Posts by hangvo2806

hangvo2806

Mar 22, 2019

Scholarship / Personal Statement to apply GKS 2019/University Track to MBA program [4]

Hello there. I'm trying to give you a constructive feedback as possible. I don't want to be rude or aggressive. To say that you have the ability to do independent research, you must show the committee a published paper that you actually worked on it. Independent research means you do the research by your accumulated research skills and a supervision from a senior researcher (Co-authoring). You have to do a literature review to writing up a paper based on what you analyzed from the data set. Have you ever done it before? then show it up. If you don't, try not to mention it since there is no evidence to prove that you can do an independent research (Same with your time management skills). And they would question you on what evidence you say that you're a fully qualified candidate? In addition, you said you appreciated Koreans in your country. Did you show your appreciation to them by working volunteer for a Korean organization in your country? I strongly advise that start your own essay and write it down from your heart. Referencing sentences from another applicant's essay is absolutely fine since we can learn from each other. But please be aware of whatever you write in your essay is from your own experience and prepare evidence to show that.

hangvo2806

Feb 10, 2019

Scholarship / Personal statement for KGSP, master of public health [5]

Hello there. I'm assuming you know how to do a quantitative research because you said you have learned how to use SPSS? I think you should elaborate more on that fact rather than saying you know how to use SPSS. SPSS is just a computer software to analyze data. Saying that you know how to do a quantitative research would be way better as it shows how you i can do an independent research. That's the useful skill for your chosen master degree.

Have you noticed that NIIED has decided to change the scholarship program's name into GKS (Global Korea Scholarship) instead of KGSP in 2019? If you download the guideline on NIIED, you would find their announcement about changing the name of the scholarship. While it's just a minor point, I think updating latest guideline would be better since it shows them that you're well-prepared during the application process by not using the incorrect name.

Hope the above help you have a better essay. All the best to your application. ^^

hangvo2806

Feb 10, 2019

Scholarship / KGSP PERSONAL STATEMENT ESSAY - Embassy Track [4]

@callmekana
Hello there. I hope my advice would be helpful for you to help your essay more persuasive. I think you should try to explain why you want to study master and what have you done so far to develop your skills for a postgraduate study. Because a master thesis requires you to conduct an independent research under the supervision of a professor. Try to elaborate what have you done to gain research skills and experience. Let's say you read books about research methods or attending classes regarding research methodology. That are valuable experience in relation to your chosen degree. You should emphasize on the fact that you're capable of doing research and that you can do an independent research. They won't give you the scholarship if they think you're ready to conduct a research by yourself.

I think the scholarship committee wants to know if you are passionate about doing research (because you're about to do a master thesis) and if you have research skills to fulfill your degree within the time required. If they don't see it through your application, they would put your application aside and consider someone else. You're also asked to study Korean for 1 year to obtain a language certificate, so try to tell them that you're interested in that and tell them that the reason why you want to study in Korea. Matching yourself with their requirements will help them understand that they should give you the scholarship rather than other candidates. I think it is important to know what they want rather than what we want to achieve first.

Again, this is my personal thoughts. I hope it help you develop a better essay. All the best to your application! ^^

hangvo2806

Feb 10, 2019

Scholarship / (University track) KGSP 2019 PERSONAL STATEMENT [3]

Thank you so much. I really appreciate your review. I will revise the statement again to check grammatical mistakes. It is great to hear that the essay is up to the standard. If you're persuaded, I think it is easier to pass through the screening round ^^. Thank you. Have a great day.

Update:

Dear Mary, just hope to share with you that I didn't pass the screening round of KGSP but I appreciate your feedback regarding my essay. I hope all the best to you. It's great to know that my essay was well-written even though I wasn't selected.

hangvo2806

Feb 8, 2019

Scholarship / (University track) KGSP 2019 PERSONAL STATEMENT [3]

Hello everyone. I'm applying for the KGSP 2019 through the university track to study PhD in Korea. Below is my personal statement for the scholarship. I hope to hear your opinions regarding the essay. I really appreciate all your constructive feedback. Thank you all. I follow the guideline to construct my essay as follow.

PERSONAL STATEMENT - why Korea?

In 2015, I was one of the contestants of the Korean writing contest organized by the Korea Foundation (KF) and Kookmin Bank (KB) while I was an undergraduate student majored in Korean studies. Much to my surprise, the judges were impressed by my idea of that Korea was 'a country of miracles' regarding the essay question: "Korea seen from outside". The response was based on my knowledge originated from Korean textbooks and 1 year experience as an exchange student at Seoul National University (SNU) in 2013. At that time, I perceived Korea as a living example of a country which made the incredible transformations. After the Korean War, Korea had evolved from one of the world's poorest countries to a leading developed economy in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as one of the world' best education systems in the 20th century. With an essay expressed my thoughts and a hope that Vietnam could achieve such amazing developments like Korea, I was chosen as one of the four Vietnamese representatives participated in the 2015 KF-KB Overseas Korean Language programs taken place in Seoul, together with a number of Korean and international colleagues from other Asian countries. Attending this program had completely changed my life. Initially, I planned to pursue a master of tourism degree in Korea as I was always passionate about travelling and promoting Vietnam's natural beauty and cultural heritage to the world since I was young. With my previous experience at SNU, it was undoubtedly that I could adapt well to the postgraduate study in Korea even though I decided to study a different academic field. I was confident with my educational background since I had been a top student with a GPA of 87/100 and a number of academic achievements in relation to Korean studies. However, I learned a valuable lesson about the constant self-improvement toward personal success after the trip to Korea.

During the program, the encounter with both Korean and international students who were very fluent in both Korean and English, as well as knowledge about their own country helped me realize the importance of improving my English proficiency and professional knowledge if I decided to develop a career in tourism industry. I satisfied with all the accomplishments without acknowledging my own limitations. I reckoned that I was not fully qualified to be a tourism profession by merely being proficient in Korean. Hence, I decided to put aside my GKS application and applied for the Master of Tourism program at Monash University (MU), Australia even though I was tempted to a postgraduate study in Korea. However, I have never forgotten the main motivation brought me to Australia, that is one day I will be recognized as a Vietnamese scholar specialized in Asia Pacific tourism and travel. I did not let a lack of tourism knowledge and research skills limit my future opportunities. I was actively engaging in several quantitative and qualitative research projects with professors from Monash University, including research initiatives regarding the international tourists' perceptions and satisfaction to regional Australia and the online destination image of Ho Chi Minh City perceived the by Korean tourists. The more I delved myself in academic research, the more I realized my eagerness of conducting doctoral research, specifically in relation to international tourist behaviour. In preparing for my doctoral study, I also undertook a range of intense research-based units, which trained me on writing research proposals and conducting independent research. I put all my effort to achieve an overall GPA of 3.5/4.0 and a conference paper presented at Griffith University before graduated.

To gain an insightful understanding of how to promote tourism in an international context, I worked for the Korean Tourism Organization (KTO) as a tourism ambassador at the two biggest tourism expos in Melbourne. I applied my field interview and quantitative research skills to assist KTO conduct a survey questionnaire at the expos. With the previous experience working in research projects engaged international researchers from Asia-Pacific countries, I was also able to promote Korean tourism to Australians and international tourists visited Melbourne using my multicultural communication skills. Thanks to the experience, I reckoned my strong desire to build my research career through achieving a doctoral degree in Korea. It is not only because of my personal attachment to the country which shaped my present academic pathway, but also my intention to gain an in-depth understanding about one of the most visited countries in the Asia Pacific region and as Vietnam's second largest source market in terms of tourist arrivals. I am motivated to apply for GKS program as I strongly believe that the professional skills I have gained over the past 2 years in Australia could help me successfully achieve a doctoral degree within the 3 years requirement. Moreover, my trilingual skills would also be beneficial in strengthening the strategic cooperation in tourism development between Vietnam and Korea, as well as promoting Korean tourism to Asia Pacific countries which is my main geographic research focus in my future post-doctoral study.

Many asked me why do I choose Korea instead of Australia. In fact, I always appreciate the skills that I have learnt from my postgraduate study in Australia and volunteer activities with the City of Melbourne and Consulate General of the Republic of Korea. I had seen myself to be more independent and responsible in every aspect since I had to work part-time to pay my own living expenses while in Australia. I have also received much support from my lecturers at MU. However, compared to MU, I took into account the greater number of publications on well-known tourism journals by Kyung Hee University (KHU)'s academic staff in the field of tourists' behavior which was the main focus of my postgraduate research. Being able to work under the supervision of academic experts from the field I chose will facilitate my doctoral research within my planned time frame, since I also hope to continue my post-doctoral study in Asia Pacific tourism. With all the above-mentioned factors, I believe I am a fully qualified candidate who can successfully achieve a doctoral degree of Global Tourism and Hospitality aT KHU, demonstrated by my ability to conduct independent research, my multinational communication skills and time management.