Getting into Aalto University's BA in Design and Media is highly competitive. In this second part of our interview, Dhairya Bharvirkar explains how he approached the assignments, built his portfolio, and what he learned from the
SDS BA in Design preparation course.Early in the application process, Dhairya began to notice that different schools were looking for different signals within the same work.
"The Aalto process felt more focused on design thinking, observation, and how I approached the assignments themselves. The Dutch schools also cared about my thinking, but they seemed to place more emphasis on the overall portfolio and the range of work I could show."
This difference became especially visible in the application assignments, where interpretation and decision making played a central role. When every applicant receives the same brief, success depends not only on technical execution but also on presenting an original and well considered response.
"My experience with Aalto’s preliminary assignments was that they were interesting but also demanding, because they required me to think carefully rather than just produce something visually strong. The most challenging part was deciding how to interpret the task in a way that felt original but still clear."
Over time, his approach shifted from trying to reach a quick solution to treating assignments as a process of exploration.
"I first tried to understand what the question was really asking, then explored multiple directions before choosing one. The
SDS course pushed me to think more openly, test ideas earlier, and document my reasoning. Instead of rushing to a polished answer, I started treating the assignment as a process of discovery."
This mindset also changed how he approached the interview stage.
"I think the interview was looking for genuine interest, self-awareness, and the ability to talk about my work in a thoughtful way. It was less about perfect answers and more about how I think and what motivates me."
Dhairya's Intake stage application work: Timeline from your typical journey from ponit A to point B. This is how he presented his process working on the task.
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Final timeline. In the series the child grows older while the surroundings gain more color, ashe becomes who he is today.
The same emphasis on process and reflection influenced how Dhairya built his portfolio for Dutch design schools.
"I tried to show a balanced picture of my abilities, interests, and design development. I wanted the portfolio to feel personal, but also organized and easy to follow. A significant part of this was influenced by the SDS course assignments, especially in learning how to present process and select work that showed development rather than only final outcomes."
Some of the most meaningful projects in his portfolio were those that demonstrated experimentation and growth rather than simply polished visuals.
"The pieces I included were the ones that showed strong thinking, experimentation, and development, like the sound visualizer. They demonstrated how I approach design problems, not just what I can produce at the end."
By the end of the process, his portfolio had become more than a collection of finished projects. It communicated his way of thinking and his approach to solving design challenges.
Dhairya's SDS course work: Ideas of how to incorporate bacterial concepts into a design project. Concept development and prototyping/visualising different perspectives around the task helps to evaluate and develop both individual ideas and one's ability to ideate.
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Earlier exercises during the preparation course helped Dhairya become comfortable with ambiguity before facing the real admissions tasks.
"The course exercises helped me get used to open-ended tasks and uncertainty, which was very useful for the actual applications. They trained me to break down a brief, explore multiple directions, and stay organized even when the task was not fully defined."
As he continued working, he gradually recognised patterns in what strengthened his applications.
"I started seeing patterns in what improved my work. Over time, I stopped feeling like I was guessing and started understanding what made my work stronger in the context of applications."
Feedback and tutoring were particularly valuable because they encouraged him to communicate his reasoning more explicitly.
"The most impactful feedback was the kind that pushed me to make my thinking more visible and deliberate. Tutoring helped refine individual pieces, while group sessions showed me different ways of approaching the same problem."
Seeing how other students approached similar challenges also broadened his own perspective and reinforced the importance of iteration.
A page from Dhairya's portfolio. The idea from bacteria-assignment grew into an animation and shows how in a creative process an idea from one project can alter into something new when detached from its original context.
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Reflecting on the experience, Dhairya noticed that different schools valued different aspects of his work.
"Aalto seemed to value reflection, conceptual clarity, and how I arrived at decisions. Dutch schools were more interested in range and independent exploration across projects."
This insight helped him stop trying to predict what admissions committees wanted and instead focus on communicating his thinking clearly and honestly. Looking back, he believes the biggest lesson was not learning how to produce stronger final outcomes, but learning how to make decisions visible throughout the creative process.
"Across the application process, what gradually became more important than producing finished answers was learning how to make decisions visible and structured under uncertainty."
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Dhairya's application process was successful. He was accepted to most of his target programs. In the Autumn he will start a new chapter ini his life moving to study in Finland. Congratulations Dhairya!
