Personal Statement GKS - English language and literature major

Global Korea Scholarship application

I'd appreciate it a lot if you could give me a review! The topics are:

Motivations with which you apply for this program;
Family and Education background;
Significant experiences you have had; risks you have taken and achievements you have made, persons or events that have had a significant influence on you;

Extracurricular activities such as club activities, community service activities or work experiences;
If applicable, describe awards you have received, publications you have made, or skills you have acquired, etc.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "the world belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams" and I believe GKS is the dream I have learned to view as beautiful. It is my dream full of beauty. An exceptional program like this, full of growth and connection opportunities is something most people can only daydream about but I want to turn this dream into my reality.

Keeping this in mind, I can say that since I found out about South Korea and its amazing values, I fell in love with the country. From the cinematic to the musical industries, everything about it is wonderful. What really caught my attention though was all the effort South Koreans put into everything they aim for. The educational system has flaws just as any other system but it is inspiring to see how hard students work to achieve their goals and that is the main reason I chose to apply for GKS. I want to improve myself, become better not only academically but also as a person and I believe that South Korea is the right place for me. A country that overcame many struggles and managed to become a developed nation referenced for its technology is the perfect environment for those wishing to learn and accomplish greater things - which is exactly what I want.

While growing up in a family that received only enough to go through every month, I learned how valuable money really is. After my parents retired, we got to spoil ourselves with some pleasures here and there but it is still only ever enough to make it till the end of every month. Dealing with money has been something I learned from a young age and I am thankful for it and for everything my parents provided for me because I know how hard it was for them when I wanted something but our finances could not take it. I attended the same public school since I was 7 years old and my parents were always strict when it came to studying so I tried to keep my grades as high as I could.

I spent almost eleven years going to the same school, meeting the same people and having the same routine so it was quite hard to accept that it had changed after I graduated at the age of 18. I was lost and did not understand what I wanted, I felt like I was stuck and all my classmates were moving forward. They were all achieving big things and working to make their dreams come true while I was still trying to find myself. I only knew I wanted to go to college so I could provide for my parents someday but that was not as easy as I believed. My family cannot pay for a good education in a private university and the application process to enter public universities is not easy or cheap, either. That is how I started searching for other opportunities.

Equally important is the fact that I always had difficult socializing with others so when I started my part-time job as an English teacher in 2019, I thought it would not work out. I was not used to interacting with strangers and even less with having to teach them. However, against all my beliefs, it worked out pretty well. In fact, I had always been passionate about languages and I was great at English during my school years but I had never thought about pursuing a career in the area so being able to have that kind of experience at such a young age opened new doors to me. That is how I found out I was actually good at sharing my knowledge with others and English was something I wanted to have in my daily life.

As a result, I have been working as a part-time English teacher for three years now and my love for the English language has just been growing. I still have a long way to go and a lot of stuff to learn but the experience of teaching people of all ages and introducing them to a completely different language was an important part of my life. I also started to do volunteer work in an online project called English Club (@######) which helps people learn English for free. I have been enjoying everything a lot and I believe that with a better education, I can share more knowledge and inspire more people to do whatever they want. I understand it is not easy but I know that if given the opportunity, I will bring the best version of myself to life. I worked hard to get everything I have today and I will work even harder if it means achieving my dreams.

The main question that is not responded to in this statement is, why would a non-native English speaker want to study English language and literature in a county that does not teach their classes in English but in Hangul? English being a rarely used form of academic communication. Bearing in mind that you have to pass a Korean language rather than English language test, one will wonder if you have fully considered the validity of your chosen major. There is no proper motivation presented and justification to study in Korea based on the chosen major Additionally, there are no notable English language accomplishments to explain the start and development of the interest in English language and literature.