Felicia from Indonesia: Awardee of the 2024 Global Korea Scholarship Pursues Her MBA Degree at Chonnam National University in South Korea

Halo Semuanya! It means hello to everyone in Indonesia, and yes, I am from Indonesia ^^. I am Felicia from Medan, but I moved to Jakarta, Indonesia, before coming to South Korea. I am currently a student in the Korean Language Program at Chonnam National University in Gwangju, South Korea, where I will continue my Master’s Degree in Business Administration. 

Global Korea Scholarship Details

I am a Global Korea Scholarship 2024 awardee for the Graduate degree. Global Korea Scholarship is one of the most popular scholarships in our country and it is available for Undergraduate degrees too. This scholarship opens twice a year and has an embassy track or university track to apply for, and I passed through the University Track. The differences between these two tracks are the accepted quota and the number of universities that can be applied for. You can apply to up to 3 universities through the embassy track, and the accepted quota is smaller,r while for the university track, you can only apply to one university, and the accepted quota is larger. 

Educational Background

I previously held a Bachelor of Applied Science in Hotel Business at Podomoro University in Jakarta, Indonesia with an accumulated GPA of 3.94. I also have work experience in the hotel industry for around 2 years before applying for the scholarship. To be honest, I kept on going back and forth to apply for the scholarship because I have settled for work already and to go back being a student again is going to be a challenging thing for me but at the same time, it also has always been my dream to ever experience study abroad, especially in South Korea. I then saw one of my friends get accepted as an awardee of the same scholarship in 2022. I took the chance to apply the next year in 2023 through the university track too but did not pass that time. I tried again in 2024 and was fortunately accepted as an awardee.

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

To apply for the scholarship, I had to write a personal statement and study plan about my purpose to get the scholarship. It should consist of my personal and educational background, but the real thing was my motivation to pursue a master's degree and my determination to complete my master's as an awardee. I believe that was the one that made me get accepted as an awardee. I also took the TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korea) test before applying,g even though it was an optional document to submit I think that showing that I am determined and prepared to study in South Korea was a plus point for my acceptance. The documents shall all be completed accordingly and mentally prepared for any results that will come.

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

As someone who has applied for the second time, I might continue to work rather than study again if I were to go through the process again. Hahaha. It will probably make me re-think whether study abroad is really my thing or not but I believe I will go through the process again. I will do more research about the alumni success story and also might ask for advice to prepare myself better.

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

Just do it. Go for it. Prepare all your gear, a.k.a your documents, accordingly, and join a messenger group of people who also want to apply for the scholarship so that you do not miss any information. Consult and seek advice from someone who has also been accepted as a scholarship awardee, which will have a really big impact on being mentally prepared. Most importantly, do not be afraid of failure; if you fail this time, there will always be a next time.