
You may ask, why would a school be asking for a child or student’s profile? Here are a few reasons why:
• Profiles are almost always requested for through personal statements, mission statements, scholarship essays, etc. to get a ‘sense’ of the type of student. They want to see that the student is a perfect fit for the school.
• The likes of Harvard, Princeton, Cambridge, MIT require students with the ‘Spike’- something more than being a well-rounded student. They want to see that the student has engaged in activities in line with their intended academic pursuit but also other activities with some degree of channelled focus.
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• They believe the best predictor of future performance is past performance. This is because people who experience small victories build the confidence – and the momentum – to keep going.
In any Academic Personal Statement, your academic achievements make up 70 percent of your overall statement, which leaves 30 percent to demonstrate out-of-class activities.
But how can you convince admissions that you are a worthy candidate? A Sterling Personal Statement must consider the following:
1. Read widely – Go the extra mile and read articles or materials that demonstrate your curiosity in your intended course.
2. Show and demonstrate your passion – Don’t just mention that you are passionate about something, demonstrate it by doing something to show it. For example, if you are hoping to study French or Foreign languages, you must have travelled to France or taken a course on Duolingo.
3. Personal development – Being a self-starter is a good sign for any university. Hence, taking a massive open online course also called ‘MOOC’ can emphasize that you are serious about studying and self-improvement. Personal development is KEY this summer season and getting kids involved in activities that will develop other skills such as interpersonal, critical, creative, and entrepreneurial thinking is crucial.
Why not engage your child this summer and help them create a dazzling profile?
Akiode (MBA) is an Education Disruptor, Author of Kids can entrepreneur too and Entrepreneurial stories for kids’ picture book series. She is also the initiator of the award-winning KidpreneurKlub®. She resides in the United Kingdom.
