In the few days that this website has been up, I have received a lot of messages through here and my LinkedIn from several people who are applying for the Word Bank Group YPP and others who want to hear about graduate school scholarships want to hear about how I was successful in getting into such programs. It is good to hear experiences, learn from others and get as much information as you can. Others though just outright want my application materials which, frankly I doubt would help.
You see the key to any successful application is to display your uniqueness, your experience, your passion, your value. It is not by copying and pasting what someone else wrote. You demonstrate that you possess the qualities being sought for, by showing from your experiences, initiatives, research and education, that you in fact possess them. Trust me, yours are very different from mine or anyone else’s.
When I read my essay or personal statements even today, I am impressed with it myself. It truly does capture my journey from age 14 when I decided that Economics is what I wanted to do, to age 29 when I successfully defended my doctorate. I felt that way even before I sent it, so not it not because I made it that I am saying that. So you need to think about you, and how what you know and have done have led you to the decision to apply and then write that down. read it out loud and then leave it aside for a day or two. Let someone close to you read it and hear what they have to say. Prepare, prepare, prepare and a lot of it will come from within you, not outside of you. All these platforms that give you tips and messages, is to bring out that which is within you already, onto a piece of paper in a way that someone can see it. Same with a CV (I will make another post on that).
So, I highly encourage you to visit the official World Bank Group page and listen to the stories of some of my colleagues on there and of course the Official FAQ page. A lot have reached out and am happy to share some tips. However, between working full-time, being a wife 🙂 doing research and my own personal development, setting up one-on-one calls would be impractical to say the least. All the best!
