Scholarship / KGSP personal statement essay - management and leadership [4]

Hi! I'm applying for KGSP scholarship. I would be really greatful if you helped me to improve my essay. Thank you in advance!

o Motivations with which you apply for this program
o Your education and work experiencein relation to the KGSP
o Reason for studying in Korea
o Any other aspects of your background and interests which may help us evaluate your aptitude and passion for graduate study or research.

my candidacy FOR kgsp

Dear Selection Committee,
The fact that I, being a senior student of a linguistic faculty with sensitive nature, eager to change my major and to immerse myself into an absolutely different world of analytics, statistics and stiff competition might seem quite perplexing at first. Nevertheless, I will try to substantiate my views and willingness.

Eight years of sports, namely aerobic gymnastics, inculcated me discipline, purposefulness, and ability to work in a team, which in the future helped me to cope with stressful situations. I also developed immunity to failures and defeats. As a third-year student, I applied for the student exchange program Work & Travel USA, but I did not take part in it due to the refusal of a visa. For me, this was not a reason for disappointment, but on the contrary, it motivated me to work even more and search for new opportunities for self-development. Being an active student, I took part in the International Francophonie Festival in association with L'Alliance Française as an actress in the Samuel Beckett`s play "That Time". It was an invaluable experience that helped me to overcome my fear of public speaking, as well as develop such useful qualities as eloquence and self-confidence. In addition, holding the post of head of the group for 4 years, I acquired the skills of organizing and leadership, and participation in university charity fairs greatly helped to evoke my active citizenship.

From the 1st year of university, I began doing a side job in an educational agency, which provides assistance to future students with admission to foreign universities, as well as assistance with adaptation to the realities of the country where they are going to study. I met many representatives of the universities from different countries, including Canada and the UK, therefore gaining useful experience related to interpersonal skills, communication, and marketing as one of my aims was to "sell" the university to the clients. Observing the work of the company, I concluded that a harmonious symbiosis of business and education could be an excellent opportunity for both students, opening new horizons and development prospects for them, and for host universities, which thus create an open-minded multicultural student community and attract additional investment. Since this company provides services only in Europe, North and South Americas, I have been pondering for about two years that in the future I want to create a place that will provide an opportunity for students from different parts of the world to receive education in the countries of the Asia-Pacific region such as China, Korea, and Japan. This might become a unique product in the education market, and also contribute to the spread and popularization of Asian culture, and Korean one in particular.

My choice fell on Korea for several reasons. And, the foremost one is the pace of development of the Korean economy, as well as the availability of favorable conditions for running a small business. South Korea is one of the few countries that in the minimum amount of time has managed to build a powerful state thanks to a competent management policy combined with the diligence and perseverance of its citizens, which is very appealing to me. Moreover, the close cooperation of Korean universities with universities in other Asian countries will provide me with an excellent opportunity to study all the advantages and disadvantages of the Asian educational space in order to promote Asia in other countries more effectively. Currently, I am attending Korean language classes and preparing to take the TOPIK exam in April.

While assisting at foreign education exhibitions, I noticed that I lack marketing skills, and I also lack knowledge in business planning and strategies that I can acquire through the KGSP program. In addition, this very program will help me to enhance my management and leadership skills, which are vital parts in leading a successful business. One of the missions of this program is to strengthen the spread of Korean language education. Thus, I strongly believe that my candidacy might become a great contribution to fulfilling this mission.