Portfolios

So, you’re ready to graduate. Congratulations! You are on the cusp of becoming the newest generation of ISC professionals, and we couldn’t be prouder!

But first...your ISC Portfolio.

Yes, your ISC Portfolio is required.

As an ISC major you are required to submit an ISC Portfolio prior to graduating. Your ISC Portfolio will be graded on a pass/fail basis, and you must pass to earn your ISC degree. If you do not submit and pass your ISC Portfolio, you will not be issued a degree.

Most students pass their ISC Portfolio on the first submission. However, if your ISC Portfolio has issues, you will be given a chance to revise and resubmit it.

To avoid the extra work and stress of having to resubmit, we recommended that you seek input from your ISC advisor early in your final semester. Your advisor can answer any questions you have and make suggestions on what kind of pieces you should include. So, go ahead, make your faculty advisor’s day by scheduling a meeting with them.

(Pssst…if you don’t know who your faculty advisor is, you can look them up on myUK.)

But why do I even need an ISC Portfolio?

Because we have your best interests in mind!

Your ISC Portfolio serves several purposes:

Your ISC Portfolio partially fulfills UK’s Graduate Composition and Communication Requirement (GCCR). That means that your ISC Portfolio keeps you from having to take an additional required course.
Potential employers often ask for work samples. By compiling your ISC Portfolio now, you will know where to find your best work when your dream job asks.
Your ISC Portfolio lets you show us the great work you did during your time in the ISC Department. It also helps us maintain quality in our courses and stay on top of industry trends.

OK. So, what do I put in my ISC Portfolio?

Glad you asked! Your ISC Portfolio should include the content below in the order listed.

Please make sure your ISC Portfolio looks professional. It should be easy to understand and navigate.

Cover: Include your name, minor and semester of anticipated graduation.
Table of Contents: Include a bulleted list and page number for each portfolio component (resume, work samples and ISC reflection). Under the work samples bullet, number your work samples 1-5 and label each with the type of work sample you are including and page number it starts on. Number 1 should be your Domestic Target Audience, and number 2 should be your International Target Audience. Numbers 3-5 are work samples of your choice so name them appropriately.
One-Page Resume: Make sure it is up-to-date and easy to read.
Five Work Samples from your ISC Coursework: Show us your best work! We encourage you to update, tweak and polish your work before including it in your ISC Portfolio. You may not include work from your ISC pre-major courses (ISC 100, ISC 161 and ISC 261) or your internship course (ISC 399). Above each work sample you must include a short paragraph explaining the project. For group projects, please also include an explanation of your specific role (no more than 2 of your work samples can be group work).
1. Domestic Target Audience: One work sample must demonstrate your in-depth understanding of a target audience in the U.S. This may come in the form of an audience analysis, creative brief, consumer profile or other audience-related research assignment.
2. International Target Audience: One work sample must demonstrate your in-depth understanding of an international target audience. This work sample must come from your ISC international component (ISC 381, ISC 382 or ISC 583*). Your work sample may come in the form of an audience analysis, creative brief, consumer profile or other audience-related research assignment. *NOTE: If you are on the old ISC curriculum and did not take ISC 381, ISC 382 or ISC 583 (Study Abroad), please omit this work sample.
3. Three more examples of your best ISC coursework: The remaining three work samples are your choice. Pick work from upper-level ISC courses (excluding ISC 399) that you are most proud of. Please submit three different types of work. Please do not submit three very similar work samples. Show us a variety of great work. Written, verbal and visual communication are all encouraged. For example, you may not submit three media plans, three news releases or three magazine ads. You might consider one media plan, one news release and one magazine ad.
ISC reflection: Take a few minutes to reflect on your time as an ISC student. Then write a 2- page, single-spaced reflection. Details below!

ISC Reflection

Our ISC students are smart, motivated, innovative and all-around amazing. We want to hear a little about your experience as an ISC major. So, please take a minute to reflect on the time you spent with us and write a reflection paper addressing the following points (yes, all of them).

Please use full sentences and appropriate paragraphs. Do not submit a bulleted list. Use correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.

First, tell us a little bit about yourself (think of this as a brief “about me” section):

Your name (introduce yourself)
Your plans for after graduation (type of job you want, companies you’d like to work for, etc.)
Your ISC skills/experience that will help you land a job

Then, tell us about your time as an ISC major:

What was the most important thing you learned?
What did you do well?
What could you have done better?
How did you improve?
What do you still want to improve in the future?

Next, get a bit deep:

Looking back, what do you think about your time as an ISC major?
What is one thing that came out of your time as an ISC major that you didn’t expect?
What do you want to tell future ISC students?

Now, think about the ISC Department:

What did we do that helped you?
What could we do to better help future ISC students?

Finally, end with:

Anything else you want us to know?

I did it all! How do I submit it?

We’ve got you. You will submit your ISC Portfolio online as a single PDF file three weeks before final exams during the semester in which you formally apply for graduation (or one week prior to final exams for August graduates).

Watch the ISC listserv for announcements related to your ISC Portfolio, including submission deadlines. Once the window opens, scroll to the bottom of this page to submit your ISC Portfolio. Don’t wait! We love to see those ISC Portfolios roll in early!

That’s it?

That’s it. Remember, your ISC Portfolio is meant to help you. Help you reflect on your time as an ISC major. Help you gather your best work. Help you prepare for the next step.

We also hope your ISC Portfolio will help you reflect on how far you’ve come and where you want to go next.

So, gather up your amazing work. Follow all the directions. And, stay in touch after you graduate. We can’t wait to hear from this amazing next generation of ISC professionals.

Portfolio Completion Deadlines

If you plan to graduate in Fall 2024, the completion deadlines are:

Oct. 18, 2024 - Discuss any questions you have with your faculty advisor (earlier is better).
Nov. 1, 2024 - Portfolio due.

Submit your portfolio