My Experience With the GGI Application 2021 & What You Can Do Better
3 min readOct 19, 2021
For those of you who do not know what GGI is, it is an experiential learning program for public policy enthusiasts, current or aspiring management consultants, development and social impact consultants and product managers. Global Governance Initiative was started by two Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy alums, Shatakshi Sharma and Naman Shrivastava.
It offers three kinds of programs :
- GGI Impact Lab : Most affordable of the lot, it is an ed-tech based virtual internship lasting 3/6 months depending on the choice of the applicant.
- GGI Impact Scholars Program : It gives you access to live masterclasses from the mentors. Though ideally for working professionals, final year and graduate students are eligible to apply if they bring unique experiences to the table.
- GGI Impact Fellowship : Selection to the fellowship is highly selective. It is more expensive compared to the other two programs and is 6 months long. The fellows get access to all 8 masterclasses on GGI platform whereas the Impact Scholars get access to 5. YLP admits do not have access to live, but pre-recorded masterclasses. The fellowship admits a stellar cohort from University of Oxford, Columbia and the likes.
I applied to the Impact Scholar’s 6 month program this year, though I was not selected, I received an admit from the YLP program. I subsequently applied to the fellowship. In hindsight however, these were some of the ways in which the application could have been refined :
- Understand the program and what they’re looking for : Each of the three programs are looking for different kinds of applicants. The impact lab YLP is for applicants who’d benefit from upskilling in management concepts, case practice and problem solving. It is also a wonderful opportunity for you to network with fellow YLP interns. The impact scholar’s program is for people who already have a strong foundation and some professional experience whether full-time or through relevant internships to back this up, you’d be expected to have a sense of problem solving and to bring experiences that add value to your cohort. The fellowship requires the highest commitment of the lot and therefore, requires its applicants, be it current students or working professionals to display a commitment and passion for public policy and social impact.
- Don’t rush your application : Unfortunately the day I discovered GGI was the day all applications deadlines were. Preparing a rushed application needs you to think on your feet, and while it is an enlightening exercise, it leaves little room to better the application and improve odds of selection.
- Talk to alumni if you can : Putting in a rushed application means that you won’t be able to understand fine points of your respective programs better. Except the YLP program, both the impact scholar’s and fellowship admits get to consult on live social impact projects as well as an impressive network of mentors from the likes of Dartmouth, ISB and Tufts. Knowing details as to the kind of projects GGI allows admits to work on, what different mentors teach, their teaching style etc. can be conveyed as potential reasons for your motivation to join the program while also reflecting your maturity and commitment to find out more about the program and thinking through your application. Leave enough time for yourself to find out more about the program if possible.
- Don’t necessarily stick to the essay word limit : Most application essays have a 200 words limit. While I stuck to the word limit due to time constraints, I realized that not sticking to the word limit could have conveyed certain aspects of the application better and might not have adversely impacted chances of selection. Do take care to not go beyond 300 words though.
- Highlight your volunteer experience : My fellowship application was just as rushed as the impact scholar’s application. Volunteering experience can be a positive aspect to portray your interest and commitment to social impact, something I forgot to even mention in the application essays due to it being rushed. This is just a friendly reminder to use such experiences to your advantage in case you forget to.
Know more about the Global Governance Initiative :
