Keya S. — London School of Economics, UK: case study

Keya, a brilliant student, started with UnivAdmitHelp while pursuing Economics and Political Science at Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi. 

Her interest in economics came from experiences growing up in India. She had witnessed how financial dependence limited women's choices and how caste and income shaped people's opportunities. Her research reflected these concerns. 

Keya knew she wanted to work on economic development, with a focus on women's financial independence. However, her experiences covered different subjects, from environmental economics and public health to women's rights and finance.

The challenge was to identify the experiences that explained her motivation without turning her application into a list of social problems.

She had personal stories that mattered to her. We needed to connect these experiences to her academic work and show why she wanted to study economic policy. Her application also needed to demonstrate that she had the quantitative skills to study economics at the postgraduate level.

We began with Keya's brag sheet and discussions about the experiences that had shaped her interest in economics. Her UAH mentor encouraged her to move beyond general statements about inequality and identify what she had witnessed, questioned and learned.

One theme emerged: economic development must also give women the freedom to make their own choices.

Worked on connecting this belief to her research paper. Keya had examined how restrictions on clothing could affect mobility, employment and participation in society. Her experience teaching children added another perspective. She had seen the gap between education policy and access to education.

Keya and her mentor developed her statement of purpose through multiple drafts. We worked on reducing repetition, choosing examples and connecting her experiences to her goal of studying economic policy. 

We also worked on her recommendation letters with input from her professors. One recommendation drew on her performance in mathematical and statistical economics, her survey research and her analysis of budget allocations for village industries. Another connected her study of economics and political science with her research on development.

Our support covered programme selection, application planning and interview preparation, followed by guidance on evaluating admission offers and choosing a university.

Keya secured admission to the London School of Economics and Political Science, Class of 2025, for postgraduate study in economic policy and international development.

Her application presented a link between her childhood experiences, undergraduate research and career goals. Rather than relying on her brilliant grades alone,

Her admission gave her the opportunity to pursue her goal of understanding how economic policies can improve women's access to education, employment and financial independence.