Scholarship / GKS - Personal statement, biological sciences - motivations, family, experiences, activities, awards [3]

personal statement for gksu program

Hello, it is my personal statement for a gksu program. I would appreaciate a critical review. What I am the most worried of is that the essay may be tough to read. It would most beneficial if you provaided my your opinion whether some parts of the essay are unnecessary or sounds inapropriate. Thank you in advance, Bartek.

High-molecular compounds around 100 000 times smaller than a single polish penny, capable of lowering blood pressure, slowing down virus infections and conducting anti-cancer reactions. Fucoidans. Learning about them during one of Jagiellonian university lectures made me realise to what extent I am fascinated by biological sciences. After I had avidly listened to the entire lecture, I approached the professor and asked about all my uncertainties. This was my first close contact with an acclaimed scientist and seeing how passionately he spoke about his main field of interest and answered all my questions I chose to become a person as dedicated as him. Nevertheless, now, looking back at my life I notice how not only this particular situation but all the ventures I had taken and hardships I overcame led to my biological interest.

Being rewarded as "the best volleyball player of the school" and encouraged by my PE teacher I had positively performed in the fit exam and joined volleyball class in the sport middle school. For over 3 years I have been a member of "Cuprum Lubin" city club which obligated me to attend daily trainings and play matches in the province League at weekends. The great amount of time I devoted to volleyball and my team's hard work resulted in our advancing to quarter-finals (2018) and semi-finals (2019) at the national level but importantly taught me accountability and wise time managing skills. Both skills were invaluable in my 3rd grade of middle school which was extremely challenging given my engagement in the school volunteer club and the school council. As a member of both organisations, I had extra responsibilities to perform. I worked on organising fund rise-ups and visits to a local animal shelter simultaneously with taking part in council assemblies. Even though I was engaged in many extracurricular activities I finished 2nd in my school, gaining a city president scholarship and winning 1st prize at the national contest of healthy nutrition "Trzymaj formę" organised by the Polish Chief Sanitary Inspectorate. While preparing for this contest I got an opportunity to broaden my biological knowledge by learning about topics extending the school curriculum.

With the start of high school new chapter of my life began. I got accepted to the best school in my city in bio-chemical class for my high GPA and extra activities. Grateful for the best condition to develop myself I was motivated to pursue my biological interest and continue my volleyball trainings. Sadly enough, shortly could I enjoy the new chapter. After one semester, the Covid pandemic outbroke which resulted in remote teaching. During this time polish educational system has struggled significantly and so have I. Most lessons were cancelled and the only few teachers who decided to carry online lessons stumbled upon countless technical obstacles. All these uncertainties affected me severely and I lost my previous eagerness for studying. Days had gone dully and unproductively, and I could not find any support amongst my volleyball teammates as all the trainings had been cancelled. However, I managed to overcome the feeling of loneliness and helplessness with the help of music. I took up the piano and it quickly became my consolation during this hard period. After some time of dedicated self-studying, I chose to enrol on the piano school where I thoroughly studied and obtained a diploma of distinction. Replacing sport with piano is something I would never expect but only because of that I regained my life energy and eagerness for studying during difficult times of covid. I continue playing the piano until today and I am positive that if ever I encounter another hard time in my life, I can surpass it with my passion for music. Throughout high school, I have learnt a lot about myself, and I have realised my future goals as well as developing many crucial skills. I built on my teamwork skills while working in a team of 5 visionary people, co-creating the first 3 publications of the school's original newspaper and as a class president I worked on my leadership, being responsible for organising trips and taking the best care of class issues. Because of attending, the most passionate and knowledgeable teacher I have ever met, Dr Skowrońska lessons I developed excellent English skills scoring X on the IELTS exam and finishing amongst the top 1% takers of the polish A-level exam in English. But most of all I deepened my biological knowledge. While most of my school colleagues have learnt all the topics by heart, I always tried to understand certain phenomena. It often resulted in questions arousing in my head, questions I could not find answers to in high school textbooks. That is why I avidly joined extracurricular courses in both chemistry and biology. I attended a chemistry academy for 3 years and a 6-month long online biology course where I gained a broad range of knowledge. Moreover, during my 2nd grade, I took part in a programme organised by the Jagiellonian department of biochemistry, biophysics and biotechnology which allowed me to study more advanced topics such as the structure of polysaccharides and carotenoids, the potential of fucoidans, process of angiogenesis and endothelial stem cells usage.

Living in a nuclear family with 2 brothers my parents have always had a lot on their minds, yet I have never been declined help. Whether it was math, physic or any other subject my Mother was always eager to help me understand a particular topic. My Dad, who regardless of full-time work chose to continue his education, taking numerous courses and recently obtaining an MBA degree is living proof to me, that one can learn and develop itself throughout his entire life. To me, Korea is the place where I want to continue my growth and start the journey of higher education. I first started to get more interested in Korea after listening to the young pianist Lee Hyuk, during the 18th Chopin competition. Shortly after I realised how similar history-wise is Korea and Poland. Fascinated by cultural richness and historical resemblance I decided on visiting Korea myself. This June I spent ever so productive and beneficial time in Seoul, staying at a host family and diligently studying Korean language at EF school. I got to know several inspiring people and experienced Koreans' life-attitude which was a life-changing episode. Ambitious, eager, and goal-oriented yet at the same time most warm and vivant, being capable to enjoy even the shortest period of free time after hours of hard work. That is how I recall Koreans. I wish to study in Korea with the aim of acquiring similar life-approach. Achieving remarkable results in the academic field with my thorough work yet simultaneously appreciating small things and being a contented person. Having the 4th greatest number of biotechnological patents in the world and being the homeland of Asian best science journal "Experimental and molecular medicine" with an outstanding 91 H index, South Korea is one of the most prominent countries in the biological R&D sector. With world-class universities and renowned scientists, I am positive that it is the best place for me to pursue my biological interest.

Provided the help of GKS the biggest obstacle restraining me from taking up higher education in a foreign country can disappear. My family could never afford the high tuition fee and cost of living in different country hence obtaining this scholarship is my only possibility of studying at top universities. Seoul national university with over 800 classes taught in English, natural science departments comparable with top USA universities and an over 10% international student ratio is the best school to not only obtain thorough knowledge but also to make a wide network of international contacts. Pusan university's IGB international research institute carries out experiments in a very promising field of identifying microorganisms by using nanotechnology where I could gain invaluable experience. While at Kyungpook university I could attend interesting courses closest to my interest such as "medical virology" and "infection microbiology". I am confident that enrolling on any of these universities results in my acquiring outstanding biological knowledge which I will use not only during my academic years in Korea but also exchange with scientific institutes in Poland. In the spirit of "knowledge multiplies with sharing" I will share my experiences and contribute to building Korean-Polish relationships in the field of biological research by using associations made during my stay in Korea.