Graduate / My passion for Linguistics; self introduction - KGSP Graduate Program [2]

Hi everyone,

I'm going to apply for a scholarship in South Korea and I'm required to write a self introduction. The self introduction should contain: your course of life, your view of life, study background, your hopes & wishes, etc; your education and work experience, etc., in relation to the KGSP program; your motivations for applying for this program; and reason for study in Korea.

I'd be grateful if someone could proofread my self introduction. I'll appreciate any feedback.

Thank you :)

To be honest, I do not remember exactly when I decided I wanted to pursue a career in academia, a career path which combines teaching and researching. What I am sure is that I always love school and being in a class. Reading books is also something that I definitely enjoy doing. When I was in high school, I occupied myself with English books, dictionaries, and things to do to improve my English language fluency as I always have an excitement and enthusiasm for the language.

Before enrolling in university, I did not know I would enjoy and have passion for both teaching and researching. I thought I would only be enthusiastic in studying the English language since my main goal of studying English in college was to obtain an in-depth study about the language I was so fascinated by, but after years studying in university, conducting academic researches both under lecturers' supervision and independently, and teaching as an English tutor, I became aware of my keen interest in the academic world.

During my undergraduate studies in the English Department at Universitas Gadjah Mada, I have developed a strong passion for Linguistics, the science of language. The study of Linguistics is very important because it helps us to become more aware of our use of language, and one of the reasons for my interest in Linguistics is because it holds the answer to my questions and curiosity about the English language: the structures, the use in social context, the history and the relation between languages, the accents, the meaning, etc. This interest in Linguistics was gradually shaped throughout my life by different ways in which I have experienced languages as a learner, translator, writer, and as a tutor.

My first teaching experience was being an English tutor when I was in my third year in university. After a year teaching English to middle school and high school students, I took different part-time jobs as a freelance translator and an English content writer to gain work experience. However, the foreign-language teaching program of my community service reminded me of how vastly I enjoyed teaching foreign languages. The five-weeks community service, which I did in Sudimara village in Tabanan, Bali, in my sixth semester, gave me another great teaching experience besides the one I got from being an English tutor. I, together with two of my friends, taught English and Korean in two elementary schools and one middle school there, and also helped my friends from the Japanese Language Department teaching Japanese in those schools.

Studying in the English Department at Universitas Gadjah Mada enabled me to study various courses in the fields of both English Linguistics and English Literature, but the scientific study of language seemed to be more appealing to me. What particularly captured my attention were how sentences of a particular language are structured and how people acquire languages. Thus, I would like to focus my research on two main areas: syntax and second language acquisition. My undergraduate thesis, entitled The Classifications and Syntactic Structures of English Sentences in K-Pop Song Lyrics, achieved a high score and I believe that the researching technique and academic writing skills I gained during my undergraduate studies will be useful for my future research in master course.

I believe that completing a course in Linguistics would give me a great advantage in realizing my professional career as an academic, moreover it would also enable me to continue my studies to the doctoral level. I am convinced that having the possibility to study in South Korea will propel my future and benefit me not only academically but also spiritually and emotionally.

The opportunity to study in South Korea would not only provide me with one of the world's best educations but also introduce me to the country's rich cultural heritage, natural beauties, and great foods, and also allow me to experience living in a country with a highly competitive market and advance technology. I decided to apply for the KGSP Graduate Program because I believe that the knowledge and experience I will gain during the completion of this program would help shape me into an intellectually competent person and be beneficial in pursuing my professional career, as well as in the development of my intellect and personality.