How to Apply for Scholarships - Part 1 - Intro to Scholarships
Scholarships
are a grant or payment made to support a student's education, awarded on the basis of academic or other achievements. (Oxford dictionary)
There are so many scholarships all over the world. Almost every country offers scholarships for international students as fellowship, internship, research, etc. which are either partially (25%, 50%, 75%) or fully-funded scholarships. A fully-funded scholarship is what's all been aiming for.
Now, in this post, I will only talk about the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS).
Global Korea Scholarship (GKS)
Global Korea Scholarship (GKS), formerly known as Korea Government Scholarship Program (KGSP), is a fully-funded scholarship for international students with a purpose to provide international students with opportunities to conduct advanced studies in undergraduate and graduate programs at higher educational institutions in the Republic of Korea in order to promote international exchanges in education and mutual friendship between countries.
My advice:
Before you apply, make sure that this is what you really want - your heart, mind, body, and soul are aligned.
In this scholarship, there are only limited slots (i.e. 700 persons around the world). The quota varies per country per year.
Application Procedure
GKS offers a scholarship for both the undergraduate and graduate categories. Be mindful of the timeline! Prepare ahead of time. See timeline below:
In my case, I applied for Graduate Category since I'm done with my BS. I wanted to pursue a Masters Degree. Tip: You can start applying even though you are still in university. Make sure that you are a candidate for graduation. Some scholarship requirements which I will state later on can be "to follow" since you are just about to graduate (i.e. Diploma, TOR).
After graduation, you can take BS/MS/PhD in Korea once accepted.
Embassy vs. University Track (Graduate Category)
What's the difference? What is the best choice? Well, that depends on so many factors. Each has its fair share of its pros and cons.
For Embassy: Embassy-recommended application's advantage is that you can select up to three (3) universities in the list of universities participating in GKS. In case one university turned you down, you still have 2 chances to be accepted. It is a VERY TOUGH screening process. Usually, you should be like the top 1% in your class or university, with a high GPA, with extra-curricular activities, and like Latin honors. I'm not exaggerating.
Application Forms
The application forms are basically the same, you will just have to check the box for University (if you are applying directly in University) or Embassy (if you'll be applying in the Embassy of Korea in your country). See image below:
*for complete details of GKS application form and requirements, I'll post it at the end of this blog. Stay tuned for next blogs for a complete explanation of how to complete the form and not miss any requirements.*
How to apply:
For Embassy Track:
1. Make sure that you have your documents in TRIPLICATE COPIES and are properly labeled.
2. Submit your documents on time. In the Philippines, submit at:
Embassy of Republic of Korea in the Philippines
McKinley Town Center, 122 Upper McKinley Rd, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, 1634 Metro Manila
*Note: All submitted documents will not be returned to you.
For University Track:
1. Usually, only one copy is submitted (the one and only application form you prepared). But some universities like Pusan National University require three (3) copies - one for their university copy, on for the professor's evaluation copy, and lastly one for NIIED.
2. Submit your documents directly to your one and only chosen University via courier. If you applied for many universities, you'll get disqualified.
LINKS:
For more scholarship details, visit: Study in Korea
For the latest updates or notices: GKS Notice
Stay tuned for my next blog to tackle each topic in-depth. Thank you! ✌