Hello, EssayForum! I am a 23-year-old female from Indonesia. I want to apply for KGSP Scholarship in Korea this year and one of the essays required for it is about self introduction. Please assist me to perfect my essay even more as English is not my mother tongue. I want to apply via embassy which allows me to choose 3 different universities and I am interested in the same major for each university, which is Visual Communication Design. Thank you!
o Your course of life, your view of life, study background, your hopes & wishes, etc
o Your education and work experience, etc., in relation to the KGSP program
o Your motivations for applying for this program
o Reason for study in Korea
In over 20 years, my family has migrated at least thrice to Java and Sumatra island. Indonesian people, especially from Minangkabau ethnic group, would call this migration as merantau. Migration and merantau might be considered as the same practice but truth is, the latter is more about an ethnic group's cultural thing. The purpose is to leave one's hometown for education, work and broader life experiences in general. When I knew that my passion since childhood was drawing, I made my mind to study in a place that would suit me the most. Thus, my first journey was migrating from Jakarta to Bandung city in 20xx for my future campus.
I managed to break through the tough competition in college entrance and was accepted at XXX Institute, which is one of the best campuses in Indonesia. It is a science and technology campus that produces many nationally acclaimed people, but it is also famous for its Department of Art and Design, which I enrolled in. I had to be away from my parents for the first time in 18 years for college but it was very worth it. I was given the opportunity to meet people from different places and of various ethnic groups, learn the local language and etiquette, and also became more independent. After going through the freshman year in Art and Design, I began my second year in college as a Visual Communication Design major.
In the Visual Communication Design major, I decided to focus on graphic design specifically, because I found typography, photography, and illustration to be the most engaging. I went through an internship at a graphic design studio for a couple of months and participated in several exhibitions. My first office job was working as a graphic designer at XXX Foundation, a place to manage volunteers on teaching IT to high school teachers and hold education seminars. I was responsible in designing magazines and promotional tools for the foundation. Currently, I work at XXX (Indonesian Ministry of National XXX) in Directorate of Industry, Science, Tourism and Creative Economy. My job includes making infographics to convey the government's work program, transforming statistics into public information and many more. After having worked as a freelancer and office worker for almost 3 years in Indonesia, I feel the need to go merantau once again for studying Visual Communication Design with more depth. This time, I am interested in Korea.
My interest in studying in Korea was piqued when I discovered several Korean music videos that had similar pastel visuals with unusual stories and symbolisms. Later I found out all of them were directed by XXX, a small creative production team based in Seoul. It made me realize that there was a visual trend in Korean music industry started by their fresh work. The graphic design for Korean musicians' albums is also very appealing, as it is not your usual CD jewel cases. Each album has a theme that projects the musician's whole concept such as the costumes and stage design. It is clear that music and visual design complement each other, displaying a strong branding to the public. I have the impression that art and design in Korea have developed very much compared to Indonesian creative industry, which makes me want to learn more from the best.
I choose to pursue a Master's degree in Visual Communication Design via the KGSP scholarship because it offers more educational and cultural experiences than other programs I have encountered. As someone who works for the government, cultural exchanges among other KGSP scholars around the world would inspire me to contribute for my own country's development. Furthermore, Korea is known as an advanced country with influential creations and innovations from many different fields. In the past decade, Korea has become one of the emerging countries that rival the Western nations in terms of popular culture alone. Koreans themselves might not believe this but as a foreigner, I can feel the impact, making me at least familiar with a glimpse of their perspectives. I am enthusiastic about studying not just my own course, but also Korean language and life directly in the peninsula.
Hi Putri, I can't wait to read your revise essay.
While you're doing your revision, do keep in mind the following;
- mind the English language rules as they can be tricky, as tricky
as they are though, don't be afraid to experiment and play with words
- be creative if you need to, however, make sure that you address the
prompt as straight forward as possible unless otherwise required.
- be prompt with the facts and figures, make sure that when you write,
the facts are gathered from a reputable source, this is a very good practice
and will be very helpful not only to writing but also in your daily life.
- keep your paragraphs bold and not in small cluster of sentences.
Lastly, let your mind speak and your heart listen when you write.
You know what, I write whatever I have in my mind and I have been practicing
this for as long as I can remember, it is a powerful tool that made my dreams
come true. It is true that your mind is very powerful and when you out it into writing
it's like you're giving life to make your dream come to life.
I hope this helps.
Hello, Ivy. Thank you so much for the additional tips! It will be really helpful for me. I think I can say that my grammar is almost good enough but sometimes I can't form efficient sentences for a formal essay. I have tried many times in applying scholarships and this is by far my favorite essay, although I'm not sure if other people would see that it's good and interesting enough to catch their attention.
Unfortunately, I just found someone who posted their essay recently with a sentence that almost resembled mine on this forum. I'm disappointed because I wouldn't know if that person will use it or not in the future, so I guess I will have to change mine without posting it publicly? :/ But this forum really helped me a lot!
Hi Putri, I'm glad to hear that we were able to help you out in your essay,
EF has helped a lot of students and writers alike and we will definitely help more
in days to come.
With regards to the posted essay that you think is the same as yours, you don't have to worry
about that, EF verifies and does not tolerate plagiarism. All the comments, suggestions, articles and
any writing piece here on EF is being screened and the rules are strict and is played across the board.
Moreover, there is a proper sanction for those who violate the rules that governs EF, so you can be sure
that if there is such a case as you mentioned, they will be properly sanctioned, having said that, I hope
that you continue writing and practice more, hone your talent in writing. One day you will be able to help
others too, this is how we all started. I hope I was able to encourage you to write more and defused that
doubt of publicly posting your thread and writing materials.
