#yonseiuniversity

Studying abroad is expensive and that makes it seem almost impossible to figure out how you, as a broke university student can afford it. The key to this dilemma is applying for as many scholarships as you can!

Things to research:

Sometimes your university has scholarships they offer for university led study abroad programs

Certain third party programs such as the one I used, USAC, offer scholarships and discounts for your study abroad program through them

Here are some links to great scholarships for study abroad:

https://www.iie.org/programs/freeman-asia

https://gilmanapplication.iie.org/

https://us.fulbrightonline.org/about/fulbright-us-student-program

http://www.niied.go.kr/eng/contents.do?contentsNo=78&menuNo=349

https://www.borenawards.org/scholarships/program-basics/boren-scholarship-basics

Helpful tips:

Give yourself plenty of time to complete these scholarship applications! Deadlines come so much quicker than you think!!

Don’t rush on your essays, give yourself time to write one, trash it, rewrite it, and have someone read it over for you!

Be sure to read the guidelines!!! Include everything they ask you to include in your essay to be sure you have the best shot at getting the scholarship! 

Lastly, be yourself in your essay and show how much studying abroad in a country you are interested in means to you!!

My experience:

I’ve always wanted to study abroad but financially, I knew it would be something I’d have to take on myself. I’ve been saving up since I applied for my third party program but studying abroad requires so much more money than I anticipated. The flight, dorm, tuition, books, food, transportation, emergencies, trips, shopping, miscellaneous fees, any bills back home, and other personal expenses add up to a lot more than you think! Thankfully, after a lot of hard work, applications, and waiting, I’ve been given the amazing opportunity by the Gilman Scholarship and the Freeman Asia scholarship to study abroad in South Korea without the worry of financial strain or loans I have to go back home to pay off! 

You chose a program.... What’s next?

Studying abroad requires a lot of different applications depending on your university, the program you’ve chosen, and the host university you will be attending. 

Because I went with a third party program (USAC) I’ll tell you about my experience with applications. 

Third Party Program

The first step is to read the requirements of the program you wish to apply. Certain programs such as the Yonsei Fall 2017 program I applied to, requires you to be at least a junior with a 3.0 GPA, attending a 4 year university. 

Once you’ve determined that you meet all the criteria, its time to apply! Get ready to write a statement of purpose which you will have to write for many applications during your journey to study abroad. 

The application is fairly straight forward, quick, and easy 

Home University

Be sure to check what your home university requires if you want to study abroad, whether its through them, direct exchange, or a third party program. 

My home University required me to fill out a Third Party Program Approval application. Through this, they basically decide whether or not the third party you wish to study through is accredited and legit and that all your credits will be able to transfer towards your degree. 

Third Party Program Application

This application took me the longest out of all 3 applications I had to fill out during my journey to study abroad.

The requirements of this application are specific to my university but I’m sure other universities require similar things. 

A statement of purpose, Age confirmation, Letter of Recommendation, Budget form, Passport copy, Medical Info, Course Equivalency form (THE WORST PART, Will talk about in a later post!!!), $175 fee, Program info, Personal Info, etc. < All requirements in this application

Once a panel of study abroad advisors and academic advisors meet and approve of your study abroad third party program, the hardest part is over! 

You thought the applications were over huh? Unfortunately not! But don’t worry, the Host University Application is by far the shortest and easiest to complete (at least Yonsei’s was) 

Once accepted to your third party, all that is left to do is wait, and you wait for quite some time. I applied for USAC in October of 2016 and found out I had been accepted some months later. Your third party program nominates you for the host university and then you get an email on how to log in and start your host university application. This takes some serious time though. Get ready to WAIT ~~~~~

Timeline:

OCT 2016: Applied for USAC

OCT 2016: Acceptance into USAC’s Yonsei Fall 2017 Program

MAR 2017: Nominated for Host University

MAR 2017: App opens for Host University

APR 2017: App due for Host University

May 2017: Admission Results come out from Host University

A staggering 9 month process and it still isn’t over 0.0 I’ll post a full timeline of my entire application process later, but this is basically what the initial process entails. 

Host University

This application does not require much. Just your academic info, what major you are at your home university and what major you want to be while at Yonsei, a quick survey about how you found out about the program, why you decided to apply, and what you feel they should offer more in this program, a photo of you, your passport info, health insurance, and lastly, your study plan while at Yonsei (similar to a statement of purpose).