I am a first year student currently pursuing in Mechanical engineering major. In past months I went through various profiles of students who wish to apply for HARVARD 2+2 , ISB YLP , IESE YTP AND YALE SILVER SCHOLAR. What I want to know how should I come up with plans for building thse extra-ordinary profiles?
1. Very strong internships - get an internship that is professional in the industry of your choice for year after year.
2. Leadership - This you can do in any number of clubs or activities. The more important the club or activity, then the more valuable it will be. The strongest thing I think you can have on your resume is being President of the entire Student Body. So Student Government is good. Otherwise anything else you like. And as much as possible.
3. Amazing grades - You know this already, but it helps. Plus all the awards, scholarships, special prizes, etc. that go with it.
4. Volunteer work (leadership) - You definitely want to have some good solid volunteer work behind you. It's good if you can work with a well recognized international organization like the Red Cross, or Teach for India or something like like this. Best, is if eventually by your fourth year, you are running fundraisers and bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars.
5. Start-up - If you have it in you, a successful startup when you graduate can be VERY strong.
I think these are good starting points for you and should keep you busy for a while.
