Summary:
Starting in 2023, the GKS requirement is to write every essay within 3 pages. Please help me review my personal statement.
Since high school, I have always paid attention to advertisements such as TV commercials and billboards because their visuals and copywriting are simple, but they could be successful in gaining people's attention. These advertisements became trendsetters among the people. My curiosity about the world of advertising led me to continue my studies at a higher level and major in Communication Studies with the hope of studying advertising.
When I first started my studies in communications, I always knew that the field of digital advertising would be the most appealing to me. My interest in this field grew even more when I visited a digital agency in Jakarta in my second year of undergraduate studies. Having experience visiting and observing the company has helped me to develop my knowledge, especially about digital advertising and marketing channels. It was very fascinating to see how traditional advertising is transformed into digital advertising and takes over as a mainstay of global advertising rapidly. This pursuit of knowledge has led me to delve deeper into the world of digital advertising. I analyzed and compared every piece of digital advertising from Indonesia and other countries, paying special attention to Asian countries that have similar consumer behavior. Although I have learned advertising theories and practices at university, I believe that I need a broader and deeper understanding of the subjects through higher education in the Advertising and Public Relations Master's program. This is why I am determined to continue my studies in South Korea so that I can achieve my goal of starting my own digital advertising company in Indonesia.
My fascination with Korean culture and its creative sector has been growing for a long time, and it grew even stronger after I participated in a webinar about how to get scholarships to South Korea. The online webinar drove me to enroll in an exclusive workshop held by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea for Indonesia for six weeks. I was one of the 100 participants chosen from more than a thousand applicants. This opportunity allowed me to collect more information about universities and the quality of education offered in South Korea. The high standards of education in South Korea emphasize on theoretical and practical components equally, hence it can contribute to the success of the country's advertising education programs. South Korean consumers' trust in online media advertising is further evidence of Korean advertising's superior quality.
I am very excited to begin my term at (name of university in Korea), where students are encouraged to conduct systematic education on advertising public relations management and planning, as well as advertising production, based on their knowledge of journalism and business administration. Looking through the course catalog, I am immediately affected by the advertising classes because they cover a wide range of topics that I believe will be useful in developing Indonesian advertising. I'm particularly interested in the Multimedia Advertising Production class, which aims to provide students with a variety of technical and theoretical knowledge, particularly about electronic advertisement production. I believe that the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) will allow me to focus on and broaden my knowledge of advertising with global experts. Furthermore, through GKS, I will be able to create a meaningful network with other scholars and professionals; therefore, I could have a chance to work in a digital realms agency in South Korea after graduation.
I earned my Bachelor of Communication Science degree from (name of my university). Throughout my academic career, I worked as a lecturer assistant for three courses over the course of three semesters. Because of this experience in managing presentations up until the final assignments, I have grown to be dependable, responsible, and a natural leader. This has also provided me with the opportunity to enhance my interpersonal communication skills in both small and large groups.
I developed a particular interest in marketing and advertising, which was sparked by a specific course, Integrated Marketing Communication, which assisted me in understanding mixed marketing. This course led my friends and I to compose a marketing communication plan proposal for Grab, one of Southeast Asia's largest transportation services. As a part of this project, I developed the company's advertising strategy as well as budgeting, media planning, copywriting, and advertising design. I was able to accurately understand the target market audience through my market research and project execution. In addition, the project has taught me how to implement the advertising strategies in digital media in a way that adheres to advertising etiquette. Having worked on this project, I was motivated to conduct research for my bachelor's thesis on the Indonesian implementation of Samsung's marketing strategy. While conducting this research, I gained a better understanding of how South Korean companies conduct a great and smooth product placement. With this knowledge, I am even more convinced that South Korea is the best country to learn about this field of study. With the help of my supervisor, I published the findings of my research in the journal of Komunikata.
Furthermore, my friends and I create a digital campaign in the Cross-Cultural Communication course about racism and discrimination against people of darker skin tones, using social media to reach target audiences from various cultures. This project taught me, as the planner and designer of that digital campaign, that cultural differences lead to a wide range of advertising strategies around the world. In addition, while the pandemic was hitting the world, I published a journal about the effectiveness of online communication in telemedicine on ResearchGate.
Through these experiences, I completed my degree in three and a half years with a cum-laude predicate, a GPA of (my GPA), and honors as the university's only fastest graduate in 2022. Additionally, throughout my undergraduate years, I was selected as one of the top ten participants in a photography and poetry exhibition organized by my university. My work was exhibited through an online exhibition, which was visited by 2,148 people from all over Indonesia.
On top of being passionate about the field of communication because of school activities, I have always known that I am a good communicator by heart. Once, I delivered a presentation on intercultural communication inspired by the book "Human Communication" by Joseph A. Devito, and my lecturer graded my presentation with an "A" because I was able to lead a lively and great discussion in the class. The experience of presenting individually has made me more confident in public speaking, which led me to participate as a contestant in a live report competition in 2019, where I presented about "Rambu Solo" funeral culture from Tana Toraja Regency, Indonesia. In 2021, I decided to further utilize my passion for public speaking as a podcaster at Sunday Magazine, a digital magazine for youth based in Jakarta. A year later, I was trusted to be a speaker in an online webinar to deliver tips and tricks for being a podcaster. All those significant experiences related to public speaking did not terrify me, and I was unstoppable, instead, it convinced me further that I was born to be in this field.
Being on the path that I am currently going through, until I decided to continue my master's degree program, it cannot be separated from the role of a mother in my life. My mother raised me with the freedom to make my own life choices since I was a little, even as simple as deciding which fairy tale book to read before going to bed, thus bringing me a courage in making decisions and being responsible for my own choices. This led me to choose my major in high school when I was fifteen years old. I can take responsibility for my decision to continue my education in the Social Sciences major by becoming one of the students in Indonesia who was accepted at a state university through the National Selection for Entering State Universities, the pathway for entering state universities in Indonesia through academic achievement which is satisfying. The Communication Study was the only major I chose when I applied to college. Confidently, I can continue my education and be balanced in various supporting activities such as organizations and internships. I am wholeheartedly responsible for the full support of my mother. Having freedom in making choices since childhood keeps me in control because I am increasingly able to weigh the good and bad impacts in every decision I make for me to be accountable for.
After finishing my bachelor's degree, I quickly acknowledged that my skills needed further development. To complete my knowledge of the creative digital industry, I carried out extensive professional work at a digital agency as a social media content writer, where I learned about planning, managing, and implementing all kinds of content strategies, such as feed, story, and reel on Instagram. One of the most memorable projects that I have been involved in was when the company's social media engagement was decreasing. As the solution, I created a strategy campaign with the Halloween theme that included activating Instagram Live and activating Instagram Ads. Additionally, I created potential content to increase engagement, which consists of hard and soft news sourced from all around the world, including South Korea. The content was delivered in the form of digital arts and visually appealing animation videos, as well as a unique style of copywriting that adapted to the writing styles of the millennial and Z generations. These strategies were successful in returning engagement, going as far as increasing the followers' number.
Other than digital marketing, I also have experience working as a content writer for a mass online media company that focused on news articles regarding parenting. This working experience allowed me to write and work in the creative media industry. Additionally, I worked as a reporter and once had the opportunity to attend as an online representative to the Indonesia Mice Conference and Exhibition (INAMICE) in 2021, the Jakarta State Polytechnic program with the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, which is held once in two years.
My interest in digital creativity always grew, hence I deepened my learning by taking several online digital marketing certifications, which I completed in 2022 and 2023. The first course introduced me to social media marketing, Facebook and Instagram ads, and campaign and media planning, while the second course taught me about CRM marketing, online channel marketing, and other skills involved in creating landing pages. I am currently enrolled in a digital advertising certification course to get a better understanding of the principle and planning of online advertising.
Apart from advertising and public relations-related skills, I also learned about leadership, teamwork, and people management during my time at the university. I joined the Communication Sciences Association as the Head of the Department of Academic Studies for the 2020-2021 academic year, performing the task during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, I created an online campaign involving 103 Communication Science students at my university to encourage the public to wear masks as a precaution against the COVID-19 virus. In addition, I made a breakthrough by hosting academic activities, which I implemented in the form of a podcast, as a learning forum for students to implement soft skills that are not taught in the class, namely the differences between TV and radio broadcasting. In addition, at the end of my tenure, I was entrusted with being the Head of Events for a national-scale workshop called Communication Workshop (Commworks), with the theme building communication on social media with effective habits. I was in charge of planning the event, selecting the webinar speakers, budgeting, event promotion, and so on. This event was attended by 300 participants from all over Indonesia. Through these experiences, I was honored as one of the best members of the communication association in 2020.
Additionally, I am passionate about mentoring, so I volunteered as a mentor for new Communication Science students at my university in 2019 to 2020. I provided specific information about the Communication Science department to new university students. I did this because, based on my experience, college is very different from high school, and getting as much information as possible from previous someone who has done it would be extremely beneficial. My reason to become a mentor is to help the student with an introduction to campus life. Those activities taught me to be a strong leader while also emphasizing the importance of improving my organization and communication skills. Furthermore, the unexpected changes in activities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have aided my ability to adapt and make quick decisions during uncertain times.
Every step in my journey had worthwhile significance for the person I have become. I believe that I can bring diversity, be able to contribute meaningfully, and add an international perspective on advertising to the classes in South Korea based on my deep interest, experience, knowledge, skill, dedication, and character. With an advertising and public relations degree from the GKS program, I believe I would have a solid theoretical and practical foundation to help marketers in Indonesia gain the trust of Indonesian consumers through the digital advertising company that I will establish.
