{
  "id": 11606487,
  "title": "How UAE students can make their university application stand out",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/how-uae-students-can-make-their-university-application-stand-out",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-03T05:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/how-uae-students-can-make-their-university-application-stand-out-1.500696719"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dubai: While maintaining good grades is crucial for university applications, academic results alone may not provide a complete picture of a student. According to Dr. Mauli Mahajan, founder of MyCompassToday and 3E Worldwide, students must demonstrate their unique qualities, experiences, and growth beyond the classroom to stand out during the admissions process. At the first day of Gulf News Edufair held at Shangri-La Hotel Dubai, Mahajan urged students to start building their profile early in their academic journey. She explained that university admissions are becoming more competitive, necessitating a shift from focusing solely on marks to considering a broader range of factors, such as skills, interests, and future readiness. Mahajan described a student profile as the intentional compilation of experiences, achievements, skills, and contributions. The foundation for building a profile is understanding what makes an individual different and how they stand out from their peers. The emphasis should be on developing experiences that showcase genuine interests, skills, and growth rather than merely accumulating certificates or participating in numerous activities. Mahajan pointed out that around 90% of highly competitive universities consider extracurricular activities vital in their admission decisions. To make their applications more compelling, students should highlight their skills and the impact of their experiences. With the university admissions landscape becoming increasingly competitive, students must think beyond academic results. The growing use of holistic admissions allows universities to consider a wider range of factors, including extracurricular achievements and personal growth. By building a strong profile, students can also enhance their chances of securing scholarships and financial aid, as these aspects may form part of the overall application. Additionally, early career exploration can help students gain clarity about their future paths without the need to have a definite career choice by the time they enter university. Mahajan outlined eight areas through which students can develop their profile: exploring interests, creating projects or ideas, gaining experiences through internships or research programs, leading initiatives, serving the community, competing in contests or challenges, developing specific skills, and reflecting on their experiences to understand the lessons learned and personal growth. Rather than simply collecting activities, students should focus on building depth around their genuine interests, creating a cohesive collection of experiences that align with their abilities and development. These experiences can then support various components of a university application, including activities and experiences, personal statements or essays, scholarship applications, recommendation letters, interviews, portfolios, and internships. Rather than aiming for a long list of achievements, students should strive to have meaningful experiences that they can articulate and reflect upon. Parents can play a supportive role in helping their children develop their profiles without placing undue pressure. Mahajan emphasized that parents should act as career coaches, discussing interests and goals openly with their children and encouraging their participation in extracurricular activities. Parents can also assist in identifying relevant internships or research opportunities, supporting consistent engagement with long-term projects, and providing practical help, such as transportation and logistics, when necessary. Additionally, parents can introduce their children to professionals within their networks and guide them to reflect on their experiences. Staying informed through school updates can help parents understand their child's progress, while providing support with time management can assist students in balancing academics with other commitments. Furthermore, parents should avoid placing excessive pressure on their children and celebrate their efforts. The key message from Dr. Mahajan's session is that students should start building their profile early in their academic careers. Rushing to think about profile development in Grade 12 can leave little time to develop meaningful experiences and demonstrate consistent growth. Students should utilize their school years to explore interests, develop skills, undertake experiences, and gain a deeper understanding of what motivates them. Mahajan concluded by stating that the strongest profile is not the one with the most certificates, but rather the one that genuinely reflects an individual's unique story.",
  "summary": "Dubai: Good grades remain important for students applying to university, but academic results alone may not tell the full story. Students need to show universities who they are, what makes them different, and how they have developed beyond the classroom, according to Dr. Mauli Mahajan, founder of MyCompassToday and 3E Worldwide. Speaking during a spotlight session on the first day of Gulf News…",
  "key_points": [
    "Students must demonstrate unique qualities, experiences, and growth beyond grades.",
    "University admissions focus on a broader range of factors, including skills and interests.",
    "Parents should support students as career coaches without excessive pressure."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Emphasizing extracurricular activities and personal growth, UAE students must build a unique profile early on to stand out in increasingly competitive university admissions, securing a broader range of opportunities.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}