Our Client Trisha Secures 2 Admits To Amazing Dance Movement Therapy Programs | Client Case Study #2
While management, law and psychology students are our bread and butter, it is not often that we get a dance student to work with - here’s sharing Trisha’s* successful application story. With our guidance and help, she has secured not one, but two admits to competitive Dance Movement Therapy programs abroad!
Hi there, it’s Anushka Desai, co-founder and student mentor at Application Ally. I’m excited to share this unique study, here’s breaking it down for you below.
Here’s listing down her grievances:
- When Trisha* reached out to us for guidance, she was unsure about applying abroad. She had been a dancer all her life but had pursued a B.Com during her undergraduate degree. She knew she wanted a career in dance but was not sure whether a formal degree would be useful.
- After multiple discussions, she decided that she wanted to attain a postgraduate qualification in Dance Movement Therapy.
- DMT postgrads are an accredited qualification, which allows the graduate to practice as a certified DM therapist.
- DMT is the psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integration of the individual, for the purpose of improving health and well-being.
- Almost all DMT programs required the applicant to have an undergraduate in psychology or dance, as well as relevant community service and dance experience.
- While Trisha* had almost 15 years of dance training, she had no service or clinical experience.
Here’s how I tackled the application:
- We sat down with Trisha* to understand her motivation for applying to the program. As an individual, she struggled to express herself and dance had been a strong therapeutic tool for her. She realised that through dance she had learnt to navigate her own emotions and challenges. We used that as a base for her storyline.
- Trisha* also struggled with writing and was not comfortable with essays. We gave her a detailed essay structure which helped her align her thoughts, she was then easily able to give relevant anecdotes/ situations accordingly.
- For her narrative, we had to capitalise on her professional dance experience as a tutor and choreographer and her dance certifications.
- As a choreographer, Trisha* had worked pro-bono with children from an NGO, as well as taught dance to children and adolescents. I sat her down to breakdown her learnings and experience while working with these communities. We capitalised on this experience and spun it as relevant clinical and service experience.
Here’s how it played out:
- Within two weeks of applying, Trisha* received interview invitations from four colleges and immediate acceptances from two programs - University of Derby and University of Auckland.
- As mentioned before, Trisha* struggled to express and emote, so the interview invite unnerved her. She was amazing at her craft and knew her facts well. We did multiple mock interviews and brushed over interview strategies to help navigate the interview process. We couldn’t be more proud!
Are you looking at applying to unique programs? Schedule a free preliminary consult with us where we can guide you through the application journey:
https://www.applicationally.net
** Client names have been edited to protect identity.