My Story - Application Acceptance and Admission - South Korea and UK

16 August, 2021 | | 0 Comments

Aswathy Vijayakumar, India 

Aswathy Vijayakumar is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast, UK.

 

Aswathy is from Kerala, India. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Asian University for Women, Bangladesh in 2013 followed by her PhD at Ewha Woman’s University, South Korea. She working as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Centre for Public Health, QUB. She did her entire application from UG, PG to Post Doc by herself. Here’s her story!

 

Q&A

 

When did you decide that you wanted to study abroad?

 

Initially, I had no thoughts of studying abroad. I also did not think that it was possible. That is when I was finishing high school, Asian University for Women in Bangladesh was recruiting for its first batch of students. Asian University for Women is a liberal arts institution following US curriculum, located in Chittagong, Bangladesh. The country coordinator for India visited my high school and gave us the introductions about the University.

 

During my Undergraduate studies at AUW, I was attracted to the idea of critical thinking, leadership, that made me consider and education abroad going ahead.

 

What did you consider while shortlisting the Universities you wanted to apply to? Why did you choose S. Korea?

 

While I was considering the Universities for my Graduate studies, PhD programs, I looked into availability of scholarship, the various research done by the institution, the research portfolio of the professors, and research publication.

 

Finally I considered South Korea, because I was able to get full scholarship, got positive response from my PhD supervisor, and she had a good record in publication.

 

 

Where were the first places you started your search for universities? You said search engines were biased - how would you handle it if you were applying now?

 

When I was searching for universities, I mainly used Google. This will help you to identify the universities, and various research program within your selected field of interest. After that you can directly visit the University websites, and get contact details of the professors or research offices and get in touch with them.

Profiles in research platforms such as ResearchGate, Academia will be beneficial.

 

What tests did you write?

 

I applied directly. For PhD or Masters it is possible to make the application directly.

 

For applications in South Korea, you do not need GRE, but you need to clear IELTS or TOEFL  to prove language efficiency. I would suggest to have IELTS or TOEFL score ready, as it can help in the scholarship application. Depending on the programs you are applying, you will need Korean language proficiency too, such programs can be for example Korean studies.

 

What is the general framework of the application requirements? 

 

• A completed copy of your institution’s application form
• A personal introduction and outline of your study plan
• A letter of recommendation, typically provided by a member of faculty at the institution where your undergraduate or Masters degree was awarded
• Documentation of your existing academic record at university (if you have not yet graduated from an undergraduate or Masters programme you may provide a letter confirming your expected graduation)
• Proof of your nationality (a photocopy of your passport will usually suffice)
• Proof of proficiency in English and / or Korean (if required by your course)
• Scholarship application – demonstrate leadership, extracurricular activities.

 

 

Can you talk a bit on the financial requirements and formalities as it is totally different from UG?

 

Courses in subjects such as Engineering and Medicine are typically the most expensive (and take the longest to complete) while courses in humanities disciplines usually have lower fees. In general, graduate programmes at South Korean universities could cost anywhere between ₩1,290,000 (USD $1,100) and ₩25,600,000 (USD $22,000). National Health Insurance (NHI) is required as a condition of residency and will cost you around ₩21,000 ($20) per month.

 

Graduate Degree

Humanities ＄1,100~＄13,300

Sciences ＄1,500~＄8,600

Arts and Sports ＄1,500~＄6,400

Engineering ＄1,600~＄20,900

Medicines ＄2,300~＄10,600

Application Fee $60-$150

 

Language courses will typically cost around ₩850,000 (USD $730) for an intensive three-week course or ₩1,500,000 (USD $1,290) for a ten-week programme. Depending on your institution, you may need to pay an application fee of between ₩50,000 and ₩160,000 (USD $40-140).

 

What were the Visa application requirements?

 

As an international PhD student, you should apply for a Visa for Regular Educational Program (D-2). During your application, you’ll need the following documents:

 

• A valid passport
• A completed visa application form (this is provided by your local Korean embassy or consulate)
• A passport-size photo
• A letter of admission from your prospective university
• Certified copies of your academic record
• Proof that you have financial resources of at least USD $10,000
• There’s also an application fee of USD $60 for single-entry visas and USD $90 for multiple-entry visas.

 

Required documents

• Visa issuance (approval) application
• Copy of Business Registration Certificate (or distinct number certificate) of a respective academic institution
• Standard Acceptance Letter
• Documents proving your family relations
• Documents proving the final level of education
• Documents proving your financial ability

 

Is there anything you would want to share or advice to prospective students who are applying by themselves?

 

Higher education institutions in South Korea fall into a number of categories and are further divided into private and public (or "national") institutions. This variety may appear confusing at first, but don’t worry: from your point of view as a prospective PhD student these universities will be primarily distinguished by their specialisations and by their provision in your desired field. Both private and public institutions can award doctorates and are well represented in domestic and international rankings.

 

The following are some of South Korea’s internationally top ranked institutions, all of which offer a variety of PhD programmes:

 

• Seoul National University (public) – South Korea’s highest ranked university is located in its capital: the high-tech megacity of Seoul
• Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (public) – KAIST is one of South Korea’s premier science and engineering research universities, located in the central city of Daejon
• Pohang University of Science and Technology (private) – Located on the country’s east coast, Pohang (or POSTECH) specialises in science and technology research, with a large number of professional graduate schools
• Yonsei University (private) – Yonsei is one of Korea’s oldest universities and one of its most prestigious private institutions. It is located in Seoul
• Korea University (private) – Another of South Korea’s oldest institutions, Korea University is also located in Seoul, where it specialises in a large number of research disciplines and offers several dedicated graduate divisions

 

International universities

In recent years Korea’s domestic universities have been joined by a growing number of international campuses established by overseas institutions.

 

Many of these are hosted at the Incheon Global Campus, which includes branches of:

 

• The State University of New York (SUNY)
• George Mason University
• Ghent University
• The University of Utah

 

My advices would be : 

1. Get a proper LinkedIn, ResearchGate account.
2. Many announcements are posted through Twitter
3. Really good websites such as scholarshipsdb.net, FindAPhD (they even have advices on scholarship and such in the UK, and European countries)
4. First identify the different programs that you are interested in, make a list of them. Then, identify various universities, find the mentors (based on the research that you find interesting) – contact them through emails (be specific and attach a resume)
5. Start preparing early for GRE, TOEFL or IELTS

 

Ref:

https://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/overseas_info/allnew_noteforAdmission.do

https://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/overseas_info/allnew_tuitionFees.do

https://www.findaphd.com/study-abroad/asia/phd-study-in-korea.aspx