Hello, there!
This is Aka.
Oh, it's so awkward to write a blog now, since I rarely write one. Long time ago, I used to write blog posts, but as I got busier with works and stuff, I didn't do it anymore.
Now, I got a plenty of time to blogging! Yasss! 'Cos I am currently jobless, but back as a student through a Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) 2020 Programme. There are quite some people who sent me DMs through Instagram account about this scholarship programme. So I decided to make a blog post that everybody can access and go through. I sorted some questions that are mostly asked by people. Wish this can help all people out there who wish to study in Korea!
- What is Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) ?
Global Korea Scholarship is a scholarship programme run by the South Korean government. It provides scholarship for higher education degrees, both Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees. The application is open worldwide. There are 2 tracks that you can choose, embassy or university track. You can only choose 1 track to apply!
The application for Undergraduate usually starts on September and February for Graduate. Since I applied for the Graduate one, I will only talk about this side. So I am afraid if I cannot answer your questions regarding the undergraduate one.
In my country, Indonesia, there are usually a thousand more people who apply for this scholarship and the competition is indeed really tight. So if you plan to apply, please check out this site: https://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/sub/gks/allnew_invite.do
Click this link to download the GKS 2020 Booklet and find out what you need to prepare before the application date starts: https://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/sub/gks/selectBoardArticle.do
- Which track did I choose to apply?
I personally applied through a university track. It was a bit gambling, but I know which major I want to take and which university I will go for. Moreover, the major I choose also tightens my university choices. Anyway, I take Performing Arts major as I graduated from the same major in my Bachelor's degree and I take it in Dankook University, Gyeonggi-do.
This year, 2020, was my second time to apply for GKS. Last year, I tried university track as well and I went for Dongguk University with the same major, but I failed even in the document screening process. I wonder why. For this year, I didn't expect too much since I have just got promoted in my office. But I still managed to send my documents to the university I choose.
Oh, if you choose a university track, you should download the University Information file to get to know which university you can choose and when the deadline of the documents submission is. Each university has its own deadline. My documents arrived on the deadline, March 20th, 2020.
For embassy track, as far as I know, you need to prepare three copies of your documents and send them to the Korean embassy in your country. The scholarship committee from the Embassy will screen your documents.
- After the documents submission, what will you expect?
Approximately two weeks after, I got an email from an assistant Professor of Dankook University that they asked me to do an interview with 3 Professors.
They asked for my Kakao Talk ID and video called me through it 2 days after I got the email. Yes, the interview was conducted through Kakao Talk. I have prepared all questions and answers that might be asked and even an abstract for my future research if I got accepted. I also made sure to the assistant professor either the interview was conducted in English or Korean. She said, English is fine. So I prepared everything in English.
I actually know Korean and am able to communicate in it, but I just could not trust myself to speak Korean in this kind of important interview. Even though I communicated with the assistant professor in Korean, but I still prepared everything in English.
And, it's time! My phone rang and it was my bad not to prepare a hands-free. My notebook was next to me. The assistant professor opened the interview session and it began.
I expected to get some usual scholarship questions, but it turned out totally different. Here are the questions I got:
1. What is the level of your Korean Proficiency? -- I answered Intermediate. After this question, they conducted the interview fully in Korean.
2. Why do you choose Performing Arts as your major?
3. Why studying in Korea?
4. Where did you learn Korean before?
5. Have you ever watched any stage plays in Korea before?
6. From your application, I could see that you have a big interest towards K-Pop. However, in Dankook University, we will learn about musical theater and be fully conducted in Korean. Are you able to catch up your Korean ability to easily follow the lectures later?
7. Tell us about your musical stage play experiences! -- I brought up my experience to be one of the actors in one famous musical stage play that was held in Jakarta, Indonesia. Also, I also helped my juniors hold musical plays for their final test of Principle to Performing Arts Communication subject in my campus.
8. Can you sing, dance, and acting?
Boom, that was all! It finished in 7 minutes. I did not even introduce myself. I think they have read everything in my personal statement. After the video call, I felt like, what did I do? Where am I now? Am I alive? Totally blank! I didn't know what I want to say after. Just desperately waiting for the interview result.
Well, my case will be different with other interviews in other campuses. So you cannot generalize the questions you will get if you reach the interview stage. Always make imaginary questions and sort them all systematically.
For the embassy track, if you pass the document screening stage, you will be invited to the embassy to do an interview. I cannot say much about this since I did not choose this track.
My advise is don't bluff on your personal statement and interview session. Just show them who you really are. Just be you! No need to think to impress the interviewers with bluffing. They know whether you bluff or not. Please keep this in mind.
- What will you do next if you pass the first round?
If you pass the first round, you will get an email from the university that states your success.
There were 15 applicants that passed the first round in Dankook University and I am the only one from Indonesia. But don't get too excited. Even though I passed the first round, the second round was waiting. All successful applicants' documents were sent to NIIED (National Institute for International Education) . The second and the final announcements are made by them.
For the embassy track, you will also be notified, either by email or phone call (?) - correct me if I'm wrong - that you pass the first round. Then the Embassy will pass your documents to NIIED for the second round evaluation.
- How do you find out that you pass the 2nd round?
The second announcement was announced in the early June if I am not mistaken. I was desperately waiting for it but afraid to open it. It came out at 6 PM (GMT+9) and the result was ...
MY NAME WAS ON THE LIST!!
I cried so much that afternoon. Did not know that it was coming.
If your name is on the list as the successful candidates for the second round, the next thing is you need to do a medical check up following the medical form that is provided by NIIED. As I live in Jakarta, I took a medical check up in Medistra Hospital near the Korean Embassy in Indonesia. The medical check up is NOT shouldered by NIIED, so you got to pay it by your own fund. I had to pay IDR 2.300.000,- (or USD 155) for all tests required by NIIED. The TB Test for applying visa, doctor fee, and admin fee are included in that fee, too.
Afterward, you need to scan the medical form (the one provided by NIIED and have been filled by the in charge doctor when you do the medical check up) along with the laboratory and X-ray results. Then send the all scanned medical documents and scanned passport (the front page of your passport) to NIIED via email.
I heard from some friends, for university track applicants, if you pass the 2nd round, it means that you are actually accepted since you have been accepted in the university you choose as well as with the Korean government. There might be a possibility to fail if your medical record shows that you have severe illnesses or you are tested positive for the drugs usage. Well, if you don't, let's just wait for the final announcement.
For embassy track applicants, you will do the same medical check up and you need to fill up a form to state among three universities you choose, which will be your final choice. Then send those to NIIED via email. Your documents are also sent to three universities you choose and they will evaluate your documents and decide whether they will accept you as a student or not.
- Final Announcement!
It was June 29th, 2020. I was working on some tasks while my colleague sent me a screen capture of my name in the list of the successful candidates. She texted me in my team Whatsapp group, 언니 축하해! (Congratulations, sis!) .
Yep, it was final!
I will take 1-year Korean Language Programme (KLP) in Konyang Uniiversity, Nonsan, Chungnam-do (yes, I'm back to Nonsan where I used to study Korean 7 years ago, but in a different university) and pursuing my Master's degree in Dankook University.
For the embassy track, you will also find your name with the KLP campus and the final university where you are going to study.
That's all what I have been through in these past few months. Everything really went fast. Since this scholarship is a full scholarship, many people want to pursue it. So you really need to think about one or two strategies so you can stand out among the applicants.
I am not an expert, but here are things that I learn from applying this scholarship:
1. Think out of the box
As an individual, you need to bring your mind out of the box. While writing for your personal statement, don't just stick into one essay style. Beforehand, you can make an outline of what you want to write in your personal statement. Remember, you only have 1 page to write it down.
For me, I started with a quote then giving a brief introduction. On the 2nd paragraph, I explained my educational background and continued with an explanation about my current work at that time and experiences in the field I am pursuing on the 3rd paragraph. As I am going to take Performing Arts as my major in Master's degree, I also wrote about my experiences in Performing Arts field.
On the fourth paragraph, I explained why I am interested in studying Performing Arts and why I choose to study in Korea. On the following paragraph, I mentioned about my project background that I want to work on and also what project I want to hold later on. The sixth paragraph concluded my willingness to obtain the scholarship.
For 1 page essay, I wrote 669 words. Make sure that you include all information that you think it will be beneficial for you and elevate your "level" among other applicants. Provide real information, not the fake ones. You will just put yourself in trouble if you bluff on your Personal Statement.
2. Take a Korean Language Proficiency Test or English Proficiency Test
If you have a valid Korean Language Proficiency Test (TOPIK) result or English Proficiency Test result (e.g.: IELTS, or TOEFL IBT), you will gain a plus score for your application.
How about if you don't have any of these? You can strengthen your personal statement and study plan, so no worries!
I have IELTS band 7.0, so I attached my IELTS certificate and ask the institution where I took IELTS to send the original copy of the certificate directly to the university I choose (since I applied through a university track).
Although I can communicate in Korean, I never take a TOPIK test before. So after the Korean Language Programme ends, I have to take a TOPIK test. My target is to achieve at least Level 5 of TOPIK.
There are some of my friends who don't have a language proficiency test result, but they still got accepted. Again, this is not compulsory, but if you have this, it will escalate your application.
3. Be detailed!
I sent all documents that I think necessary to support my application, such as an award that I got from Edith Cowan University, Australia, portfolio in performits, awards from some competitions, current Curriculum Vitae, etc. Try to gather all important documents you have at home and select the relevant ones. Attach them with other compulsory documents.
4. Legalize Your Documents
The compulsory documents must be legalized by the institutions that released your documents, public notary, and the Korean embassy in your country. Well, there are some countries that is no need to get the documents legalized by the Korean embassy. In Indonesia, it is compulsory to get one.
I legalized some of my documents, such as graduation certificate and grading transcript and went through the three institutions above. All documents that will be legalized must be in English. If your documents are not in English, you need to bring them to the sworn translator to be translated.
Prepare some days to do this since it will take some of your time. You can google the steps how to get an apostille (legalization from the Korean Embassy)
5. Read all instructions CAREFULLY!
Do you really want the scholarship? Yes? Then you need to push yourself to READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY. Why did I caps lock and bold the phrases before? Because it is a pity for a prospective scholarship applicant fails to read all instructions of the scholarship application since he / she is lazy to read. Pursuing a Master's or Doctoral Degree is much harder than just reading the application guideline.
There are people who ask before reading. So, don't be upset if I only answer you, please try to google it before asking. Because I did that as well from the very beginning. If you have any questions regarding the application, you can send an email to NIIED to make sure.
6. Follow the official instructions
Your guideline to apply for the GKS scholarship is from the Study in Korea's website. Pay attention to all notices that are delivered by the website.
7. Mind your attitude while sending emails to NIIED or university and also while doing the interview
Your personality and attitude can be seen from how you write your personal statement and study plan. Not only that, you have to pay attention to the language and diction you use for sending emails to NIIED if there are any things you are curious about.
When you do the interview, just relax, but not too relaxed. Add some appropriate gestures just to help you speak what you want to talk about, but not to offend. Dress well even though you only have an online interview. This tips will make you considered to be one of the successful candidates.
Hope this story and tips help you before applying the GKS Scholarship. This is such a fascinating experience that not all people in this world can obtain.
Now go find a mirror, see yourself there, and tell yourself, "I can get a Global Korea Scholarship next year. I can do it!" .
Good luck!
Nonsan, August 14th, 2020
Aka
