Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) Recipient, Aliza Khan from Pakistan, Shares the Story of How She Secured the Fully Funded Award to Pursue Her Bachelor’s in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Yonsei University in South Korea

My name is Aliza Khan from Islamabad, Pakistan. I was a first-semester Architecture student in Pakistan at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Pakistan until I got selected for the 'Global Korea Scholarship’(GKS). GKS offered me a fully funded scholarship at Yonsei University, Korea's second-best institution, which is why it was a no-brainer to leave architecture school in Pakistan and travel to Korea. While I was studying architecture in Pakistan, I applied for Civil and Environmental Engineering at Yonsei University, since at the time, architecture was not an applicable option in the scholarship, since it is a 5-year program (this rule has since been changed). While I was not particularly fond of Civil Engineering, I believed it would serve as a foundation for me to study Architectural Engineering for my Master's degree in the future. Of course, pressure from South Asian parents also served as a factor in my decision-making.

Global Korea Scholarship Details

As mentioned before, I received the 'Global Korea Scholarship’ for 2021. This scholarship includes a monthly allowance, a settlement allowance once you move to Korea, round-trip airfare when coming to Korea and after graduation, textbook allowance every semester, and extra compensation for those who receive level 5 and above in the TOPIK Korean proficiency test. I had applied to three institutions and got selected to study Civil and Environmental Engineering for my undergraduate degree at Yonsei University.

Were You Offered any Other Scholarships?

I was offered scholarships from different universities around the world, such as the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Turkey and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. However, these were partial scholarships with 80% of my tuition fee waived. Unfortunately, at the time, my family was unable to afford the living expenses and remaining tuition fee; consequently, I decided to study in Pakistan instead.

Educational Background

During high school, I took the A-Levels and O-Levels exams, which are the Cambridge examination systems. In O-Levels, I received an A*, 7 A’s, and a B. For my A-Levels, I received 2 A’s and a B. I studied pre-engineering for both my A and O levels. I believe my grades were rather average; however, it was my extracurricular activities that gave me an edge in comparison to other students while applying for the GKS scholarship.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to Yonsei University?

Regarding scholarships, I found all the information online. I would spend at least 2 to 3 hours each day after school looking for scholarships and watching videos of other applicants and their success stories. Unfortunately, I did not have a senior or a mentor at school to guide me; therefore, I had to heavily rely on information found on the internet.

As for standardized tests, I did not take any since I lacked time to prepare for them, and they were quite expensive as well. I do believe standardized tests give you an edge; however, not taking them should also not be a problem when applying to scholarships.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to the Global Korea Scholarship?

My preparation to apply to the GKS scholarship was rather lackluster since I applied last minute. Since I had passed my entrance examination and was already studying at my country’s best university, I decided not to apply for any further scholarships. However, I decided to apply for GKS last minute just to close a chapter of my life before starting university classes. I took all information from their instructional booklet since I did not have time to contact any alumni for advice. I remember writing my essays and filling out the form in a day and getting the documents ready in a few days before sending out my application. It wasn’t ideal, but I believe I got very lucky. In addition to that, since I had given many interviews for internships and college applications, I was able to breeze through the interview. I believe that since it was the beginning of COVID, it helped that there probably weren’t a lot of applicants that applied that year either.

One thing that differentiated me from other applicants was my impressive profile. My personality is one where I want to do multiple activities at a time; therefore, just academics was not satisfactory for me. Therefore, I participated in many extracurricular activities, which made my profile stronger.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

As mentioned above, I believe my extracurricular activities made my profile stand out. I had written a book, did internships and volunteer work throughout my time in high school, which I believe the invigilators found most impressive. My academics were rather average, and I did not have any standardized test scores either, so I believe that is probably the reason why.

In addition to that, since writing is my hobby, my essays were rather well written and unique than the ones found on the internet.

What Would You Have Done Differently if You Were Going Through the Process Again?

I believe I would start earlier and take my time with the application writing process. Just to make sure that there are no errors in my essays.

What Advice Would You Give Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

I would suggest that everyone be confident and apply to every scholarship they come across instead of thinking that it might be impossible. While I got lucky, I believe this can happen to anyone who applies; therefore, please don’t lose hope and try your best to apply. In addition to that, try to find your interests and use them to enhance your profile by internships, etc. You can easily get internships by emailing your preferred company and asking them if you can intern for a few weeks to a month. Small achievements like these really make you stand out from your peers.