How we helped a University of Sydney student to be admitted to Yale University IDE (International and Development Economics) program.
Applicant L’ Background
Geographic Location: Sydney, Australia
GMAT (or GRE Equivalent): 720
Undergraduate Major: Commerce
Intended Programs: Economics and Finance
Admissions: Yale University IDE (International and Development Economics), London School of Economics and Political Science (Finance and Economics)
Case Detail
When we had the initial graduate school application consultation with Applicant L, he already had fairly impressive experiences with extracurricular involvement in and out of school as well as internships in the finance industry in both Australia and China. Because he couldn’t achieve a First Class Honours in the three-year commerce degree and his target schools were all very competitive, our suggestion was for him to study the Honours degree and aim for the best programs in a year. Meanwhile, we recommended studying economics instead of finance in his final year to diversify his background and skillsets.
The Honours degree was one of Applicant L’s best experiences, despite all the stress. He devoted himself to researching agricultural economics, which enriched his research competence and allowed him to identify his passion for development economics, making the International and Development Economics at Yale University his top choice. Based on this decision, we recommended he take on a tutor role in an entry-level development economics unit at the University of Sydney instead of pursuing an internship. This balanced his workload so he could spend more time on research and GRE preparation and highlighted his academic advantage.
When the application work formally started, one of our previous applicants and LBS alumnus, Allen, joined the team to help Applicant L, particularly with his industry insight. When reworking his resume, Allen carefully went through every single detail of Applicant L’s experiences and condensed all valuable information into a one-page resume, laying the foundation for the application. When it came to application essays, we conducted a thorough research of the career prospects of graduates with development economics background, and then set up a great career path for Applicant L.
Although his GRE preparation did not go as well as intended, we prepared a proper timeline for finalizing and submitting all of his applications. Eventually, he became one of the 25ish incoming students for this fantastic Yale graduate program. Meanwhile, he was also admitted to LSE’s best graduate program, MSc Finance and Economics, proving the competitiveness of his application material.
Summary
Without the Honours degree, it would have been impossible for Applicant L to get admitted to one of the best graduate programs in Yale University. This case is another solid proof of the value of Honours degree in Australia. Meanwhile, how to balance your workload between Honours’ study and application is also very important, which required solid admission consulting experience.
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