KGSP Undergraduate Applications Personal Statement - Born to be a Filmmaker

Hello everyone. I am planning to apply for KGSP 2019. I think I still have a month left before the applications and it's really great if you could help me out in my essay because I'm really nervous and I really want to get this scholarship. So here are the instructions:

- 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.

my interest and passion for filmmaking

Watching movies has become more than a hobby for me. It grew into an experience where I can explore places, discover new culture, and witness people in their woe and victory. Aside from actors and their compelling acting on screen, I have always admired the people behind the camera for their amazing storytelling using their talents, technical skills and equipment. This made me dream to be a filmmaker and make my own films in the future.

I was in grade 9 when I volunteered to be a director in a short film for a small film festival in our school. The experience sparked my interest and passion for filmmaking. I immediately became interested in video editing. However, coming from a financially challenged family, I started teaching myself how to edit videos in just a small low-end laptop by watching YouTube tutorials.

My talents and skills were honed in a media arts-centered senior high school. I was mentored by professional media practitioners and immersed in work in one of the leading broadcast stations in the Philippines. These improved my directing, editing, and other related skill sets a lot. Moreover, it also strengthened my passion for filmmaking and made me realize that I was born to make films.

Inspired by our mentors' stories of journey in the media industry, I worked hard in my studies and persevered to be competent enough and be one of the top students. I was motivated even more when I graduated with honors and special awards. This made me dream bigger dreams and take higher risks.

The globally competitive educational system of South Korea is one of the main reasons why I want to pursue this scholarship. Furthermore, the nation is known for its brilliant, high-grossing, high quality movies that audiences all around the world look forward to see. With its rich history and a lot of stories to tell, South Korea is the best place to study film. I want to immerse myself with the country's film industry, know its secrets of filmmaking, and why is its storytelling and delivery so effective. I also want to know how films contribute and affect the Korean society and how these films help in nourishing their culture.

I also want to address certain social issues, most especially in the Philippines, through the films that I will make. I aspire to educate and awaken the audiences, make them reflect on what is really happening in the society they live in, raise awareness and hope that we all change for the better. I know that with the right education, skill mastery and competence, I would be able to do this and influence a lot of people.

Through South Korea's expertise in filmmaking, I can push myself even beyond limits. To study in a different country with highly competitive education is both a challenge and a privilege. It will make me get out of my comfort zone and will open myself to a new environment full of great opportunities that will provide a better future for me. I would also be able to integrate the ideas of the Philippine and South Korean film industry to provide a wider scope of concepts.

With high aspirations and burning passion, KGSP will help me materialize these dreams and take not one, but two steps closer to it.

Hi.
There is a grammatical mistake in your essay. In paragraph 5, you should change the sentence ... Because the structure is "Look forward + to V-ing".

Good luck to you! Hope you get the scholarship.

Louie, you only addressed 2 aspects of the overall prompt. The overall essay is perfect in terms of responding to :

1. Motivations with which you apply for this program
2. Significant experiences you have had
3. Extracurricular activities such as club activities, community service activities or work experiences

You do not respond in any way to the rest of the required prompt elements which are:
1. Family and Education background
2. Risks you have taken (in pursuit of your ambition)
3. describe awards you have received, publications you have made, or skills you have acquired, etc. (This will prove your seriousness with regards to your application and your potential as a filmmaker in the future)

Don't get me wrong, you have written a good motivational statement. This just isn't the only information that the reviewer wants to know about you. You totally skipped out on explaining the other required prompt information which made this essay less responsive to the prompt. You provided only information you wanted to convey to the reviewer. He needs to know more than that. That is why you have the prompt guidelines to use in developing the paper.

Overall, you can use some elements of this paper in the revised version. I stated which parts you can keep above. For the rest of the essay, I am afraid you will have to delete the remaining parts and replace those with direct discussions of the prompt elements that you failed to address the first time around. Refer to the list of the necessary data that you failed to mention above as well.