Client Case Study: 25-Year-Old Man from the Dominican Republic Accepted to Harvard Kennedy School and Princeton Woodrow Wilson School with Scholarships
After graduating with an Economics degree from Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, Henry got a crash course in the real world of economics and government with his work at the Dominican Republic’s Central Bank and its Ministry of Economics. Despite working in his chosen field, Henry wanted to set the public policy agenda, not just carry it out. So, he decided to apply to Master’s in Public Administration programs at top schools with his dream choice being Harvard Kennedy School’s Master in Public Administration in International Development program.
Henry had previously applied to policy school. He got waitlisted at the Harvard Kennedy School and rejected from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School. He won acceptances from other great schools, but the MPA/ID program was still his top choice. After some critical reflection on his application process, he rediscovered The Art of Applying® and started reading client stories of others like him who were from Latin America and trying to get into the same programs. When he read about their successes, Henry thought, “If they got into great schools, why not me?”
When he set up his Breakthrough Call, Henry loved how invested The Art of Applying® team was in his success. By the end of the call, Henry said, “They genuinely want to see me prosper and succeed in this application.”
After jumping into the Application Accelerator®, Henry immediately improved his essays with help from his consultant. Henry said, “At the end of the day, you want to tell a compelling story to the admissions committee. [My consultant] helped me tell my story the best that I could. I didn’t know my story was so good until I read my whole application. I was like, ‘Wow, that’s me!’”
Being an economist, Henry knew the value of getting into Harvard Kennedy School’s MPA/ID program. When it came to working with The Art of Applying®, Henry’s return on his investment was far more than he imagined. Especially, when he was accepted to his dream program with a $52,000 scholarship!
Henry’s advice to others thinking about applying to their dream schools: “If you don’t even try, your chances of getting in are zero. If you try, it’s more than zero. As long as there’s a chance, there’s hope. Go for it!”
We couldn’t agree more! Congratulations Henry, we are so excited for you to be attending your dream program.
Start Date: October 2019 | End Date: May 2020
Applicant Information
- Age: 25
- GPA: 3.6
- GRE: 318
- Work experience: 2+ years as an economist
- School: Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra
- Major: Economics
Acceptances
- Harvard Kennedy School
- Princeton Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs
Scholarships
- Harvard Kennedy School – $52,000 scholarship
- Princeton Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs – Full Tuition with Stipend
Notable Quotes
On making the commitment and investment in working with The Art of Applying®:
“How much is this opportunity worth for you? We economists have the term: opportunity costs. We ask, ‘Is it really worth it?’ Getting into the best program and getting funded more than compensated for the costs.”
On what took his application to the next level, leading to an acceptance and a scholarship to Henry’s dream school:
“If you look at my essays from last year to this year, they look completely different. But if you look, the essence is the same. They helped me improve the way I write and the way I communicate… It’s not a magic formula, they have experience. The whole team knows what is needed and they help you get there. They don’t take you there, you go there together.”
On his advice to prospective applicants to the Harvard Kennedy School who are from the Dominican Republic or Latin America:
“One of the first feelings I had was, ‘Am I good enough? Is my story good enough? Am I a good fit for the program?’ I would say investigate the program. Read about the program, read about the professors, and think about your own story. What do you bring to the program? What does the program bring to you? [The answer] is a match between what you want and what they want to get out of it.”
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