When Dhairya started preparing applications for international design schools, he wasn't struggling with motivation. He already knew that design was the direction he wanted to pursue. What felt uncertain was whether he was ready, and how to present himself in a way that admissions teams would understand.
"My biggest uncertainty was whether my profile was strong enough for competitive international design schools. I knew I had interest and potential, but I was not fully sure how to translate that into a portfolio and application that would actually make sense to admissions teams.
I also felt unsure about how much my existing work reflected my real design thinking, especially when compared to what schools like Aalto or Dutch universities might expect."
Like many applicants, Dhairya found the portfolio process particularly difficult to navigate. The challenge wasn't producing work. It was understanding what schools were actually looking for.
"What felt most unclear was how to build a portfolio that was not just visually attractive, but also communicated process, intention, and growth. I knew I had to show more than finished outcomes, but I did not know how to structure that clearly.
The application process itself also felt a little opaque at first, because different schools seemed to value different things, and I was not always sure what mattered most."
"I decided to join at that moment because I felt I needed proper structure and feedback before the application deadlines got too close. I did not want to keep guessing on my own.
Since I was already seriously preparing for schools like Aalto and Dutch design programs, it felt like the right time to get guided support and make my work more strategic."
Looking back, the most important change wasn't a particular project or portfolio piece. It was a shift in perspective:
"The biggest change was that I started seeing my work as a design process, not just as a final product. Earlier, I used to judge my work mainly by how polished it looked. During the course, I began paying more attention to the thinking behind it, including how ideas developed, how I responded to problems, and what my choices said about me as a designer."
Dhairya's SDS course work: We asked students to explore the opposite ideas: Anger and Forgiveness and use any materials available for them to create a sculpture of the concept.
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Dhairya's SDS course work: Sketches for a task where we focused on the user groups, ideation and visual communication. Final work is below:
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As Dhairya's understanding of design and the application process grew, so did his confidence.
"I feel much more confident now than before the course. Earlier, I was unsure about whether I was ready for these schools or whether my work was at the right level. Now I have a clearer understanding of where I stand, what my strengths are, and how to present myself in a way that feels more professional and more aligned with what design schools want."
That confidence was eventually reinforced by several acceptance offers from the programmes he applied to:
"Getting accepted meant a lot to me personally because it felt like proof that the effort I had put into developing myself was being recognised. It gave me reassurance that my goals were realistic and that I could compete internationally. This process has also made me think more seriously about my future, because it has shown me that my path in design can actually take me somewhere meaningful."
Assignment - Festival poster - from Aalto entrance exam preliminary assignment. See the whole process from the second part of this interview!
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Reading through Dhairya's reflections, one theme appears again and again:
learning to focus not only on what he made, but on how he thinks. The shift from presenting finished outcomes to communicating process changed the way he approached his portfolio, the way he saw his own abilities, and ultimately the way he imagined his future as a designer.
Stay tuned for the second part of the interview where we discuss the actual application tasks and his application portfolio!portfolio
