Profile Building Enhance

Enhance is a program designed especially for students who are committed to pursue their education in the leading universities of the world. The decision to study abroad requires much preparation, mentally as well as academic and cocurricular commitment. PRATHAM takes pride in being able to design a package that packs the required punch to crack the admission process. Profile building for overseas admissions is a comprehensive term which entails multiple crucial elements that are handled over a period of time. The decision to enrol for the ENHANCE program is probably one of the best that you would have taken till now. The team has a prolific set of professionals headed by the Divisional Head, who has an experience of over 17 years in guiding and mentoring students.

We at PRATHAM believe that “Knowledge is the single most powerful tool today”. We follow a student-centred approach, provide personalised counselling at every step and consider every successful placement as our biggest achievement. Choosing an overseas university can be a complex and challenging process, and with our counselling skills and competent guidance you can make an informed decision.

The first and the most crucial step is to decide upon the career direction the student would like to move forward in. With the guidance of a Certified Counselling Psychologist adept in conducting Psychometric analysis , helps the student to explore and understand her/his probable choices, based on the personality, aptitude and interest of the child. Post the psychometric testing, PRATHAM schedules a detailed counselling session wherein brainstorming is done with the student and the end result is clarity of vision for the path ahead, whether for choosing the stream/career or finalising the subjects the student would like to pursue for undergraduate studies.

It is true that it’s never too early to think about your profile. But it’s also never too late!

Determine Academic Goal and Preferences

The Enhance program allows for personal counselling with the Counsellor and the Mentor, at every step and stage in the process. The most unique feature of this program is the presence of the Senior Mentor throughout this journey that spans the entire high school years. The Senior Mentor has vast experience in coaching young people on how to present themselves in the best light, and what steps they can take to build their profile and resume. The Mentor helps build the foundation, plan and decide the scope of the activities. With, including advice on extra-curricular activities, business and enterprise experience, voluntary and social endeavours and so on.

Our ambitious, confident and experienced team has a transparent and upfront working style. Our goal is to empower and engage the student in activities that are rewarding and contribute towards the end goal of getting admitted into their desired course and institution. We ensure that this transformative journey is full of exciting tasks that help the personality of the student to sparkle and shine.

Focus on the Academics

It is essential to not lose focus and continue with due diligence on the academic pathway. The student might sidetrack studies while working on the other activities. The Mentor guides the student at regular intervals to not lose sight of their end goal and focus on academics as well.

Building a Strong Extracurricular Profile

The Mentor essentially has a diverse set of activities lined up for the student which are spread out and presented at various junctures throughout the process. Let’s look at them individually:
To increase the knowledge base of the student, the Mentor guides her/him to enroll for courses outside the academia and read extra books, inspirational biographies or any other text that add depth and dimension to the student’s character. This exercise has a hidden and deeper meaning, as not only does it enable a deeper understanding of the chosen subject, but also lets the student develop an appreciation for English language and enhance the vocabulary which is a wonderful value addition to the overall personality of the student

The Mentor constantly discusses and sets tasks for the child. Keeping in mind the activities held in school, the student is advised to participate in clubs and events that contribute towards the acquisition of knowledge and requisite skills as per the chosen subjects. For instance, a Computer Science aspirant will be advised to engage in Coding Clubs, Robotic Club or Computer Science club in school; an Economics aspirant will be advised to participate in MUNs and Debate clubs.

To further enhance a better understanding of the subject, and motivate the student to take initiative and build on leadership skills, she/he is advised to undertake Projects and participate in competitions. This provides the student the opportunity to explore her/his interests and also gain life skills. Every university is seeking candidates that are future leaders, who have the capacity to not only deliver, but have a vision to begin with. The Mentor plays a crucial role as she/he, discusses and advises what kind of projects can be taken up, their scope and relevance and PRATHAM even guides them through the project building phase, if required.

Another indispensable aspect of profile building is Community Service Activities. The world is in dire need of global citizens, youth who look beyond their own vested interests and are eager to work for the larger good. The team provides counselling and guidance to engage in community service in terms of the organisations they can enrol with based on their interests and strengths.

Once the student has acquired the conceptual knowledge, they are encouraged to apply for internships to gain practical work-experience. Mentors provide relevant information about organisations offering internships to high school students. The student is also encouraged to seek such opportunities on their own, as it helps in facing interviews and boosts their confidence.

Mentor driven Research and Review of literature are critical components to incorporate in one’s repertoire. PRATHAM conducts a special workshop for the same. It is imperative to gain in depth understanding of the Research Methodology, how to present the theoretical facts, conduct research or review literature and finally how to write the bibliography. Mentor driven research enables the student to move ahead in a structured way and present a good paper. Our prolific Senior Mentors pave the way for the child and handhold the student throughout the journey to make this an enjoyable and learning experience for the student.

Once the student has worked on the research paper, the next step is to make the paper ready for publishing. The team at PRATHAM guides the student to not only publish the Research Paper, but also encourages and guides the student to write articles based on interest and choice of subjects and also advises about the mediums where they may be published.

Another element that is essentially useful for life skill building activities while adding on to the profile of the student is enrolling for the Summer camps organised by various institutions. This helps the student to see and experience university life from up close while gaining exposure to the various subjects that she/he could learn in college.

Universities abroad are looking for candidates who have a holistic profile and Engaging in Sports Activities has its own set of advantages. They help the student to imbibe core life skills besides being an important addition to the profile.

Learning to play a musical instrument, singing, classical or contemporary dance forms, fine arts or any other forms of creative arts and music all add key skills to the student’s repertoire and also are a value addition to her/his personality.

It is not sufficient to merely participate in activities and work on one’s profile, the next essential step is to showcase and present them effectively in your Resume. Resume writing is a skill and the student will receive advice and support on how to write a resume or CV, best formats to use, and tone, length and style. For postgraduate aspirants, with work experience, it may have been some time since you wrote your resume or amended it, and you may need guidance on the latest preferred formats. For students, you not only need to know how to write a resume, but how to best present your successes and strengths in the absence of work history.

Strengthening the Network for Recommendations and References

An extremely important part of the application process is getting recommendations and Reference letters and Letters of Recommendation. It is imperative that strong networks and ties are built during this phase, both in school and in organisations the student is involved in for projects and internships.

The transition from the Profile Building phase to the Application phase is quite interesting and exciting. The session conducted by the Divisional Head is designed to understand the thought process of the student and the family. This is a highly interactive session, wherein the student and the parents discuss and debate to finalise the course, country and Universities they would like to apply for the undergraduate studies based on parameters like course content, University ranking, application requirements, financial profile of the family, post study job search visa restrictions, job opportunities and cost of attendance. More parameters are added based on the discussions.

University Abroad Applications

• ❖ The session by the Divisional Head is a deep dive into understanding the interest and choice of subject and program that the student intends to apply for. The meeting is held with the parents and the child and entails discussion based on a multitude of parameters like, university ranking and location, course details, preference of country, finances, cost of attendance, job opportunities and a host of others. A detailed customised Research Sheet of Universities (involving 14+ parameters) is prepared, keeping the requirement of the student in mind.
  
  
• ❖ Post the meeting, the Counsellor meeting is scheduled. The counsellor is going to be the single point of contact for the student for the entire process. The Counsellor gives details about the Documentation process, which includes the resume, transcripts, LORs and other specific details as per the country/university requirements.
  
  
• ❖ Universities abroad have detailed and exhaustive application forms to complete. We at PRATHAM provide you expert services to create Portal logins, assist in the form filling process and to upload relevant documents on the individual university portals. Each country has a unique application procedure, with a set of requirements and instructions to follow. Our expert counsellors are extremely experienced and trained to handle the entire process.
  
  
• ❖ With our experience of cracking the admission process of countries like the US, UK, Canada and the European Union in the last few seasons we cannot stress enough the relevance of conceptualising, drafting and continuous refining of the Essays and Personal statement/SOP. A detailed in-person/virtual session for brainstorming is conducted for discussion of essay prompts with the student.
  
  
• ❖ Upon receiving the essay write-up from the student, our proficient editors go through the content and refine them to align and orient with the central through process- the Editing and refinement Phase. The essay is presented in a way that the unique, strong and positive image of the individual is highlighted as per the requirement and expectations of the individual universities. The essays are edited with care making sure that the language quality remains apt as per the student and yet shows a transparent self.
  
  
• ❖ Through our 90%+ success of cracking desired universities we have realised the importance of strategizing and highlighting the right set of extracurriculars while sending the applications. Since these universities focus on the overall profile of the student, selecting and highlighting the appropriate extracurriculars and other activities is a key deciding factor. Our expert counsellors handle this process and provide detailed information about resume writing, transcripts and predicted scores. Guidance regarding LORs is also given and winning samples are shared to draft effective LORs.
  
  
• ❖ Application Review and Submission is probably the most critical stage of the application. Our experts crosscheck every document before uploading and ensure that information given by you is accurate and complete. Final verification is done by the parent/student before the application is submitted.
  
  
• ❖ Our capable and seasoned team handles the Post submission application process, monitoring the portal for any queries or checking for additional documents required by the university. The student should check the portal regularly for any updates.
  
  
• ❖ Some universities have the requirement of a video interview round and students are often clueless about handling them. We have accomplished and knowledgeable mentors to handhold the students. They provide Interview preparation tips and guide the student with appropriate answers to probable questions. 2 mocks per university are scheduled and both are recorded and sent to the student. Detailed feedback and review of the mock interview is done to minimise errors.