Underwood Scholarship for Excellent International Students Scholar, Dzung from Vietnam, Pursues a Bachelor’s in Information and Interaction Design at Yonsei University, South Korea

• Name & Background: My name is Dzung, and I was a high-school student in Vietnam in 2018
• Degree: I attended Yonsei University, Underwood International College (UIC), pursuing a Bachelor of Science, Information and Interaction Design degree
• Why I chose the major: I loved making art & drawings since I was a five-year-old kid. The major was a combination of art desire and future potentials, as user interaction & experience management were on the rise in the digital era. 
• Why I chose the degree in this specific school:
  • I originally wished to attend other art and design-specific universities, but they usually required a portfolio, which I didn’t have enough time (and confidence) to prepare. As UIC had majors that I wanted to follow without asking for a portfolio, I applied. 
  • UIC is located in Korea, which is quite close to Vietnam, allowing me to visit my family often. Also, the tuition fee and living costs in Korea are more reasonable compared to other English-speaking countries.
  • UIC offers an English-focused curriculum, which is suitable for my language knowledge base. 
  • Many upperclassmen from my high school attend UIC with scholarships, so I can learn from them and ask for their experience.

Underwood Scholarship for Excellent International Students Details

• Underwood Scholarship for Excellent International Students, sponsored by UIC
• Qualification: Newly-admitted international students to UIC
• Types: full tuition for 4 years (approximately KRW 64.000.000 / USD 45.900)
• How to apply: International students applying to UIC will be automatically considered as scholarship candidates. Scholarship recipients are to be selected from admitted applicants according to their academic credentials. A scholarship offer letter will be enclosed in the admission packet and sent to the recipients individually. Scholarship recipients are required to maintain a certain level of GPA each semester to stay eligible for the scholarship in the following semester.

Other Scholarship?

No, UIC is the only university abroad I applied to

Educational Background

• I attended a renowned foreign language specialized high school in Vietnam before applying to Yonsei University. Many of the students from this school study in top-tier institutions around the world. UIC representatives have visited my high school before to recruit students, and many upperclassmen also joined Yonsei.
• GPA: about 9.3 - 9.5/10 during my 3 years in high school
• I think the foreign language specialized background allowed me to communicate & write confidently in English. Studying in a demanding & competitive environment with talented schoolmates also motivated me to better myself every day.

Preparation for Application

• How I learned about the scholarship: My friend wished to apply to UIC, and she told me about the school. As I researched through their site and from upperclassmen’s words, I found that it could also be a good fit for me. 
• Test Preparation: I took the IELTS test, with a test score of 7.5. As I was an English-majored student in high school, I was exposed to English every day. I also took IELTS lessons for about 6 months.
• GPA: Although I don’t have any intention to apply for abroad study until grade 12, I have always been trying to maintain a high GPA (above 9.0/10), which might be beneficial for any studying decision later on.
• Recommendation letters: I got 3 recommendation letters from my English, Literature, and Math teachers.
• Activities: I had about 4 art & culture-related certificates for volunteering activities. Some activities are: teaching art to autistic children, holding an art charity fair event, free tour guiding for foreign visitors in Vietnam, and working as a PR executive for an art & tourism-focused organization. Though I was not the leader in these activities, I believe it did contribute to my art desire story I told in the personal statement
• Personal statement: I poured lots of effort into this essay, with the help of my upperclassmen at Yonsei. My personal statement tried to weave familiar, but unrelated themes into a story of altruism and compassion delivered by art: My grandmother’s belief in Bodhisattva, her teaching to me of Bodhisattva’s compassion, and what I did to follow her words: teaching arts to autistic children. The statement conveyed the message that my art & design journey in Yonsei would not only fulfill my own wish, but would also contribute to the improvement of other lives. 
• Interview: It was a phone interview. I connected and consulted with my high school upperclassmen, who were studying at Yonsei, to come up with some important questions & insights. I had a list of mock interview questions & answers, in which I tried to showcase some of my strengths, or connect to the story in the statement. I also prepared a few follow-up questions, as this one can leave them good impression as well.

What Makes the Application Stand Out?

• My educational background (high school reputation, GPA)
• Personal Statement

What I Would Have Done Differently

• Prepare more for the IELTS test: I took an IELTS class in grade 11 (2016), but I delayed the test till the end of grade 12’s first semester (end of 2017). Grade 12 was an extremely busy year, as I had to maintain a good grade, prepare for the application, and study for the National University Exam in Vietnam simultaneously. Therefore, I didn’t have much time to prepare for the test properly, and the result didn’t come out as I expected. If I were to have a second chance, I would take the test at the beginning of grade 12, right after I finished the classes.
• Make a decision earlier: My decision to apply to Yonsei took place in February, and the application is due at the end of March. I had some crazy time to complete all the criteria and documents, and I was almost late for the deadline. 
• Study Korean beforehand: I didn’t know any Korean before attending Yonsei. It did not cause me any trouble during the application, but when I was in Korea, it was quite challenging without knowing the language. Knowing the alphabet & some basic sentences would help you a lot while living in Korea

Advice 

• Behaviors: I believe the Board of Admission can see how much effort you put into the application, so pour your heart into it and tailor the application based on the major you want to apply to. Show them that you’re well-researched and well-oriented: You want to follow the degree, you know what you want from the degree and how to achieve such things, and what you would do with the degree. It may sound childish when you look back, but the Board of Admission loves such passionate and motivated energy.
• Connect with upperclassmen in Yonsei, especially the newly-admitted ones. They can guide you through the process much more smoothly, and may support you during your stay in Korea as well.
• Always try to maintain a good GPA. Anything is fixable, but a low GPA. I do think BoA values high school’s reputation and high GPA as well. 

About Yonsei University Academic Performance

• To be honest, I didn’t even know it was a reputable institution in Korea until I received the Letter of Admission
• The school is indeed beautiful. I spent most of my time on the international campus in Incheon, which is the newer site. Facility quality was top-notch (including academic buildings, labs, dormitories, etc). Classes were usually small (fewer than 15 students per class), so every student was well taken care of.
• Professors are super caring & attentive to students. Each has his/her own teaching style, which might be good to some, but unsuitable to others. Yet, they all really appreciated it if you tried your best. Even when the performance might not be excellent, they always took your effort into consideration and left good marks for it. I also met talented classmates in major classes and learnt a lot from their work. 
• Classes in UIC are conducted in English. From other schools, it might be English or Korean (noted in each course information). International students are required to take Basic Korean if they have zero knowledge of the language. I believe there would not be any big academic issues if you take English-based courses and know no Korean, unless you use some school websites (library site, or printing site, for example) with poorly executed translation.
• My major classes covered lots of the key topics in the field, especially UX-wise, which I found beneficial while I work as a UX/UI designer later on. However, besides classes, I believe you do need extra tool practice to be ready for jobs. 
• Besides the major’s classes, you can take classes from other schools in Yonsei or do a double major/minor as well, which might expand your career choices later on. 

About International Student Support

• UIC is an international school, so many of the students are foreigners from all around the world. Many professors are foreigners too.
• UIC office runs in English, and they will support international students with an ARC (Alien Registration Card), health insurance, etc.
• Many school staffs only speaks Korean (some convenience stores, cafeteria, security, etc.), but they are friendly and will take time to support you if needed.