MBA Profile-Building Idea Bank

By Ruchi Aggarwal

MBA admissions can be very competitive, especially for top B-Schools across the world. To stand out,
it’s critical to build a strong profile which impresses institutes.

There are many high-value profile points that impress B-schools, and that can transform you from an
average applicant to a top preferred candidate. I have compiled a list of 100+ profile-building ideas
for you to help build your profile the right way.

So, let’s dive in!

Academics & Scholarly Pursuits

Your academic profile is not just your GPA. Exceptional & interesting academic pursuits can help
boost your academic scores and demonstrate discipline. It can also compensate for any past scores!

1. Scholarships: Score top scholarships for your academic performance, leadership or overall
performance (E.g., OPJEMS, INSPIRE, KVPY)
2. LORs: Letters of recommendation from professors, mentors and deans
3. Academic projects: Opt for an academic project instead of course work, and work on
research & publication focused work
4. Teaching Assistant: Become a teaching assistant in your college department, or host remedial
lessons
5. Mensa: Join the Mensa International society to demonstrate a high IQ
6. Olympiads: Participate in Olympiads (Science, Commerce, Linguistics, Math) & exams like
NTSE
7. Professional Certifications: Complete Level 1/2/3 of professional certifications (e.g. CFA,
FRM, CA, CS, ICMAI)
8. Summer School: Enrol in short-term programs at MBA schools (Summer school, winter
school at IIMs, IITs, Leading Universities)
9. Research papers: Complete a research project in any area of study, including academic
projects completed for coursework
10. Academic Awards: Apply for any awards on campus for academics or overall performance
(available basis college rules and guidelines)
11. Fellowships programs: Apply for fellowship programs organised by govt programs,
universities or private organisations
12. Additional educational qualification: Pursue a part-time master’s online in an affiliated field

Extracurricular Activities

A well-rounded profile requires the right mix of extracurricular activities. Cultural activities can take
your application from good to great!

13. Music: Learn an instrument or train your voice. Get a Trinity certification for the same, or
participate in competitions.

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 14. Sports: Develop skills or hone your talent in a sport of your choice (E.g., Athletics, Volleyball,
Football, Chess). Explore niche sports for better chances of early success (E.g., Golf,
15. Online hackathons: Participate in hackathons organised by prestigious institutes or govt
bodies
16. Leadership Awards & Programs: Sign up for leadership programs (Harvard Leadership
Program, INSEAD Leadership Program, McKinsey NGWL program, Accenture Student
Leadership Programs)
17. Public Speaking: Participate in debates, elocutions and JAMs.
18. Art: Participate in art competitions for sketching, painting, pottery, origami, sculpture, flower
arrangement, graphic design
19. Dance: Join a dance troupe or participate in dance competitions as a soloist or
choreographer for classical and contemporary dance forms
20. Robotics: Participate in robotics and design competitions with your team or as an individual
21. Quizzing: Take part in quizzes competitions across various themes (politics, art, pop culture,
general)
22. Gaming: Build you gaming skills and participate in online gaming competitions
23. Film Making: Make a short film for a film festival or competition
24. Dramatics: Participate in a drama performance or participate in a competition as an actor,
writer, director or stage coordinator
25. MUNs: Participate in Model United Nations debates nationally and internationally
26. Guest speaker at events: Deliver guest lectures or speak on any topic at your school/college
as an alum, or in an event
27. Host/MC: Host a public event (Annual day, Fest, Community event) as an MC, especially for
events with high footfall

Writing & Publications

Writing can be a great profile booster, and there are several low-effort high-reward ideas in this
section.

28. Articles submission: Get featured in local or national publications by submitting articles on
current affairs or open prompts
29. Research Journal: Publish a paper in a journal in any area of research, including academic
projects completed for coursework
30. Photography publication: Submit your photography in local or national publications in open
calls or competitions
31. Blog: Maintain a blog via your own hosted website or partner platforms (Medium, SubStack,
WordPress, LinkedIn) and publish on a theme or genre
32. Reading: Develop a reading habit of a particular genre and become an expert in that area
(E.g., Mythology, Dystopia, Fantasy)
33. Editor: Apply for Editor positions for local publications or college publications
34. Publish your book: Write a book on any topic & self-publish on Amazon KDP. Add ‘Published
Author’ to your profile. Areas include short stories, Novella, Poetry, Tutorial or Guide,
Recipes
35. Story writing competitions: Submit your writing to short story writing competitions organised
internationally and locally (StoryMirror, Reedsy, Commonwealth Short story)

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 36. Journalism: Create a journalism venture via your college/work or join an existing publication
as a student/part-time journalist. Interview top personalities from your alum base or
network

Unique Pursuits

Apart from the usual suspects, there are secret extracurriculars that make your profile memorable.
Pursue these activities to blow your interviewer’s mind!

37. Language: Learn a new language & gain elementary proficiency/fluency (E.g., Spanish,
French, Korean, Portuguese, Indian Languages)
38. Scuba: Secure a PADI Open water certification in Scuba from any institute in India or the
world
39. Mountaineering: Attend Mountaineering school and conquer a summit/base camp
40. Private Pilot’s license: Study for the Pilot’s Licence Test and complete 40 hours of flying to get
a Private Pilot license
41. Marathon: Train for and run in marathons
42. Paragliding: Complete the training for an independent paragliding licence
43. Training programs: Join NSS, NCC, Duke of Edinburgh's Award or other programs for social
service or physical training
44. Podcast host: Host a podcast and interview peers, personalities or professors
45. Band performer: Join a band or performing troupe and perform at events with your musical
instrument
46. Other Unique Pursuits: Learn rifle shooting, skiing, fencing, horse-riding or stand-up comedy.
Learn speed Rubik’s Cube, or learn 4x4, & 5x5 cube solving. Design your own board game!

International Experience

Global experiences highlight your adaptability and cultural knowledge. For international MBA
applications, these activities are a must!

47. Foreign internship: Intern in another country through a corporate opportunity or

international startup
48. Exchange term: Secure an exchange seat in a program at a university in a different part of the
world
49. Global Program: Intern or volunteer at leading international bodies like WHO, UN, and World
Bank
50. Summer school at international universities: Apply for an international program (summer
school) for international universities
51. Academic or Research project: Secure international exposure through an academic project in
another country

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 Internship Ideas

Internships are a great way to pick up experience along with your degree. The right kind of internship
adds weight to your application.

52. Research Assistant: Apply for a Research Assistant/Research fellowship at B-Schools or top
universities (IIMs, IITs, Private Universities)
53. Labs & research institutes: Apply for internships in labs & research institutes across the world
in your area of study, or tech research like AI, ML
54. Startup Internships: Intern with a startup (early stage or growth stage) and gain many cross-
functional learnings
55. Internships at Minister’s Office: Intern at the office of an MP, MLA, Bureaucrat or Govt official
and gain administrative experience (E.g., LAMP fellowship, Rajya Sabha Research Fellowship,
RBI, Niti Aayog)

Volunteering

Social Impact is fast gaining traction as a B-school profile favourite. These activities are enormously
fulfilling and are very flexible to schedule.

56. NGO internship: Intern at an NGO, Non-profit startup or Charitable organisation

57. Rotary, Rotaract or Interact Club: Volunteer at the local or college chapter of the Rotary club
and organise community activities
58. Tutor: Tutor underprivileged students in school subjects or college-level exams
59. Live project with an NGO: Complete a consulting/strategy pro-bono project with an NGO
60. Fundraising: Raise money for a charitable organisation through a social event or charity drive
61. Blood donation camp: Organise a blood donation drive through college or community
partners
62. Social Impact drives: Volunteer at social impact projects like awareness campaigns, beach
clean-up drives or sanitation drives

Leadership Experience

Positions of responsibility add credibility to your profile. These activities can be easily managed
alongside high-priority items like academics and work, but starting them early is essential.

63. Elected positions: Contest college elections for elected positions, including General Secretary,
Cultural Secretary, Academic Secretary, Mess & Hostel Secretary
64. Placement committee: Join the placement committee of your college
65. Event/Fest Leadership: Become a member of the organising team of fest/event at college,
especially president, vertical head or senior committee member roles
66. Club Leadership: Secure leadership positions (Secretary, Joint Secretary, Treasurer) of college
clubs & societies
67. Dorm/Hostel/Class Representative: Represent your peers as dorm, hostel or class
representative and liaison with college authorities
68. Campus Ambassador: Become a campus ambassador for intercollegiate events,
69. Student-Run Global Programs: Join local chapters of internationally recognised programs like
Enactus, AIESEC, HPAIR

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 70. Founder of a new club: Start a new club in your college in a new area. Explore clubs at other
colleges to get ideas for the new clubs.
71. Toastmasters: Join a leadership position in a local chapter of Toastmasters
72. Student Body Leadership: Join the student council as a President, department head, or
member. Secure positions of Prefect, Head Boy/Girl, House Captain
73. Conference delegate: Represent your college in a conference nationally or internationally
74. Sports Captain: Captain a sports team in your institute
75. Alumni Chapter: Start a new alum chapter for your school
76. Mentorship initiatives: Lead or join a mentorship initiative for students or community
members
77. Annual Magazine/Publication committee: Organise the publication of the college magazine
as a student committee member

Work & Professional

Add achievements to your work experience using these professional profile boosters.

78. Early promotions: Secure promotions in shorter durations than average

79. Appraisals & Rating: Secure high ratings at work or better appraisals than peer set
80. Office events: Organise office events or team events for project teams
81. Recruitment: Join the recruitment teams in resume shortlisting, interviews or case rounds
82. Mentorship: Lead office mentorship programs for incoming recruits
83. Workshops: Lead a workshop in the office for a topic of your expertise
84. Employment awards: Secure an office award for your performance
85. CSR activities: Lead any CSR or community activities for the office
86. Sector leader: Become a sector leader or develop expert/SME status on a particular topic
87. Secondment/Externship: Explore options for an externship from work, where you can
explore work at a partner company for a short duration of your employment
88. PPOs or PPIs: Secure a PPO or PPI from companies’ basis your performance in internships or
through competitions
89. International projects: Take opportunities for international projects and travel to other parts
of the world for a project onsite
90. High-profile projects: Grab opportunities for any high-profile projects, especially with a well-
known client, high budget or high media visibility

Tools & Certifications

The right certifications and professional courses are great profile-building assets. Choose the right
courses for your profile and professional profile

91. Work certifications: Complete training in work certifications like Green Belt, PMP, Cloud,
Digital Marketing, Google Analytics
92. Subject Certifications: Sign up for online learning courses in technical skills or soft skills (like
leadership, communication, client management)
93. Technical languages: Learn Python, R, Java, MATLAB, PHP or others

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 Entrepreneurship

Startup experience is also a great avenue of growth, and reflects well on your MBA dreams. The
business experience is a great launchpad for business school.

94. Freelance: Create a freelancer profile on websites and take up projects in your area of
interest
95. Startup Founder: Launch a startup idea part-time or full-time and become a founder
96. Social Media: Create a large social media followership for your own account, or manage
social media for a famous personality
97. Small Business: Launch a small business in areas like garments, food, and event management
and get on-ground experience
98. Mobile App: Create a small mobile app for a passion project (gaming, trivia, financial
planning)
99. Webinars or Workshops: Host webinars on your area of expertise for a select audience or
open for all
100. Consulting Live projects: Sign up for consulting live projects to help businesses and learn
problem-solving (via platforms like Impact Consulting, Unstop, Internshala)
101. Stock portfolio: Create your stock portfolio (or virtual portfolio to remain risk-free) and
achieve good results

How to use this Idea Bank

Remember, these ideas are spread across many themes and areas. The best path for you might be
different from that for another person. Choose the points aligned to your areas of interest, and
create balance in your profile across academics, extracurriculars and professional expertise.

These profile-building tips have been sources across my experience as a mentor, IIMA alum and
McKinsey consultant. My mentees have cracked 50+ Indian & International B-schools (IIM ABCL,
FMS, ISB, INSEAD, LBS, Cornell, SMU, CMU, Ross). As a management consultant at McKinsey, I ran 5+
campus recruitment processes and evaluated hundreds of resumes of incoming MBA students.

Across my experiences, there was one clear pattern – Without a balanced and well-rounded profile,
even the most brilliant experiences look unfinished. Profile building is the key to the MBA world!

Once you have built your profile, you can incorporate your profile highlights into B-School
applications, interview answers and even your resume. You’re set for success!

Copyright © 2023 by Ruchi Aggarwal

Mentoresult.com
 About Me

I’m Ruchi Aggarwal, Founder of Mentoresult.

I have an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and was a management consultant at McKinsey & Co. I scored a
99.99%ile in CAT, a 770 in GMAT and an All-India Rank in CA.

As the founder of Mentoresult, I have mentored 1000+ candidates, in resume building, interview
preparation, MBA admissions and career decision-making. I also run a Consulting Prep Course for
management consulting aspirants.

I’ve helped candidates secure admissions at top B-schools in India & the world (IIMA, IIMB, IIMC,
IIML, FMS, ISB, INSEAD, LBS, Cornell, SMU, CMU, Ross). My support starts from GMAT prep, MBA
planning, applications, essays, interview prep and everything in between!

Apart from MBA, I have helped candidates in their careers. My mentees have cracked jobs across
consulting, finance, tech, PM, marketing & startups across companies like McKinsey, BCG, Bain,
Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, PwC, EY, Amazon, Google, & Microsoft.

I’m passionate about creating opportunities for everyone, and ensuring everyone has a shot at their
dreams!

If you’re looking to find new career opportunities or prepare for your MBA, you can find me at
mentoresult.com & on my LinkedIn. My email is ruchi@mentoresult.com.

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