Please review my personal statement. Following are the guide questions according to 2021:
- 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.
I am a curious person who is always in awe of everything around me. How, when and why a particular thing was created? Look around you, all the things which you see are in some way, chemically processed. I am fascinated by the impact chemical engineers can have in the industry. The skills they have are important for the success of the final product. Chemical engineering is an evergreen field. A chemical engineer will always be needed in some or the other way. My curiosity and keen habit of reading about the chemical processes of how things are produced as well as realizing the difference I could make in the society, led me to firmly believe that I would indeed become a chemical engineer. In my first year of college, I had inter-disciplinary courses such as Applied Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Basic Electrical Engineering, Engineering Drawing & Communication Skills which laid the foundation for my major courses such as Thermodynamics, Process Calculations, Fluid Mechanics & Transport Phenomena. I am currently in my last year of my bachelor's degree and working on my final year thesis on 'Biogas Production from Food Waste' in which we are building a prototype that will be cost effective. I am also writing a review paper on 'Process Intensification' & 'Solar Energy Based Hydrogen Production Using Water'. While studying the course Business Communication Ethics, I made a technical book report on 'Conversion of Waste Plastic into Fuel' as a part of group project for which I was awarded 44/50 marks. During my third year, I interned in the Process Engineering Department at Lupin Limited during the pandemic, which was a great practical opportunity for me to learn and observe how a pharmaceutical industry works and understand the application of the theoretical knowledge I gained in Heat Transfer, Mass Transfer and Chemical Reaction Engineering courses. I learned about the safety measures, various departments, equipment designing and role of chemical engineers in the pharmaceutical industry. I also did an internship in my first year at Arura Crystals as a web developer intern where I learned how to build a website for the e-commerce store. Managed the inventory and stocks, clicked and edited photos and videos for the website. Maintained website analysis spreadsheet by monitoring activity. Managed several tasks concurrently with minimum supervision. Moreover, I attended webinars during the lockdown on 'Challenges in Biofuel productions', 'Uses of Membranes in Treatment of Wastewater' & 'Treatment of Environmentally Present Chemicals Using Mega Sonic Reactor' conducted by the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers.
The undergraduate study is instrumental in equipping a student with the bottom rules of a topic, but only provides a broad appreciation of the sector. I feel that dedicated research is equally important as academics to realize in-depth knowledge of a topic. Graduate study provides the right environment to pursue research and thus gain a far better perspective. Chonnam National University is among the best graduate schools within Asia and my first choice for pursuing my master's degree as it offers excellent opportunities for research in chemical engineering. The lab facilities provided by CNU are impeccable. Given a chance to pursue my master's at CNU through GKS, I'm confident that I will be able to contribute substantially to the continued research. The chemical industry is a major industry of South Korea and the third-largest industry in the manufacturing sector which has played an important role in the development of South Korea. Moreover, South Korea is a developed country & home to globally renowned chemical companies like LG Chem Ltd., Hanwha Solutions Corporation, LOTTE Chemical & SK Chemicals.
Due to the pandemic, I moved in with my family after 4 years. I had moved out of my parent's house after finishing my 10th grade, at the age of 16 to pursue my higher studies. Living alone, far away from my family made be independent and self-sufficient. I learned to do laundry, cook food, manage my finances, travel alone, buy supplies and to enjoy living alone. My parents have inspired me to create the best possible outcome of a negative situation and knowing their struggles & hardships has always kept me motivated to do my best to achieve my goals & be an idol figure to my younger sister. My father is the first in our family to obtain a bachelor's degree. My mother is a housewife and she also stitches clothes as an extra source of income.
Throughout my academic years, I have always managed to score good grades while participating in extracurricular activities like dance, drawing and singing competitions as well as being good at sports. Since my third year of college, I have been a volunteer at National Service Scheme, which is an extension of activities to orient the student youth to community service while they are studying in education institutions, under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Govt. of India. Our college has adopted five rural villages so that we can add some values to the students' lives in the sector of sports, education and personal hygiene. My first year was memorable for me as I was part of the college dance team that won first prize at the Inter-college Dance Competition in CHAOS festival conducted by Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and several prizes at the other college fests dance competition. Moreover, I have been professionally trained in Bharatanatyam (a classical dance form of India) since I was 3 years old and also scored distinction in the diploma exam. I have also represented my state, Maharashtra, two times at national level in the Under 16 Volleyball tournament conducted by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Govt. of India. I was also the platoon commander of my unit during Independence Day celebration in the National Cadet Corps Unit-2 in my school and obtained 'A' certificate. One of the fond memories of my childhood is when I was 4 years old & I had won the first prize in a drawing competition in which I had drawn a scenery of lake side. The reason I got the prize was the fact I also drew the reflections of the trees, boats & people standing at the lakeside. I remember my parents & teachers being really proud about this.
For me, the will to fulfil dreams prevails over any sense of hardship. Therefore, when selected as a GKS Scholar, I will take full advantage of the prestigious opportunity awarded to me by the Govt. of South Korea and work harder than ever to learn from the best professors at one of the best universities which would be ordinally not possible for me otherwise. At the end of the day, learning in a developed country is very different & far more beneficial than learning in a developing country.