Are you an aspiring engineer who’s after-school activities include designing, tinkering, or otherwise working on engineering-related projects? Do you want to showcase those projects in your application to Tufts? Well then do I have the resource for you!
The Maker Portfolio is an optional addition to your application that allows you to show admissions officers what you’ve been working on and how you might translate that work into the hands-on, collaborative classrooms you’ll find in the School of Engineering at Tufts. Last year, we had portfolios showcasing everything from indie horror games to haptic devices to help deaf athletes. The world is your workshop.
However, although we love to see what you’ve been working on, these portfolios are in no way required and you will not be penalized in the admissions process if you do not submit one. So don’t panic about building a spaceship before the application deadline!
Without further ado, here are a few Maker Portfolio tips and tricks, if you’re wondering how to get started:
Choose
I know this isn’t easy, but pick a project! Focusing on one project to showcase usually yields the best portfolio, so although we know you are likely working on a million different things, pick your favorite to submit to us.
Reflect
Intellectual curiosity and civic engagement are two of the values that Tufts students tend to embody. What these look like in practice is a passion for their work and a concern for how that work impacts the world. When you are telling us about your portfolio project, take time to reflect on what the project means to you, or what kind of impact you anticipate it would have on society.
Craft
Take some time to look at the instructions and example portfolios on our website before submitting your project. These examples will give you a good idea of what is helpful for us to know when you are formatting and writing responses to the portfolio questions - like what your role was in your project. Plus, although our portfolio reviewers are accomplished in the sciences, our admissions officers want to read about your project, too, and we could definitely use some translations of field-specific language or jargon!
Show
If you are a student who has been working on a research paper in high school, that is great work and preparation for college!...However, if you would like to submit a Maker Portfolio, please don’t just submit said research paper. Instead, show us a prototype you worked on for the paper or sketches that you did that will highlight those hands-on creative skills.
Submit!
First things first, we know you are a student! We don’t expect you to have it all figured out, but seeing your project and process can still showcase the kind of problem solving skills, creativity, and passion for hands-on, collaborative work that we look for in our engineers. Don’t hold back from submitting a portfolio because you don’t think it lives up to Da Vinci - show us what you’ve got!
Secondly, don’t forget about the rest of your application! This is a completely optional piece, so don’t forget to spend time on the required parts of the application. If you’re spending hours trying to craft the perfect answers, remember that we don’t expect you to build, write, or speak like a full-fledged engineer.
So with that, go off and tinker to your heart’s content! We hope to see some of that intellectual curiosity, collaboration, kindness, impact-mindedness, and excitement for engineering come through in your application, whether that is in the Maker Portfolio or in your writing, extracurriculars, and letters of recommendation in the coming years. In the meantime, happy making!