Secrets to improving your application that helped a 9X generation student win a South Korean government Master's scholarship.

Tran Thi Thu Oanh, commonly known as Akai, 26 years old, graduated with a Bachelor's degree in International Relations, majoring in International Studies, Faculty of International Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU-USSH). Afterward, she worked at several private companies in the technology, media, and marketing sectors.
 
Since September 2024, Oanh has been studying at the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy, Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) in Jeonju, a city in southwestern South Korea. She is sponsored by the Korean government for three years, including one year of Korean language study and two years of master's studies. The GKS scholarship covers all expenses during her studies, such as visa fees, airfare, tuition, living expenses, and insurance.
Speaking to a reporter from the Vietnam Student Section of Tien Phong newspaper, Oanh said she had heard about the GKS scholarship many years ago. However, considering its prestige and the level of competition, she always thought it was beyond her reach.
Academically, Oanh graduated with honors with a GPA of 3.41/4. Compared to other applicants, she wasn't among the top scorers, nor did she have any scientific research awards or publications in professional journals. Her TOPIK Korean language proficiency and TOEIC English scores were also not outstanding.
She has several extracurricular achievements related to her field of study and research interests: co-founder and first president of an academic club; intern at the Department of International Studies; and member of the organizing committee for a non-traditional security competition for students.
 
In 2023, when she first tried to apply for a visa, she was rejected in the application stage. At the age of 25, with a stable job, a long-term relationship, and friends around her getting married, Oanh was still searching for a way to the country she had always dreamed of.
When applying for the scholarship for the second time, Oanh spent a lot of time reflecting to identify areas for improvement and find ways to enhance her application. “Failure is nothing to be ashamed of. For me, failure helps me see my shortcomings, understand myself better, and grow stronger to find the path to success,” she confided.
Oanh realized that there were factors that couldn't be improved, such as university graduation grades, or factors that couldn't be improved in time, such as research papers and scientific publications. However, there were still factors that could be improved, such as certificate grades, extracurricular activities, essays, and study plans.
Oanh sought to increase the "Korean element" to create consistency, coherence, and demonstrate determination. She admitted that, although she had long admired South Korea, her feelings had only reached the level of "interest" without any "action."

She diligently studied and successfully passed the Korean language proficiency test at a higher level. She also applied for and was selected to participate in a cultural dissemination program organized by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, becoming a content creator for a series of videos exploring Korean culture posted on the social media pages of the Korean Cultural Center and the Korean Embassy in Vietnam.
  Participating in these activities made Oanh feel even more motivated to apply for the scholarship and more determined to go to South Korea. From there, she proactively changed her mindset, perspective, and approach in her essay and study plan.
"I realized that no matter how grand or eloquent an essay is, if it lacks real-world evidence, it won't fool the judges. I spent a lot of time answering the question, 'What do I want, what will I do, and why do I need to do it?'"
"I found the definition and role of politics and diplomacy for myself. Instead of vague, general ideas, I established the most detailed roadmap possible to achieve the ideals I wanted to pursue," she recalled.
To impress the judges, Oanh began her essay with a question about the differences in reach and ranking of Vietnam and South Korea on the world's soft power rankings. She pointed out that, despite both emerging from numerous difficulties after the war in the last century, South Korea has done very well in cultural diplomacy to gain soft power in international relations.
 
Oanh believes that South Korea is the ideal place for her to study Politics and Diplomacy, due to its valuable resources and high level of practical experience in public diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy. She hopes to learn many useful lessons about public diplomacy from South Korea, as well as contribute to Vietnam-South Korea relations in the future.
In the final part of her essay, she connects all the "pieces"—knowledge, experience, and skills—to affirm: "I am motivated. I have goals. I have researched and prepared thoroughly. I have, am, and will certainly continue to strive. And I believe I deserve this scholarship."
The GKS scholarship only requires a letter of recommendation from a university lecturer or a workplace leader. Oanh received a letter of recommendation from Dr. Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang, currently the Head of the International Development Studies Department at the Faculty of International Studies. Dr. Thuy Trang is both a lecturer and Oanh's internship supervisor, so she understands Oanh's abilities, personality, and research goals well.
 
During the interview round, Oanh was a little confused when JBNU conducted the interview over the phone. The school didn't give a specific time, only a general announcement about a time within the four-day period from April 25-28, 2024.
Oanh didn't know when she would receive the call, so she was anxious and worried throughout those days. It wasn't until around 6:30 PM on the last day of the interview that she received a call from the school, ending many days of "sitting on pins and needles."
"Applicants should proactively research the interview format: phone, video call on software like Zoom, Google Meet, or recording a video on the topic; and the interviewer: teachers from the International Cooperation Department, scholarship fund staff, or professors and lecturers in the field they are applying for. They should also prepare mentally, practice answering common questions, and remember to check their equipment," Oanh shared.
Speaking about her future plans, Oanh hopes to gain closer access to the field of political science and diplomacy in South Korea, specifically the country's communication and public diplomacy policies. Along with that, she also wants to comprehensively develop her skills, expand her network, and contribute more to the community through extracurricular activities.
 
After her studies and training, Oanh hopes to continue pursuing a career related to politics and diplomacy, to bridge the gap between macro and micro levels, theory and practice, so that politics and diplomacy are no longer something grand, dry, and distant.
Once she has accumulated sufficient qualities and expertise, Oanh wants to become an expert and lecturer on public diplomacy, helping people realize that each of us plays a certain role in diplomacy and increasing Vietnam's soft power.
To the young readers of the Vietnamese Student Section of Tien Phong newspaper, Oanh shared this message: “The Koreans have a great saying, 'Starting is already half the battle.' If I had just sat and watched without starting, I wouldn't have the success I have today.”