How should an Indian student applying to SMU Singapore make their application essays and profile stand out?

Quantify every claim. Instead of saying you managed a club, write that you increased the club's membership from 40 to 120 in one year. Instead of saying you worked on social media for a company, write that you grew the founder's page from zero to 3,200 followers in three months. Instead of saying you ran events, write that you organised three fundraising events raising ₹2 lakh in total. The difference between these descriptions is not embellishment, it is specificity, and specificity is what makes an application memorable.

• SMU's essays also ask about why you want to attend SMU and what you will contribute.
• The most common mistake is writing a generic response about the university's reputation or rankings.
• Research what is actually distinctive about SMU, the participatory class model, the bidding system, specific programs or clubs relevant to your interests, the SMU X opportunities, and write about those specifically.
• The connection between your background, your interest in SMU's specific model, and what you will bring to the community should be clear and direct.