Global Korea Scholar, Rizka from Indonesia, Pursues a Master’s in International Trade, Finance, and Management at Yonsei University

Hello, my name is Rizka, and I am from Indonesia. I am currently attending Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, under the Global Korea Scholarship for Graduate Degrees program. I am studying at the Graduate School of International Studies, where I am majoring in International Trade, Finance, and Management. Before returning to school, I worked for about seven years after completing my undergraduate degree in the Communication major at the University of Indonesia in 2016. I worked in various fields, from financial services to film distribution, but my roles have been consistently around Sales & Marketing. Realizing that I have potential in similar roles, I tried to search for a major related to Marketing and/or Management when I decided to go back to school.

As I already had basic skills in Korean, I focused my exploration on schools in Korea, specifically the top 10 schools that are mostly ranked better than my undergrad school. I thought that living in Korea would help to upgrade my Korean skills; however, I want to still enjoy my learning journey. I realized that I had to choose programs in English, knowing that my academic Korean skills are very limited. With all of these personal requirements, my options were limited, and Yonsei GSIS was a consistent option that I always had since I first started to look for a scholarship 7 years ago.

Global Korea Scholarship Details

I am currently studying in Korea under a full scholarship of the 2023 Global Korea Scholarship for Graduate Degrees from the Korean government. The program includes return flight tickets, school tuition, and a monthly allowance. If you did not submit a valid TOPIK certificate of level 5 and above in your application, you will be eligible for up to 1 year of language school, which is also covered by the scholarship. The scholarship provides you with a total of 14,160,000 Korean Won per year for language school students, 15,720,000 Korean Won per year for Master’s degree & PhD students, and 19,800,000 Korean Won per year for research students. They are open every year around January-February, but you only have around one month to get everything submitted, so I suggest everyone interested in applying always check the previous year’s details so that they can prepare the documents in advance, because they usually require similar documents.

Were You Offered any Other Scholarships?

I tried applying for so many scholarships before, but in the last 2 years of my effort, I focused on applying for Korean schools. Because I only want a full scholarship, I had limited options to choose from. A few years ago, I was accepted into Yonsei GSIS, and they shared that there are a few scholarships that are available if I needed a scholarship to enter the school, including some scholarships from Yonsei, Yonsei GSIS, and POSCO. I heard that POSCO is focusing more on STEM now, but you might need to reconfirm this. One important thing, do thorough research about available scholarships, not only for the country that you aim for, but also for schools and majors that you want.

Educational Background

For my undergraduate studies, I majored in Communication at the University of Indonesia and graduated in 2016. When I was attending the school, I was a rather active student with experience in various organizations and events. After joining the student council of the faculty of social and political sciences in 2013, I joined a buddy club under the University of Indonesia International Office, which helps the office in organizing international students and international events on campus. Meeting people from various backgrounds with various dreams and goals opened my eyes to the opportunities that I might get if I explore the world. I had been wanting to go study abroad, but the experience made me want to try even more.

In 2015, I went for an exchange program at Jeonbuk National University in Jeonju, South Korea, where I took Korean classes and had first-hand experience of communicating in foreign languages. As no other Indonesian student was attending the same school in the same period as I, I was forced to speak in English and Korean, and that helped me a lot in making rapid progress in my language abilities. I scored a perfect 4.0/4.0 GPA for the exchange program before continuing my studies in the Communication major.

I graduated with 3.58/4.00, scoring me a Cum Laude title among the graduates. The courses that I took in my major, the organizations that I joined, and the exchange program that I experienced, all helped guide me to know the career that I want to pursue. After I started my career, it also shaped my future goals, and it all helped me to be more prepared for the post-graduate studies that I want.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to Yonsei University?

GKS usually has a lot of detailed information about their requirements, so the key is again to read the guidelines thoroughly to know everything that you need. However, because I also tried to get various scholarships before, I had to achieve at a level that could surpass all the different standards. I tried to get IELTS Academic because I personally prefer to have a real human to test my speaking skills (TOEFL IBT is also a common test that people can take if they want to study abroad, and they are coming from non-English speaking countries, but the speaking test is conducted with a computer).

Most schools or scholarship programs require getting 6 to 6.5 on average IELTS score, so I set myself to get at least 7 to be safe. Spending money and time on an IELTS preparation course was a luxury for me, so I tried to search for the best way to learn by myself. I bought a practice book for IELTS and also tried to find free online sites and videos for learning IELTS. I took the IELTS test twice, and this method worked very well for me, so you definitely can do it too! Try to search online sites and materials that fit you the most, and do not stop practicing, so you get used to the language.

Do not forget to also practice answering predictive questions for speaking, just to at least enrich your vocabulary for both the speaking and writing tests. This method also works for the Korean ability test, TOPIK. Read frequently and familiarize yourself with more Korean words so you can answer as many as you can. Grammar is also important to learn for your writing test because they want to see how well you know the language. In conclusion, the key is to practice and not get tired of practicing!

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

I read the guidelines thoroughly, tried to search about previous recipients’ experience, and had other people who know me check on my essays. Having other people check on my essays helped me so much in getting better results, as there were apparently a lot of things that I missed when highlighting my experience and plan. They need to be someone who knows you, the more the better, so you can get the best insights about yourself from them. They can also tell you what needs to be removed so that you can show the best version of yourself without looking too unrealistic and boastful. The scholarships that I tried before, including GKS, LPDP, POSCO Asia Fellowship, and Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's, all have detailed guidelines that you can refer to. If you still have questions even after reading the guidelines, asking a previous recipient is one helpful way!

How Is (was) Your Experience at Yonsei University?

Compared to other schools, to my surprise, I feel like Yonsei supports foreign students less in terms of extracurricular and non-academic activities for foreign students. I am not sure whether it is because we are graduate students or just because they do not really have it in general, but it felt like my friends in other schools got to experience more as foreign students. If you expect these things, you might want to think twice, but do not forget that Yonsei University is a top world university, so I guess it is not bad at all for your future! That aside, there are a lot of opportunities from the student clubs and out-of-school activities that you can experience, especially in Seoul.

How Do You Rate Yonsei University Academically and Why?

Do not want to rate it yet, as I still have some semesters left here to fully judge it, but I think reaching the top 50 worldwide speaks a lot about its credibility. It will help you in the future.

Are Your Classes Conducted in English or Korean? 

My major fully conducts classes in English.

Would Potential Students Have Any Problems Academically, Not Knowing Korean?

Based on seeing my friends, even the ones who are fluent in Korean, are having difficulties in studying for classes in Korean. So, yes. It will be hard for you, not knowing the native language here, but it is still doable. I am not recommending it, tho, because stress endurance of each person is different, but if that is the risk that you would still like to take to study here, please go get your dream!

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

My experience and my consistency in making an effort for this scholarship helped me stand out among other candidates. I highlighted my strengths while still showing the weaknesses that I need to overcome and my plan to tackle them. I also showed them that I have determination and a realistic yet big vision for my future after graduation, which might not be achieved by everyone in their essays. Having essays that stand out is the first step for you to proceed in GKS because you compete with most people at that stage.

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

I would seek help in checking my essays and practicing my interview earlier in my efforts to get a scholarship, because it made a big difference!

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

Read guidelines thoroughly! Especially if you came from countries where competition is high, you really need to stand out among others, which means extra effort. Do not feel shy to learn from others and try to check multiple times whether you have already shown your best version or not in the application. Do not give up if you have not succeeded yet, because I believe that in the end of the day, luck also has a significant role in perfecting your efforts. If you have already tried your best many times but you have not succeeded yet, do not think that you are not good enough; maybe it is just not your time yet.