"Book is a window to the world" A study plan in applying for Chinese scholarship

Hello, I'm trying apply for a scholarship in China, here's my study plan. I wish you could help me in making my study plan better so I can get the scholarship. Thank you 😊

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Study Plan - Nanjing Normal University

There is an old proverb says, "Book is a window to the world". From books, one can get the informations not only about science, social, politics, but also culture as it changes with the times. It has become the reason why I interested in learning literature as it reflects and perpetuate the human's life and its behavior through ages. I accomplished my bachelor degree as the student with the highest GPA in English Literature program from xxx in September 2017. As the requirement for my undergraduate degree, I conducted a psychoanalytical research in a literary work, in which a novel writen by John Green entitled The Fault in Our Stars. I analyzed the grief experienced by Hazel Grace because of her disease as well as her boyfriend's dying.

During my study, I had achieved some awards. Such as; the first winner of English speech contest in 2014 held by xxx as I brought up the descrimination against women in Indonesia, the semifinalist of English debate held by xxx in 2015, and I was chosen as the interpreter for the United Nation in Mangrove Festival held by xxx in 2016.

The more I learn about literature, the more I realize that literature and psychology play the same role in human's life, in which dealing the problem of human as an individual and social being. It makes me interested in studying Psychology for my master's degree in Nanjing Normal University, China.

China known as the fastest-growing economies nation in the world surely achieved because of its citizen's psychological thinking and behavior. Compared to the Chinese, there are lots of things that the Indonesian needs to learn and adapt to be a better country. It becomes the reason why I have a big dream to study in China as I want to change the Indonesian's psychology, either in educational psychology or clinical psychology.

I choose Nanjing Normal University as it offers a good environment to study, which will bring me much convenience in studying, also it offers me a "complete package" to learn psychology from the basic psychology and its history to the applied psychology focuses in some varied aspects of psychology. Moreover, Nanjing Normal University has been awarded as the 9th rank for psychology and fine arts by the Ministry of Education in China.

It makes me endeavor to apply this scholarship program and hope to be a qualified applicant so I can devote and apply the knowledge I am going to learn in master degree to my country if I am granted this scholarship.

Adventria, since this is a study plan, it should follow a specific requirement regarding your proposed thesis towards the end of the course. I am not sure what the requirements are for your scholarship study plan but, based upon my experience, you need to focus more on the motivation that you have for your line of study. Think about what it is about literature that drew you to it. Whether it be a specific author or a memorable story, these should be able to help you consider what kind of thesis you wish to undertake as a student. What is it about literature that first drew you to it? Do you believe that the research in that field has been completed? If not, what other avenue of study or information do you think you can still pursue and why? Create your study plan around that idea. Don't worry about actually being able to complete this thesis as a student. This is just a proposal that you may or may not pursue at the appropriate time. Right now, the reviewer just wants to be sure that you truly understand what the course requirements are and that you are a truly motivated student who will complete the course and not quit midstream.

@Holt Thank you for your suggestion, Holt. Actually I'm writing this study plan for the requirement to apply a scholarship for my master degree. I've already gained my bachelor degree in English Literature, and I apply for the master degree in Psychology. I still confused how to make a good study plan, as there is no clear requirement of what to state in the study plan. Do you think I should omit mentioning my undergraduate thesis on my study plan to avoid the misunderstanding. And I still confuse about how to correlate between my bachelor degree in literature and my master (that I'm going to apply) in psychology. I wish you could help me with this 😢

Here in the US, a study plan is basically a list of the courses you plan to take semester by semester to obtain your degree, and as Holt said, in the case of a graduate degree, it would also include information on your planned research or thesis. But from my understanding, a study plan in China on the other hand is very similar to a Statement of Purpose. It should tell what you plan to study of course, but also why you want to attend a specific university or study in a specific country and how getting this degree will help you achieve your goals. You should also talk about your qualifications, including your education, work experience, awards and so on and how all these experiences contribute to your goals and make you an ideal candidate for your chosen school and field. Personally, I think there are a lot of connections between literature and psychology. A big part of literary criticism is trying to get into the minds of the author and the characters she has created, which seems like it might apply to psychology. Your readers will know what your undergraduate thesis was from reading your other application materials, so I think it would be better to explain why you are making this change instead of ignoring it.