An Azerbaijani National Wins the Global Korea Scholarship to Pursue an MBA at Jeju National University

Hello everyone! I am Elmir Musali from Azerbaijan, and I am a recipient of the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) 2022. I am currently in my second year of pursuing a Master of Business Administration at Jeju National University. Studying abroad has been my childhood dream, and I have applied to numerous universities, countries, and scholarships over the years. Among all the scholarships I've applied for, the Global Korea Scholarship stands out as the best.

This scholarship, issued by the National Institute for International Education (NIIED), is designed to provide international students with the opportunity to pursue advanced studies in graduate programs at higher educational institutions in the Republic of Korea. The program aims to foster international exchanges in education and build mutual friendships between countries.

Global Korea Scholarship Details

There are two ways to apply for the GKS scholarship: the Embassy Track and the University Track.

Embassy Track: This involves a 3-step process:

1. Selection by the embassy
2. Selection by NIIED
3. University choice

After the embassy interview, a university interview may also be required. However, sometimes universities do not organize additional interviews and instead rely on the embassy's interview. With this track, applicants can choose up to three universities. To secure the scholarship, they must be accepted by at least one of these universities in the final step.

University Track: This involves a 2-step process:

1. Selection by the university
2. Selection by NIIED

In this track, applicants are allowed to apply to only one university. To receive the GKS scholarship, they must be accepted by that specific university.

The application period for the Embassy Track typically begins in February or March. I recommend that applicants regularly check the Facebook page of the Korean embassy in their country for updates. For the University Track, the application period varies by university, so applicants should carefully check each university's website. Some universities have deadlines in October, others in December, and some in April.

In my case, I applied to Jeju National University, where the deadline was in April. I applied via the University Track and sent the required documents to Jeju by post.

After the document screening, Jeju National University invited me to a Zoom interview. During the interview, they asked about my educational background, future plans, and how I would manage with Korean as the language of instruction. I explained that I studied in Azerbaijani during school, in Turkish during my bachelor's, and later obtained an IELTS certification. Now, my next step is to learn Korean.

One unique aspect of the GKS, compared to other scholarships not only in Korea but globally, is the mandatory one-year Korean language course. After arriving in Korea, I quickly realized the importance of this requirement. Learning the Korean language has enabled me to communicate effectively with Koreans and even assist my fellow foreign students who may not be proficient in Korean. In Korea, merely knowing English is not sufficient.

During this one-year language course, we are required to obtain a TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) certificate. The TOPIK test assesses proficiency in reading, writing, and listening comprehension in the Korean language. As a scholarship requirement, achieving at least a TOPIK Level 3 is mandatory, according to NIIED standards. However, if your degree program is conducted in Korean, the requirement may be elevated to TOPIK Level 4, 5, or 6, depending on the university and degree requirements.

In Korea, teaching is primarily conducted in Korean. Even if your degree program is in Korean, you don’t need to know the language beforehand. The most important requirement is achieving the necessary TOPIK score within one year. If a student is unable to reach the required score within this timeframe, they may be granted an additional 6-month extension, albeit with a 50% reduction in their scholarship.

The GKS Scholarship offers numerous benefits, including a tuition fee waiver and a monthly stipend. For master’s students, the monthly stipend is approximately 1,300,000 KRW (around 950 USD).

How Did You Prepare to Apply for the Global Korea Scholarship and Jeju National University?

When it comes to securing a scholarship, based on my experience, I can say that multiple factors play a role. For instance, GPA is crucial. I graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration, achieving a GPA of over 96%. I also gained internship experience, which allowed me to obtain a strong recommendation letter from my previous workplace when I applied for this scholarship. Additionally, I had published one article, which was my bachelor’s thesis, presented at a local conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. My IELTS score was 6.5, and although I didn’t know any Korean at the time, during my language course, I achieved a TOPIK Level 4 with a score of 187.

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

If you ask what I would have done differently if I were going through the process again, I would say that I would have tried to apply a bit earlier. This is my advice to everyone who wants to apply for scholarships: first, research extensively and carefully check the requirements for each scholarship. The most important factor is the ability to present yourself effectively. Your results might not be extraordinary, but what truly matters is how well you can present the achievements you have. Always strive to improve yourself and be confident. If you have strong self-confidence, it will naturally come across to others.