Hi :) I'm going to study abroad in Japan. the university offering scholarship for the outstanding international students but i need to write some essays to convince them that i worth it. each question has to have approximately 300 words. so if you could help me by giving suggestions or maybe grammatical corrections, i will be so grateful. this is what i have written so far :)
PS : apparently, my mind got stucked on the last two questions. i dont know what to write anymore.
1. Please write the reason/s why you wish to study in APU
To study and to live in Japan is to be part of the Japanese community. For me, since Japanese are famous for their unique culture, attitude and work ethics, I'm looking forward to being a Japanese student and to merge with Japanese culture. I'm hoping that I will be able to explore the place to get better taste of Japan. It has always been my dream to have an exciting and challenging experience of studying abroad in Japan.
I consider APU as a perfect place to bring my dream into reality because it has a multicultural and multilingual environment to study in. It will definitely give me the ability of a leader, to respect others' value, yet to keep my identity as an Indonesian. APU will also give me, a Japanese speaking beginner, the opportunity to boost my English and to learn Japanese as well. Even though I have zero experience with the language, I love to learn it
Some of my friends think that living in Beppu, a small town, is not as good as living in big cities because it lacks of things to do. But I believe that Beppu will be a nice place to study because of it's less distracting, friendly and safe environment. From what I learned during my exchange year, living in a small community gets me very close relationships with the people. Thus, I want stay in Beppu, not only to study for my Bachelor degree, but also to make friends and to obtain a lifetime experience.
2. Please write the reason/s for your first choice of college
I'm an outgoing person and I love to meet new people. I get excited for any competition and challenge I'm facing. Then I have a passion to be an entrepreneur and make my own company in the future. Those are several reasons why I choose APM, for I know it fits me.
Another reason is related to my plan of life. In this developing century, finding the right job could be a difficult thing to do. But knowledge of business can be applied in many kinds of field. It surely has a very bright prospect for living. Honestly, after graduated, I want to be a person of my own, not relying to my family anymore. I want to work in a multinational company, gaining business experience then finally building my own company.
So I believe that APM will be a good choice in shaping me to be a person worthy for these dreams.
3. Please write about any commendable experiences that you have
Last year, when I was 16, I joined an international exchange student program named AFS. Then after a long period of test and preparation, I left Indonesia to United States for a year. I went to USA as an ambassador of Indonesia and Islam to bridge the understanding between Americans and Moslem. At that time of my life, I was introduced to the world beyond Indonesia.
I experienced more than I thought I would. I met hundreds of kids from different countries. We spoke different languages, we had different religions, and we even had different values. But there we had the same purpose. Then we are all trying to understand each other. At the end of the year, all of us got along very well. I learned so much from them about tolerance and respect.
Living a year in a very different place with strangers was not easy for me. At first, it was so hard to adapt in such different cultures and people. Everything just seemed peculiar. The school system, the way to make friends, the table manner, the thing-you-should-say, and the-thing-you-should-not. Lucky me, I had a really nice host family who helped and taught me a lot. I also had some very nice friends who accepted me for who I am.
I tried so many new things. I tried sports, which I hadn't ever tried in my home country. I joined choir and we performed several times. I was involved in the stage play, girl scouts, and skillUSA. I was also active in the German Club. Once we visited the elementary school kids and taught them the language. Even though I had been pretty busy, I was able to keep my grades up. Proven by the Student of the Month award that I achieved twice.
Every person in town knew that I'm a Moslem exchange student, the only one in that town. They were so excited to ask me many things about Islam and about Indonesia. In fact, most people knew very little about those. Some people didn't know where and how Indonesia was. More people had a total wrong perception about Islam. So I told them what I knew and it changed their incorrect opinion.
The memory of living in such place remains until now. I notice that I've changed after a year. I became more mature, friendly, open-minded, disciplined, and diligent.
4. What are your plans after graduating from APU? How do you plan to contribute to the international society?
After graduating from APU, I plan to work in a multinational company either in Japan or Indonesia. Then after several years of practicing and experiencing the matter of work, I plan to build a company that will help poor people. Just like what Muhammad Yunus did. He was not only a professor of economics at Chittagong University, but also a Nobel Peace Prize Laurate. He developed the concepts of microcredit and microfinance then built The Grameen Bank. He helped the poor to establish better life through small loans he gave. The great deeds he had done started when he decided to learn economy in order to contribute something to his country, Bangladesh.
In my life, I simply want to help less fortunate people. I want to be a volunteer to create peace and to solve problems world having head on.
5. How well do you intend to perform academically as an APU scholarship recipient?
Very well. Since learning in APU as a scholarship recipient is a huge and rare opportunity, I will do my best. I will definitely keep my grades up, join some competitions, exchange programs, or any academic opportunities that will come to me. Apparently, I plan to take a part-time job to support my study financially.
6. What kind of student life do you plan to lead as a scholarship student at APU?
I believe that college is a time for learning - but not only about academics. In my opinion, it is a time for learning about one's own self. Personal growth and development are the key components of college years. College is also place to gain adventure in life.
So I plan to keep myself busy with useful activities. I will be involved in clubs to make friends. That will help me to live there for I'm worried that adapting to the environment will be hard. I will also present positive impact in social life of APU. I will share positive values between Indonesian and other nationalities around, specially Japanese.
