An academically strong student with interests that initially travelled in several directions. In Riddhi's earlier reflections, economics and psychology both appeared as possible futures; outside class, she was equally invested in writing, music, community projects and her work as an editor of the school magazine.
Biology gradually became different. She was not content to stop at what was required in class: she asked questions beyond the syllabus, spent time examining specimens through the microscope and returned repeatedly to human biology, microorganisms and disease. By the IB Diploma, she was studying Biology at Higher Level and considering medicine and the biological sciences seriously.
The Challenge
There was already plenty on the profile. The difficulty was deciding what deserved to become deeper.
Riddhi's academic interests, hospital exposure, service work, research, writing and extracurricular commitments could easily have been presented as a catalogue of achievement. The more important task was to distinguish the experiences that showed sustained scientific interest from those that were simply part of a multidimensional student.
That meant allowing biology to earn its place through the work itself.
The Work
With Collegify, Riddhi's exploration moved towards questions around microorganisms, infectious disease and human health.
She extended her learning beyond school through work in neuroscience and infectious disease, and through the International Biogenesis Olympiad, where she received a gold in Anatomy & Physiology, silver in Pharmacology & Toxicology and bronze in Cellular & Molecular Biology.
The strongest evidence came from research: For her IB Extended Essay, Riddhi investigated the antibiotic susceptibility of environmental bacteria. Over six months, she prepared cultures, worked with more than 350 bacterial samples and examined their responses to different antibiotics. The project gave her direct experience of experimental method while bringing her closer to a subject she had become increasingly interested in: antimicrobial resistance.