Building your portfolio: The complete guide to present yourself!
Embarking on your O-level journey, you might have a plethora of “dream schools” in your mind. Besides using your O Level results to enter your next institution, you might also be considering the DSA/EAE track to secure your place in your dream spot, which will require a stellar portfolio! Read on to learn how to build one!
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. What is DSA/EAE?Building your Portfolio
1. Prelude — “The Rough Plan”
2. Actions In School — “Academic, CCA, Volunteering & Scholarships”
3. Actions Outside School — “Internships, Enrichment”Personal Statement
1. Crafting a Personal Statement
So, what is DSA/EAE?
DSA-JC (For JC)
Taken from the MOE website, Direct School Admission for junior colleges (DSA-JC) allows students to apply to a DSA school before taking the GCE O-Level examinations. You can apply based on your talent in sports, CCAs and specific academic areas that may not be demonstrated at the O-Level examinations.
Do note that if you are admitted to a school through DSA-JC, you are not allowed to:
- Participate in the Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE).
- Transfer to another school. You must commit to your chosen school for the duration of the programme.
EAE (For Poly)
Denoting Early Admissions Exercise, this scheme allows you to apply for and receive conditional offers for admission to your next school, before you receive your O Level results. What are its advantages? There is greater flexibility to select and admit students based on their aptitudes and interests, apart from academic grades, thus allowing a wider range of talents to be recognised.
Basically, both schemes entail a holistic view being taken in regards to your portfolio, and your other strengths can shine through! Remember, you can participate in BOTH DSA-JC and EAE at the same time, but you can only accept ONE offer (from either scheme).
So if you’ve decided that this route is for you, how do you prepare for it? Here is a guide to help you build the best portfolio to showcase yourself!
Prelude
“The Rough Plan”
As always, the best way to prepare is to start early. And you really cannot procrastinate this! It takes time to complete the activities that can be added to your portfolio!
Firstly, consider your passions, your academic strengths as well as your CCA and how you want to continue developing them through the course of your year. These are, after all, the merits you will be showing the schools. You might be familiar with the phrase “Passion needs proving” from Teleschope, so show others what you have done with your interests!
Focus on your passions
If you have a burning desire for a certain topic or activity, you can consider starting your own Passion Project, where you bring your interests to life. Or, you can reflect your passions through community service projects/CCA involvement!
Example:
- Passion for helping animals → volunteering with SPCA
- Passion for design → starting your own small business selling personally designed phone cases, notebooks, files etc.
But do not lose sight of your academics
Similarly, some schools look out for academic excellence among other factors. Hence, prepping your studying throughout the year is crucial to establish your calibre and intellectual abilities! Besides these, there are other enriching activities you can perform to showcase your academic prowess!
Example.
- Teaching bite-sized content on Tiktok, starting a studying account on Instagram, publishing Computing videos on Youtube etc
Meanwhile…
Simultaneously, mark out the dates for DSA/EAE and plan your preparation around it, including time to prepare for interviews and such! As different schools (JC/Poly) have different timelines for different tracks (O level/ITE), do take note of the dates carefully!
** This is also a reminder to not discard any certificates you have in case they come up useful!
Action In School
“Academic, CCA, Volunteering & Scholarships”
Here, we will go into greater detail about the different steps to complete your portfolio. Sometimes, it requires stepping out of your comfort zone to pursue your passions, but remember, your MOTIVATION to do something should stem from something genuine and not superficial! Furthermore, even if you don’t have a plethora of responsibilities under your belt, fret not; reflect on the areas you can contribute in your current designation, and strive to make the best out of it (through service or takeaways) — remember, it’s not about the quantity but quality!
Academic
To excel in your studies, check out Teleschope’s numerous articles about mastering your subjects!
Generally, the tip is to be constant in your revision and ask questions actively when in doubt! Why? Consistent grades show your capability to balance your studies, as well as your potential to excel in your future school.
Co-Curriculum Activities
CCAs are a great way for you to reflect your non-academic strengths. Be it sports, clubs, performing arts or others, this is the platform for your passions to shine through. To prove that you are a holistic pursuer in your current education journey, you might want to think of your involvement and roles in your CCA.
- Leadership
Leadership positions (eg. President of Debate Club) help showcase your responsibility, communication skills and active participation in the CCA. These accolades prove that you are active in building the school culture; for those using CCA for DSA/EAE, these are extremely crucial to showcase your continual commitment to the activity. - Involvement
Be it participating in competitions or initiating new ideas, your actions will illuminate your dedication to your work and your perseverance. (eg. Gold Medal for Wushu)
Volunteering
Also commonly known as Community Involvement Project (CIP), some schools might have requirements for a certain number of hours; however the choice of organisation/target audience can still be decided by you! Here is where you showcase your care and empathy for society. That being said, do with a purpose and not just for clocking in hours!
Another note is you might really enjoy serving the people in CIP, and can continue even after school ends.
Start by looking for areas of service in community clubs, social organisations or start your own. Remember, your contribution to the community need not be only through traditional volunteering where you serve the needy directly. You can volunteer to take on admin roles in non-profit organisations; offer your time to be a research assistant who investigates struggles of the marginalised community; or even join Teleschope! The options are limitless!
Scholarships
Additionally, some tertiary scholarships are available for you! Not only do they provide financial support for your studies after O-level, it’s also a chance for you to prove your calibre! Here are some websites to check out available scholarships!
Do note that some scholarships have certain requirements like maintaining GPA, taking a certain subject, so do read through before accepting the offer.
- MOE website: normally, most scholarship holders receive their scholarships from the ministry. Eg. MOE Bicultural Studies Programme Scholarship etc
- Brightsparks: while most of them are catered for undergraduates, there are also a few that target your age groups!
If you are already part of a scholarship, or have been a recipient, do put that down in your portfolio; these prove your excellence in pursuing your studies and non-academic activities.
Action Outside School
“ Internships & Enrichment”
Internships/Jobs
Internships might sound daunting, but they are a good way to catch a glimpse of the field you want to work in in the future! Depending on your course of interest, you can search up internship opportunities in various companies to widen your horizons. Do note that some companies have a minimum age requirement so be prepared to switch to something else!
At this stage, most jobs that you might take on would be part-time. Despite that, it is still a valuable learning experience and opportunity to interact with working adults! In writing your portfolio, you might want to focus more on the values you learnt and your growth as a person. Do also include your reasons for taking up an internship/job to prove your steadfastness in pursuing that specific career.
Here are a few keywords you can use:
- Teamwork
- Communication skills
- Problem-solving skills
- Conflict resolution
- Assertiveness
- Time management
- Creative thinking
- Empathy
Enrichment
Enrichment classes/activities normally refer to those outside of school, and are privately pursued by you! Here, you can showcase your long-term involvement in your passions which make you a strong candidate! (eg. ABRSM Piano Grade 8, Robotics/Coding classes, Ballet etc)
If you want to pursue these professionally, there are many platforms available for you to do so! For instance, Coursera and Skillshare are resourceful platforms for you to learn from universities and even earn a certificate (with payment)! (eg. Food Nutrition from Stanford University)
Additionally, competitions are also a great way for you to prove your dedication and skills. Common ones in Singapore include The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, the National Science Challenge and more!
Crafting your personal statement
Here, we reach one of the most important stages of presenting yourself! Your achievements might show your strengths, but the school also wants to get to know YOU as a PERSON. Often, they might give you a prompt where you merge your personality to your merits. Here is a simple format of how to link one activity you participated in to how that showcases your strength!
Introducing, the SWAT Method:
- Situation
In June, I volunteered to teach underprivileged children at XXX, - Why you did it
Fulfilling my passion in teaching as well as playing a part in improving social welfare for the underprivileged. - Attribute
In collaborating with other tutors to plan our curriculum, my communication skills were honed, and being a team-player, I…. - Tailor to the school
I believe these skills are transferable to my course in XXX — I foresee myself participating actively in XXX’s plethora of projects; the dynamic and hands-on learning style also prompts me to ….
Conclusion
And with that, you should be prepared to set forth for your next education milestone! Do remember to be authentic and genuine, since that’s what the schools are looking for; the DSA/EAE track ultimately focuses on diversity of achievements, so feel free to add your past works into the portfolio. The above are methods to better organise your portfolio, but do remember to personalise it to better showcase your true self! That being said, getting an offer still requires perseverance in your studies, since it is a conditional offer after all. All the best in your endeavours, and Teleschope wishes you success in your applications!
Before you go…
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