Quick Intro

Hello! I am Aruzhan from Kazakhstan, and I am studying Computer Science and Engineering at Pusan National University (PNU) in South Korea. My studies are fully funded by the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS), a Korean government scholarship that covers everything plus a stipend!  

Prior to being accepted to PNU, I studied at the Nazarbayev Intellectual School for my high school education. Then, due to the timing of the applications, I completed one semester at Nazarbayev University prior to being accepted to PNU.

Why Pusan National University?

PNU is one of Korea’s top 10 engineering schools, and it has amazing student support and a global network. Since I wanted to study Computer Science and Engineering, it was a perfect fit! 

I had also applied to 30 other universities such as in Turkey and Hong Kong, but was only accepted to PNU and 2 other US universities.

Stats + Extracurriculars

• GPA: 94/100 

• SAT: 1340 (Math: 760, EBRW: 580) 

• National Exam: 123/140 (but I didn’t submit it) 

• Passion project: Built a website with a friend to help people sort and send their trash. We ran competitions, got 200 people involved, and collected 500 kg of waste! 

• Volunteering: Social and eco projects + started my own club helping low-income families. 

• Leadership & certificates: A mix of STEM, art, and community work (showing my broad range of interests)

Global Korea Scholarship  

The Global Korea Scholarship is a very popular scholarship by the Korean government. The criteria for application involved having already graduated from high school before December of the application year. To apply, you need to write several essays, a personal statement, and a study plan. For the personal statement, you are essentially “selling” your achievements, describing your certificates, awards, and achievements. You also need to mention why YOU CHOSE the university. The more appealing you can present yourself as, the better! Then, we needed to write a “study plan”. These details include what you want to do in your bachelor’s program, courses you want to take, internships, or professors you want to talk to. This is essentially telling the university why they should CHOOSE YOU. The most important part was that all these documents, including medical and academic transcripts, had to be MAILED to South Korea! The postal fee was brutal… 

For students worried about the language, the TOPIK test is not required, as the university will help you learn Korean!  

Preparation for Application  

I’ve been looking into applying internationally since 10th grade, and I found that YouTube and Borderless were especially helpful! They were able to give me a look into the backgrounds of people who have succeeded and analyse my own chances. My school counselor was also helpful!  

Application Costs  

Overall, applications cost about 50,000 Kazakhstani tenge, or around 100 USD. I also took the SAT three times, and while my math was good, the English part was a bit difficult. For SAT preparation and tutoring, I spent around 420 USD, although I was not satisfied with my final score.  

In total, if I combined my application fees, preparation fees, and postal fees, I spent around 1000 USD.  

My Courses at PNU

Although university degrees in South Korea are typically 4 years long, my course will be 5 years long. My first year will be spent only learning the Korean language to ensure that I can speak and understand the language. The next 4 years of my courses will be taught in Korean and English, requiring at least a B2 in the Korean language.

Looking back…  

Looking back on my journey, I realized that I perhaps overcomplicated it and took a harder path than others. However, for other people who want to try to apply abroad, my advice is to believe in yourself and try to apply for any opportunities. Even if you don’t succeed, at least trying is better than doing nothing! If you don’t try, then nothing will happen!