KGSP Malaysia

[Advance Notice]2012-KGSP Undergraduate

2011-08-10T23:44:00.000-07:00

As for 2012 KGSP (Undergrad degree), NIIED will announce its application guideline on the 4th week of August on this site.

For detailed information , please update yourself with NIIED webpage.

Thank you and Good luck

Best wishes,
Bilqis & Msian Scholars

Korean Government Scholarship

2011-05-20T06:57:00.001-07:00

Hi guys,

Korean Government scholarship is a great scholarship for students wishing to study abroad and gain experience from Korean Universities. As a Malaysian, I have to say this - studying in Korea is not bed of roses. There were struggles but luckily in the end, we persevered and we did not falter.

I do realize that this blog is pretty inactive and therefore I hope for your kind understanding as we are not full time bloggers. We really would like to help each and every person but due to time and other commitments, we just could not help everyone or reply to your inquire.

Now, it is summer in Korea, lots of weeds, grasses sprouting out here and there from the black, warm earth. It's hot now in Korea, and today in Daegu (my city), it's almost 24 degrees. Hope you are well in Malaysia or wherever you are.

In this post, the most important link to search for Korean Government Scholarship is over here at NIIED (National Institute of International Education) webpage, something like an institute of higher learning for foreigners and Koreans alike. Do visit the website (at this link) frequently for updates on the latest news of scholarship.

Please note this year that the number of scholarships offered by the Korean government for undergraduate studies have been decreasing. Hence the competition can be a little stiff. On the positive side, there are scholarships available for students planning to do their masters in Korea. Nevertheless, we hope you are doing well and see you in Korea one day.

Warm Regards from us all in Korea,

Kyle and the rest of KGSP Malaysian scholars

KGSP gathering - Seoul

2010-11-06T10:17:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since we last updated the blog. Lately, most of the KGSP scholars are busy with their assignments, especially the ones in Seoul since these few weeks were the exam weeks.

Updating the blog is a voluntary work so sometimes it is pretty hard to gather all the KGSP bloggers to write something for this blog. Anyway, we had a get together in Seoul yesterday (updated fast right? ;) ).

We met at 신도림역의 출구 (Sindorim Station Exit) at a supposed time of 6pm and had dinner in a restaurant nearby.

Scholars from INHA and Yonsei University

Sherry and Ayla - 2nd batch

Joel and Wai Kit from the 3rd batch

Natalie, Kyle and Li Yuen

Pic at the restaurant

KGSP scholars (lots are still missing)

The restaurant's dishes were suprisingly delicious. Nevertheless, it's not the food that counts but the friendships that were forged during the meet up.

Updated:

7 Nov 2010

Jemputan ke PPMK Family Day 2010

2010-09-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

Selamat sejahtera semua,

Merujuk perkara di atas , adalah dimaklumkan bahawa Biro Kebudayaan dan Kesenian PPMK 2009/2010 ingin menjemput semua pelajar di Korea untuk menghadiri PPMK Family Day 2010.

2. Berikut merupakan butiran mengenai PPMK Family Day 2010:

Tarikh : 2010-09-25 (Sabtu)
Lokasi : SKT Hall, Tingkat 7, Business School, Hanyang University (Sila rujuk map yang dilampirkan)
Masa : 10.00am ~ 5.00 pm

Tema : Back to School

3. Berikut merupakan tentatif program hari tersebut:

10.00am Arrival of guests

11.00am Arrivals of VIPs

11.10am Opening Video

11.15am Speech by President of PPMK

11.20am Speech by Mr. Hanisan & Opening Ceremony

11.25am Opening performance by Batch 10

11.30am Runway Fashion Accessories (Full)

12.30pm Lunch & Prayer Time

1.30 pm Batch Performance 1

1.45 pm Musical Group Performance 1

2.00 pm Video 1,2

2.10 pm Batch Performance 2

2.25 pm Musical Group Performance 2

2.40 pm Batch Performance 3

2.55 pm Musical Group Performance 3
3.10 pm Video 3,4,5

3.25 pm Batch Performance 4

3.40 pm Musical Group Performance 4

3.55 pm Batch Performance 5
4.10 pm Musical Group Performance 5

4.25 pm Special Performance of Graduated Students

4.35 pm Prize Giving

4.45 pm Photo Session

5.00 pm End of Ceremony

3. Diharapkan semua pelajar dapat menghadirkan diri dengan pakaian yang sopan pada hari tersebut. Kerjasama anda semua kami dahulukan dengan ucapan terima kasih. Kehadiran anda semua pasti akan memeriahkan lagi progam ini! Datanglah beramai-ramai.

Untuk pertanyaan, sila hubungi:

Low Wenning 010-5789-6516

Sekian, terima kasih.

Yang menjalankan tugas,

Low Wenning

Biro Kebudayaan dan Kesenian 1

PPMK 09/10

Mohd Ariff bin Mohd Sani

Biro Kebudayaan dan Keseniaan 2
PPMK 09/10

Korea Vegetarian Bibimbap 산채비빔밥

2010-06-03T23:02:00.001-07:00

korea Vegetarian Bibimbap 산채비빔밥, originally uploaded by front2343.

A simple but popular dish, bibimbap is a bowl of hot rice served in a bowl topped with a variety of vegetables (cooked and raw) arranged on top. Vegetables can be seasonal, with toraji, bell flower roots, gosari, bracken, bean sprouts, and spinach often served. Other ingredients can include chestnuts, jujubes, ginseng, and a small amount of seafood or meat. An egg may be also served on the top. Most restaurants prepare the dish with a big scoop of gochujang and red pepper paste placed with the vegetables. (Ask for it to be placed on the side if you do not like the taste much.)

This dish comes in two ways: a large bowl with rice on the bottom and the other ingredients placed on top, or just the ingredients in the bowl and a separate bowl of rice. Mix all the ingredients together then use your spoon to eat. A bowl of light soup is also served.

Source : lifeinkorea

by Bilqis

Daegu, Visit or not to visit?

2010-05-08T05:49:00.000-07:00

Hey!

In this post, I will introduce you to Daegu. This is like a "Lonely Planet - Daegu" narrated by yours truly.

Daegu might sound foreign to many people. Unlike Seoul, Daegu is still an undiscovered city with many sights worth seeing. In terms of buildings (for people who loves seeing big tall buildings), Daegu does not lack in this aspect either. The strength of this city lies in the history and culture.

Daegu has lots of old historical buildings, the ones that are in good shape mainly because long ago, Korean military government placed Daegu as one of the region that was worth developing and also at the same time, to preserve the historical monuments for the younger generations.

Trivia:

Daegu is the city where SAMSUNG was founded. So if you are now using a Samsung phone or using computer powered by Samsung memory cards (Samsung has a huge global share in memory chips manufacturing) while eating Samsung burger (Yes, Samsung has it's foodstuff company) or wearing a Samsung suit (They too have high-end formal wear subsidaries). Then, remember that these products are all started in Daegu.

This links below are extremely helpful

1) Daegu Pockets

Highly recommended for travellers because it comes with places of interest with maps, how-to-get-there-by-bus, etc. The great part are, it is in English and is free too!

http://daegupockets.com/

2) AsiaRooms.com

Helpful because it has a detailed places of interest with some brief explainations on the touristic spots.

http://www.asiarooms.com/travel-guide/south-korea/daegu/index.html

3)Daegu City Website

Very helpful to know more about the events and stuffs related to Daegu.

http://english.daegu.go.kr/main.asp

4) Novohotel

Located right in the downtown *PS - I am not paid for it and this is merely for your info* but it might be expensive.

http://www.novotel.com/gb/hotel-7038-novotel-daegu-city-centre/index.shtml

In Daegu, there are lots of motels, rates varies but do have at least 20,000 Won for a night's stay.

The best time to visit daegu is during spring or autumn. Summer is... well, hot... :)

A short video, but please be reminded that this is an old video and it only showcases a small part of Daegu. In this video, you can see the Daegu museum and the amusement park.

Hope it helps,

Kyle

Seoul Friendship Fair 2010

2010-05-05T05:11:00.000-07:00

5월 8·9일 서울광장 일대에서 펼쳐지는 ‘2010년 지구촌 한마당’

(서울=뉴스와이어) 2010년 05월 05일 [14:13]--세계 각국의 문화와 공연을 한자리에서 즐길 수 있는 절호의 기회가 생겼다. 그것도 서울 한복판에서 말이다. 서울시가 오는 5월 8일(토)~9일(일) 양일간, 국내 최대 규모의 다문화 축제‘2010 서울 지구촌한마당(Seoul Friendship Fair 2010)’을 서울광장과 무교동 일대에서 개최한다. ‘2010 서울 지구촌한마당’은 17개 해외 자매·우호도시 공연단과 58개국의 주한 외국대사관·관광청·문화원 등이 참여해 각국의 다채로운 전통공연을 비롯해 세계 음식·풍물전 세계 궁중의상 체험전 외국 어린이 그림전 등 평소 접하기 힘든 세계 각국의 문화를 한자리에서 체험할 수 있다. 같은 기간 서울거주 외국인들이 서울에 정착해 살아가는데 필요한 정보를 제공하는‘인포메이션 페어(Information Fair)’도 12시부터 19시 까지 청계광장 일대에서 열린다. 지난 1996년 처음 축제를 시작해 15회째를 맞이하는‘서울 지구촌한마당’은, 2004년도 5개국 공연단 90여명의 외국공연단을 초청하여, 올해는 3배가 넘는 14개국 17개팀 350여명의 외국공연단이 참여한다. 지난해 서울지구촌 한마당에 참여한 서울시민과 외국인 관광객은 총 8만명을 상회하였으며, 올해는 축제 기간을 2일로 연장 운영해 지난해 보다 더 많은 관람객이 세계 문화를 즐기기 위해 서울광장 일대를 찾을 것으로 예상된다. <서울광장, 세계가 하나되는 ‘월드페스티벌의 場’으로 변한다.> 서울광장에 마련된 메인무대에서는 8일(토) 오후1시부터 취타대 입장을 시작으로 세계 17개 도시의 전통문화공연단의 다채로운 축하공연이 이틀간 이어진다. (개막식 14:30) 중국 사천성 공연단은 영화 패왕별회의 한 장면으로 유명해진 ‘변검’과 뜨거운 탕액으로 돌판 위에 그림을 그리는 무형문화재 공연을 선보이며, 베이징시는 체조공연 <소프트 파워 볼(Soft Power Ball)>로 볼거리를 제공한다. 그 외에도 타이페이의 전통 중국 민속 음악 오케스트라단, 모스크바의 발레 공연, 알제리 알제시의 포크밴드 공연, 멕시코시티의 마리아치 공연 등 다양한 전통공연을 선보인다. 해외 자매도시 공연과 함께 우리나라의 ‘국악 관현악단 공연’과 비보이와 남사당 퍼포먼스 배틀 ‘Dance Battle : The Duel’공연도 관람객의 눈길을 사로잡을 예정이다. <축제 속의 축제! 58개국 음식·풍물전, 무교동 일대에서 열려> 같은 시간 서울광장과 무교동 일대에서는 ‘세계를 만나 정서를 나누고, 문화를 나누고, 음식을 나누는’ 세계 58개국의 음식· 풍물전이 열린다. <음식전>은 서울광장 주변 무교동 일대에 유럽, 아시아, 북남미, 아프리카 등 대륙별로 부스를 설치해 주한 외국대사관 및 해당국가 관광청 등에서 직접 운영하는데 평소에 접하기 어려웠던 외국의 이색 음식을 저렴한 가격으로 맛 볼 수 있다. <풍물전>은 서울 광장 주변에 유럽, 아시아, 아메리카 등 대륙별로 조성해 이색적인 문화를 한 곳에서 경험할 수 있도록 하였다. <세계 의상입고, 세계 명소를 배경으로 사진촬영, 세계 의상 체험전 > 세계 각국의 문화 접하고 음식도 맛봤다면 서울광장의‘세계 궁중의상체험전’도 방문해 보자. 각 나라의 특색 있는 전통의상을 입고 포토존에서는 전 세계의 명소를 배경으로 사진촬영도 할 수 있어, 아이들은 물론 어른들에게도 이색 문화를 체험 할 수 있는 뜻 깊은 시간을 선사한다. 또한 올해에도 무교동 길 입구에는 서울시 소재 외국인학교 어린이들의 그림 282점을 전시해 지구촌 어린이들의 그림 속 따뜻한 이야기가 전해지도록 할 예정이다. <서울사는 외국인에게 서울정보를 제공하는 ‘인포메이션페어’, 청계광장에서 개최> 한국에 사는 외국인 친구가 있다면 12시부터 19시까지 청계광장 일대에서 개최되는 인포메이션 페어(Information Fair)에 들러보자. 지구촌한마당 행사와 함께 진행되는 인포메이션 페어는 외국인들의 서울 정착에 도움을 주고 생활 전반에 걸쳐 유용한 정보를 제공하는 박람회다. 올해는 ▲유엔난민기구(UNHCR) ▲국민연금(NPS) ▲서울국제여성협회(SIWA) ▲금융감독원 ▲국립중앙박물관 ▲한국BBB운동 등 공공기관 및 비영리기관, ▲신한은행 ▲자생병원 ▲서울글로벌빌리지센터 ▲서울럭비클럽 ▲강남노무법인 ▲외국인 주거시설인 DMC Ville 등 의료주거·스포츠 등 외국인 생활에 밀접하게 관련된 50여개 기관이 참여한다. <친환경을 테마로 한 그린 카페 마련해, 시민들에게 녹색 쉼터 제공> 무교동 일대에는 지난해 처음 선보여 시민들에게 큰 호응을 얻었던 거리 뮤직카페를 대대적으로 확대한 거리무대‘더 스탠딩 뮤직(The Standing Music’을 선보인다. 이 더 스탠딩 뮤직은 지구촌 한마당이라는 타이틀과 어울리게 지구촌 곳곳의 음악이 13시부터 18시까지 30분 간격으로 펼쳐지며 러시아 어린이공연단 등 총 8팀이 공연을 선보인다. 무대 주변에는 친환경을 테마로 한 도심 속 휴식 공간 더 그린 카페를 마련해 시민들의 지친 발걸음을 쉴 수 있게 해준다. 그 외에도 한-아세안 센터에서 운영하는 아세안 문화 체험관에서는 동남아시아 10개국의 전통 놀이·만들기·전통의상 체험이 이루어진다. 체험 코너 운영은 선착순으로 이루어질 예정으로, 한-아세안 센터 홈페이지 (www.aseankorea.org)통해 미리 온라인 접수를 받는다. <실질적 문화 교류 외에도 전문 언어인력 선발 등 일자리 창출에도 기여> 서울시는 지구촌한마당이 단순한 축제에 그치지 않고 실질적인 문화적 교류 및 일자리 창출에도 기여할 수 있도록 하고 있다. 이미 각 언어권 별로 200여명 이상의 전문 언어인력 선발을 완료하였으며, 이들은 각 대사관들과 연계해 축제의 준비, 당일 행사 진행, 시민 안내 등을 맡아 진행한다. 또한 이후 각 대사관과 지속적으로 연계해 장기적인 관계유지 및 해외 업무, 취업 등이 가능하도록 하고 있다. 서울시 관계자는 “가족, 연인들이 세계의 다양한 음식 및 공연 등 문화를 체험하려면 많은 비용이 드는 것이 사실이지만, 이번주말 서울광장을 찾아주시면 무료로 공연도 관람하고, 저렴한 비용으로 다양한 세계음식을 맛 보실 수 있다”고 하였다. 뉴 스출처: 서울특별시청 p/s: if you dont understand the article above there is a seoul friendship fair this weekend on the 8th and 9th of May at 시청 where our malaysian tourism board are also taking part. Please to make your way there if you are free this weekend. Signing off, Bilqis

을왕리해수육장,인천

2010-05-05T03:36:00.001-07:00

IMGP9578 (edited), originally uploaded by bilviva.

How have you been?
Just a weeks before when we thought "Spring is finally here" but the global warming has take its effects and have us the coldest spring in Korea.
As the weather gets better, suddenly it feels like Summer already.
Anyway hope you guys take good care of your health and not to get sick due to the sudden fluctuation of the temperature.
Hope you guys dealt well with your mid terms as well.
Head down to the nearest beach to relax your mind and here i introduce you 인천's 을왕리해수육장.

Here' some info about the
visitkorea.com

and some guidelines on how to make your way from seoul.

general route.

If you're living in incheon. bus 111 takes you directly to 을왕리해수육장.
Enjoy and make the best of your time in korea.

Hopefully you find the information useful.

Signing off,
Bilqis

formspring.me

2010-04-05T03:21:00.001-07:00

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/bilviva

Website guides

2010-03-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

Hi, i guess this is my first time actually "contributing" in this blog.
Well i guess you are well informed about the country, Korea is well knowed for its electronic products so there is no necessity (unless you have it) for you to bring all your electronic products such as handphones (malaysia hp cannot be used here anyway unless is 3G but bear in mind of the cost of bill), cameras, laptops, mp3, rice cooker, hair dryer and so on!
You can conveniently purchase it through internet or if you are not experiences you could simply travel down to Seoul mainly YongSan용산 or Sindorim Digital Market (신도림) and shop around! Basically you can have everything in korea!

Here is a website which i find it useful to help you decide and roughly get a picture of which/what kinds of products you need. Of course, you need to have a little knowledge about korean language to utilise it.

Here is the link :Danawa

I hope you find it useful and enjoy your study in korea!

Cheers.

Bilqis

2010 Batch - Welcome

2010-03-18T01:58:00.000-07:00

Hey!

On behalf of the Malaysian KGSP batch, I would like to congratulate you all for been awarded with this scholarship. You will be the third batch of Malaysians receiving this scholarship by the Korean Government (I was in the second batch) and it's nice knowing that more Malaysians will be studying in Korea under the same program soon.

When we arrived to Korea, not all of us were well-versed in Korean language and it was very difficult to communicate with the Koreans. (Note: Koreans can speak in English but they are just too shy to talk in it. If you try to speak with the older people especially the ajumas, it will be very very difficult) So be prepared to face communication problem when you arrive to Korea unless you have basic Korean proficiency.

Living cost:

"The only thing that is free... is the air..."

I think this is the most important thing that comes to your mind. Honestly, I can't really give a rough estimate on it because in every city, the cost of living varies. I think a meal will set you back at approximately 3000 ~ 4000 Won but you can find cheaper meals in the student cafeteria. In my city, Daegu (I am studying in Kyungpook National University), when i first arrived, I found out that a meal in Daegu, Korea is approximately 3 to 4 times the cost of a meal in Malaysia.

So since you might be arriving on the 27th of March if i am not wrong, bring some money for the food expenses because the scholarship allowance will not be banked until the first or second (?) week of the following month, April. Try not to waste too much money if you are living in Seoul because you have to pay for your accomodation in dormitory (about 150000 Won ++), food, travelling expenses, etc. Once you receive your allowance, treat 1000 Won as if it is RM 1.

Lifestyle:

"Life is not about only studying, it's about living and seeing!"

I think you are well aware of it since there are so many Korean dramas in Malaysia. Koreans especially in Seoul are generally more trendy compare to the people in other parts of Korea. Every city in Korea has high-end merchandise shops (ZARA, Guess, Uniqlo, etc) and most Koreans usually shop over there. If you are a good "spender", for instance, always remember that in ZARA (from my experience), the clothings will always be changed every 2 weeks so you might get a "better" price for some of the clothing if you came at the right time. But, it's still not cheap.

In Uniqlo (a Japanese brand), a cheap jeans will be about RM 100, ZARA about RM 200 but you can find cheaper ones in Homeplus (Like Tesco in Malaysia), E-Mart and other big hypermarkets. Usually it will be about RM 60 for a pair of jeans there. Shirts there are affordable, maybe about RM 40. Just don't bring too much warm clothing from Malaysia because it can be easily purchased in Korea.

If possible, do not bring too many winter clothings! Buy them in Korea! The price is almost the same and there's more variety in winter clothings here than in Malaysia. Just bring clothing that is for the spring since you all will be arriving at that time. In spring, you will be needing a thick sweater or jacket but you will have a bit of problem adjusting to the cold and dry Korean weather so it's quite hard adjusting for the first few days.
[Note from Raja: Keep in mind that the size range in Korea is pretty limited (especially for shoes)... so if you suspect that you might not fit in the average size category, it's best that you come prepared from Malaysia.]

In Daegu, there are lots of places to play snooker, norabang (karaoke) and restaurant. I think it is the same as in Seoul or any other places in Korea. The price for the norabang is cheap by Korean standard, about 25000 Won for 2 hours if I am not mistaken so if you love to sing you can sing your hearts out over there. There is not much variety of English songs but is still enough to make you "sing till you drop". A number of Chinese and Indonesian songs are also available.

Study:

"Give a fish to a man, you feed him for a day. Teach the man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime"

Korean language is difficult when you start but gradually you will become better especially once you are in Level 2. With level 2 proficiency, you would be able to converse with the people though it would still be hard to express what you want to say. So there comes level 3 and 4. To those that will be taking science related course here, frankly speaking, I would say a year of learning Korean is insufficient no matter whether you are in Level 5 or 6.

In my course, I have to rely on my cellphone which is my "walking translator" and sometimes my electronic dictionary. Not all biological or chemical terms can be found in that dictionary, you will realise that buying a cellphone and an electronic dictionary that function as a dictionary is almost the same. But the only difference is that you are not allowed to bring your cellphone into the exam hall. :(

When you begin your year 2 after you had completed your Korean studies, try to ask your major's professor whether you can write your answer in english during the exam or not (Suprisingly, all my subjects can be written in english) but usually the lessons are all conducted in Korean so life can be hard.

Anyway, don't worry about that, as long as you study hard, I belief all will be fine. Learning Korean will be your best time in your life, plenty of time to watch Korean dramas (Korean broadband is super fast, everything can be watched or downloaded online), lots of field trips and plenty of foreign friends to be met. Take one step at the time peeps.

Weather:

"Mirror mirror on the wall, what is the nicest season of all?"

Spring is cold with lots of cold gush of windy wind. Summer is hot, humid and is almost the same as in Malaysia with lots of rainfall (but it depends on the place that you will be living in). Autumn is the same as spring while winter is freezing cold and lots of snowfall (Note: Southern parts of Korea have relatively few snowfalls). Between the seasons, there will be lots of rain so just be prepared with an umbrella.

About the clothing, just bring warm sweater, thick jackets and unless you cannot tahan cold weather, just bring one winter clothing will do. While for the rest of the seasons, just look and buy when needed, stores around Korea sell clothings based on the seasons so don't worry about not finding any clothing.

Ending

I always believe that it's better to learn through experience than through books. At the end of my Korean language class, I travelled to China. I myself do not believe that I would be traveling to other foreign countries within a year of my stay in Korea. But it came at a cost, my scholarship was deducted but well... Believing is through seeing, experiencing is through traveling. Happy learning Korean, trust me, this is the best time of your 5 years in Korea.

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
~Robert Frost~

I earnestly hope you will learn and spend your time wisely. Remember that this will only be the beginning of a long journey studying in Korea. Hope to see you all soon.

Best Regards,

Kyle

p/s Do read the rest of this blog for more info.

FAQ

2009-03-18T03:34:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all 10 Malaysians who have just been selected for KGSP 2009. Here are some FAQs. Will be updated when necessary. Read thoroughly.

On a reply by Raja to one of the incoming 2009 KGSP fellow;
1)How is the living cost here?
Well, it really depends on where you have been placed to do your language course. If you're placed in Seoul like I was, the cost of living would most definitely be higher. Generally, if you're satisfied enough on eating school cafeteria food (which is the cheapest, certainly), the price ranges from 1700won to 3000won. Outside food could be a lot more expensive, depending on the types of food. The cheapest kind of restaurants... well, you could get from 3000won to 5000won. And if you want to go for italian food, it would roughly be about 8000won to 10000won (Think Nando's style of pricing). And the cheapest bottle of mineral water is around 500won (but there are more expensive ones, of course).
For accommodation, it depends on your university. But from what those from my batch and I have discussed about, dormitories in Seoul are more expensive as well (with a few exceptions). Out of the six of us, my dorm fees were the highest during our language course, 280,000won per month in Myongji University (Seoul). Those in Cheonan (out of Seoul but still connected by subway line), had the lowest among us, at 170,000won (although I'm not so sure of this figure) for SunMoon University. For my degree course though, SNU dorm is only 150,000won per month.
For the language course, some universities include books in the course fees, so for example, people from Sogang University (Seoul) didn't have to fork out any of their own money for language books. SunMoon university people had to buy their own books, whereas I had to pay for some of my books (textbooks were included in the course fees but not workbooks).
Entertainment wise, the average price of a movie ticket is 8000won but ice-skating is as low as 1000won for one hour (inclusive of rentals). So you see, how much you would spend on the side is really depending on your preferences. Generally though, as long as you're not too wasteful (you can still do shopping every now and then), you can live quite comfortably on this scholarship. But in the beginning, be prepared to spend quite a bit on handphone and necessities

2)How is their education system?
I wouldn't know about how it would be for following batches. But for the 2008 batch, we went through a different process of university application compared to other students (even other regular international students). After the 1 year language course (let's hope that you guys get a full one year course compared to the barely seven month duration we got), you will have to sit for the Korean Language Proficiency Test (KLPT) and SNU's TEPS which is basically just an English proficiency test. We were ranked using our scores in those two tests as well as our ongoing language course university assessment and based on our ranking, our academic background and originating country, we are considered by the universities we had applied to as our first choice (we were given five choices, but if I'm not mistaken, your choices have been limited to three). And of course, application essays (usually self-introduction and study plan) play a very important role as well. Since the application deadline for Malaysian KGSP is earlier than the STPM result's release date, SPM was sufficient for your application, of course. But when you apply for university admission later on, you will need to use your STPM result as well. They're looking for your highschool diploma, so you must submit everything from PMR, SPM to STPM. And if you're not STPM, your other courses like CAT or whatnots. The admission process is pretty annoying since if your batch would be like ours, we got the application forms one week before the deadline. And it's hard enough doing one application under one week, let alone for us, five applications in one week. Be sure to make sufficient copies of your highschool certs. You will need them later on. And make lots of passport sized photos while you're in Malaysia. Of course, the rule is the photos need to be not more than 6 months old, but honestly, to do photos here is very expensive. So you should try to bend this rule a little bit!
We didn't have to take any entrance exams for university application, since we only used KLPT and TEPS (Malaysians generally don't score very high in KLPT but our TEPS really boosted our rankings). But I would also suggest to you bring some of your books from Malaysia. Especially if you're in the science stream. Those of us in engineering and mathematics are really starting to regret not having revised any math for one year. Although the chemistry, biology and physics sylabus for the first year has basically already been covered in STPM, the math, however, is way beyond STPM math. Of course, most importantly is to concentrate on your language course since without sufficient language proficiency, you will really be facing a very very tough time. But if you could try to fit in a bit of revision, that would be ideal.

3) Preparation
Follow what the guidebook tells you. It covers pretty much everything, like preparing one month's worth of living expenses (roughly 800,000won). Malaysian handphones will not work in Korea, so you can just leave yours in Malaysia (unless like me, you plan on using it as an alarm to make sure you get up in time for classes~). Laptops...well, it would really be very convenient to have a laptop from the very beginning since you won't have enough language proficiency to haggle with Korean vendors. If you plan on bringing a laptop from Malaysia though, be sure to install the Korean fonts and all that jazz from the Windows CD. You can't type Korean characters otherwise. So be sure to bring all your installation CDs with you when you come (I had to have my parents mail me my Windows CD since I didn't install the Korean files). All of us brought laptops from Malaysia, but one problem we faced was the fact that the keyboard doesn't have Hangul characters on it. So some of us wrote the characters on to the keys, some put stickers, and like me? I just rely on the trial and error method. Some of the scholars from other countries decided to buy their laptops here, and the price was around 800,000won to 900,000won. But again, obviously the price would differ with varying specifications. Ah, and LAN cable. Some dorms already have LAN cables attached to the wall of your room, but that depends. Some require that you use your own... unless of course, you're lucky enough (like me) the previous room resident left behind his or her LAN cable. Cameras? Again, same thing applies. Shopping when you have a very high language barrier is hard. And if you could bring a camera from Malaysia, it means you can immediately take pictures of your first moments in Korea~ If you have a strong inclination towards music and play the guitar, like Xin Ying and myself, you should consider bringing a guitar (but getting it on the plane will be annoying...). I don't know what I would've done without my guitar with me here~
That's the most I can recall from the top of my head for now. But really, I think as long as you follow the guidebook, you should be fine. The rest aren't 'necessities' per se, but they make your life easier and more comfortable.

We need to study biology , physic , chemistry etc in korean there?!

i just thought it's language. This is harder than i imagine ><~ Ok, i will bring all my stpm math books there, hurm, do u think i need to bring chem n physic as well?

Okay, here's the thing. Since you took science stream from STPM, I'm assuming you want to continue on in this stream, right? But even so, whether you have to take certain subjects or not, it would depend on what kind of major you would want to do. I can't speak for other universities, except for SNU, but I think it's a pretty fair assessment of general requirements, because;

If you want to do engineering, you have to take into account whether the course offered by a certain university has the proper accreditation. Since I'm assuming that at the end of your degree programme, you would want to return to Malaysia to work, you would need to be licensed under the Board of Engineers Malaysia. It would be safe to assume that those recognized by JPA would also be recognized by BEM. You can check out what course is recognized by JPA at the esila website. And both will take into account whether the university has been accredited by ABEEK (google this up if you're not sure what this is). If not, from what I've heard from those under JPA scholarship, once you return to Malaysia after graduating from university, you would have to go for a special course before you can actually work. But this is just what I heard, and I'm not sure how true the statement is.

So, for my course, for example, Civil & Environmental Engineering, only five of the twenty participating universities in the KGSP are recognized by JPA. SNU is one of them. Which is why for engineering students, they have to fulfill certain requirements especially in the first year since it is required by ABEEK. This means that for all engineering students, every freshman has to take two science subjects. This could be in the combination of any two between Chem, Physics, Bio and Statistics. I wouldn't know about the other JPA students in SNU, but Ritchie (Materials Science & Engineering) and myself are currently taking Chem and Physics. We are both taking Physics in english (a new class opened this semester for the benefit of foreigners) but Ritchie is doing English Chem whereas I'm doing Korean Chem (it's a bit complicated to explain this part as well... but you don't have to worry about this yet). Anyway, as I've said before, Physics and Chem syllabus are both basically STPM sylabus, so as long as you haven't burnt your STPM notes, you should be fine ^^;. In fact, if you haven't burnt your STPM student lab's manual, you should definitely hold on to it.

But this isn't to say that you should bring all your books when you come here this month. Nooooo, just hold on to them. You can get your family to ship your books and notes under this special category for printed material. It's cheap but it'll take a few months to reach. But it's not like you'll need them immediately during language course. As I said before, focus first on your language. Everything else is secondary. The most important book that you'll have to have with you for revision is your math book. Your math notes. This is because calculus is a compulsory subject for freshmen. And having abandoned math for one year has really made life hell for us here (okay la, it could've been worse la.. since we're taking calculus in English right now).

They told you just to bring your SPM cert, but please please please bring along all other related documents XD. Especially STPM. And by the way, since you won't be competing with regular applicants (both international and local), you don't have to worry too much about whether you're eligible or not. You're only competing among KGSP scholars and the universities are forced to take in a certain number of students whether they want to or not. For example, during our application period, out of 20 participating universities, SNU and Yonsei had 15 spots; Korea, Inha and Hanyang had 10 spots; etc. whereas there were only 162 KGSP scholars. So sometimes it had even reached a point where it's not so much as you qualifying or not (although it IS important) but whether you're brave enough to attempt an application to SNU as your first choice (since we didn't know our ranking at the time of application). From what we saw during our batch application period, Malaysians on average, rank at about high middle level. Again though, these are just things you only need to consider. Don't worry about this too much and FOCUS ON YOUR LANGUAGE COURSE ;).

About the guidebook, hrm, we actually got our guidebooks on the day of the ceremony. But then again, we had like...three weeks in between the ceremony and the departure itself. But basically, just bring enough money for the first month, bring sufficient amount of copies of your documents (for emergency purposes... like your certs and passport) and bring lots of passport sized photos. The guidebook is mainly to prepare you for stuff that you have to handle after arriving in Korea. Like alien registration and opening bank accounts. But again, there's no need to worry too much about that. During your first year, most of the universities where you would be doing your language course will take very good care of you. Some will even do everything for you if you're close enough to your coordinator ^_~.

Yes, I do tend to write very very very lengthy essays in school as well XD.

We understand that there will be a lot of things which you don't know about. Hey, we were once in your position as well! We wished we had seniors who could advise us on stuff, but ahaha being the first batch made that pretty much impossible. So, any questions, just e-mail us okay? We'll try our best to reply promptly. But since we're the first batch, there's also a lot of stuff that even we're not sure of yet. So keep in mind that info coming from us might not necessarily be 100% accurate.

On a reply from Xin Ying;

You can use your cellphone IF you have a 3G phone. You have to activate international roaming before coming to Korea with ur service provider. However, it is not advisable for long-term usage. I am using my Malaysian phone just for my friends to sms me from Msia. (it cost the same for them to sms you, but you pay RM1 if you reply.)

It is supposed to be SPRING now, but it is still kind of cold sometimes. The temperature range from 1 to 16 C. (As of 18/3/2008) I hope by the time you arrive, the weather will be warmer! So, bring jackets and long sleeves because summer will only be here around june.

The power point (the socket) is different from the one in Malaysia. They use the plug with 2-round thing (I am so sorry because I don't know what is the name of it.) I will take a picture of that and send it later. So my advice is, don't bring too many unnecessary electrical appliances, BUY THEM HERE.

Do not convert. (that makes your life here easier) Spend 800,000won like you are spending RM800 (assumption). 1700 - 3000 is like 1.70 - 3.00.

You have to pay the dorm fees from your allowance (800,000won - 150,000won = 650,000won for us). So we have 650,000 a month.

Which university did u get? We did not hear from any other scholarship holders YET. As for us, we tried to keep in touch via msn and we met up a few times during our language courses. My suggestion is that, get each other's email addresses when you're in the airport. Have u not met any of them yet?

Well, different universities offer different courses in english. As for SNU, you'll probably get lectures in English but as for some other universities, you might or might not. If "not" is the case, then yes, you have to study those subjects in Korean. But do not worry, I think you can talk to your professors and assignments or exams can be taken in English.

Well, don't worry about your STPM pointers, the most important thing about getting an admission is to do well in KLPT and TEPS and write good essays when you apply later on.

You can buy the extensions for the plugs here. They are different from the ones in Malaysia.

Yes, you can buy the LAN cable here.

It depends on which university you are in (like in SNU, we have our own bookstore in the school campus), they have BIG bookstores like Kyobo in Korea and they sell alot of English books as well. (Not to worry about that) Well, the scholarship money is enough to spend. Alternatively, you can lend the books from the libraries as I am quite certain that those libraries in the universities are well furnished. (with books)

On a reply from Bilqis;

I see that you are applying degree course in architecture (Note: Applies to all other majors which takes more than 4 years to complete). Let me express my concern regarding this matter. If you were to apply architecture, the NIIED will only sponsor for 4 years programn and architecture requires 5 years to finish the degree.Of course i will not discourage you for applying what you want to do. I have a friend from the same uni who is doing architecture design. He will have to pay off the final year tuition fee on his own or probably with university scholarship if he performs well. Well, i would recommend you Yonsei Architecture as it is highly recognized. Physics is required for architecture but not chem. So i suggest you bring along/ or request your parents to mail you ur physics and mathematic books. You will definitely need it when you start your undergraduate. We are allowed to change course when u apply for degree programn after the university entrance exam. No worries about that.

1 year/ or should i say less than 7 months of language programn is fully concentrate on the language studies itself. You should spare sometime to do revision on your own though for your own good. Anyway, 7 months is also for you to have fun and learn about the korean culture!! Do take time to go for travelling around Korea.

You can just ship through the post office. By air take a week or two. By ship take less than 2 months. Im not sure how it charges as everything is done by my family ^^. And also.. bring some Malaysian food. You'll miss it here, alot. Do bring some sourveniers from Malaysia like keychains batik or whatsoever as well to exchange with your new friends from the language programn.

Bank Account. Dont worry about it. Your designated university will take charge of that. They will have "buddy programn" where korean/foreign senior student will help you out when you make your bank account. To open a back account you will first need your Alien Registration card ( IC ) and it takes about 3 weeks plus to make one. So make sure u prepare enough $$. It is better to change to Won in Malaysia cos i heard the exchange rate is lower over there. Around 600 000 Won (600USD) should be sufficient. They will grant you another 200000won settlement fee when you arrives during the orientation if im not wrong. The common bank they have here in Malaysia is Citibank. If you are citibank account holder, i think is valid here. Im not too sure about that. Transfer money from Malaysia is expensive. The bank charged 20000won (20USD) for every transfer.

Time Zone. is only 1 hour difference here than Malaysia. One hour earlier if im not wrong. I suck at keeping track with time =) Doinstall skype so you can keep in touch with your family and friends. The internet connection here is superb!! ^

I would also like to add that bring only necessary things. DO NOT bring overload clothes. Im speaking based on my personal experience. 2 pairs of jeans and few long sleeves shirts will do. Bring our traditional clothes too baju kuring cheongsam sarii or whatever. You will definitely need it during language programns. A good pair of shoe is important as the weather is still quite cold. Bring lots of good quality socks to keep warm. I dont think you need to bring toiletries along. People incharge of you will bring you for grocery shopping on the first day of your arrival. Because those tends to add weigh to your luggage. I can assure you, you will tend to shop a lot here. The airline only limits 20kg. So pls pls dont bring too many clothes. Bring warm jacket along. Is getting warmer here. Something like genting now. But is still cold. Jacket is sufficient. If you need, i could loan you mine (=

Korean dictionary is a MUST.

Added in reply to another incoming KGSP M'sian's inquiry;

I was informed that this will be the 2nd batch of the Malaysian students in Korea. Will that mean that we will only have 6 seniors? is there any Malaysians that you guys know there?
Besides 6 of us here, there are more malaysian undergraduate students under JPA ( LOTS of them, easily more than 200??), and graduate students under KGSP as well.

for the one year Language program, are we gonna be placed with the other international students of KGSP to learn Korean? For example, I will be studying in Konkuk University with 8 other students.
Basically, the Korean Government will split mostly all Malaysians into different universities for i don't know what reasons, Maybe for political reasons or just to make sure universities here are diversed in nationalities, etc

As me and two of my friends are muslims, we are fully awared about the food in Korea. Is there anything that we can know regarding how to get halal food as well as is there any mosques in Korea? i only know that there's a Mosque in Seoul built by our Malaysian Government.
Food can be a real headache if you are a Muslim. But rest be assured. If you inform the coordinator from your designated university, he may come out with a new scheme to help you guys to get halal food. Besides that, if you can get to the nearest supermarket, you can always buy your own food.(They'll teach you how to get to the nearest supermarket during the orientation of your own university)

There is no mosques in Korea except maybe 2?? one in seoul and one in Busan, the southern-most city of Korea.

Do we get in touch with any Malaysian societies in Korea as well as the Malaysian Embassy? especially during Hari Raya, Chinese new year, deepavali etc?
This is still kind of a problem for us KGSP malaysian students. Since our number is quite small, the Malaysian Embassy here 'tutup one mata' on us. So we don't really get much news about the embassy except from our JPA friends. Maybe with the inclusion of more KGSP students from this coming batch, they'll start to recognise of our existence here >.<. Still, we gave the embassy our personal information for official purpose. But they wouldn't bother so much unless we really pester them. ㅋㅋ

Do we get a green card to travel overseas by our own expenses? I was told a no no for the first year.
None of the 6 of us have travelled away from Korea during this time. So we don't really know about that. But definitely it's best not to travel out of Korea during your Korean Language Studies.

Upon entering university, do we have to sit for test? How is that?
Upon entering university?? Test??? The only test we need to sit is Korean Language Test and English test( After completion of Korean Language Studies, test are given to determine who goes to which university of choice according to their language abilities, so the best is to study Korean language as hard as possible ^^ )
[Note from Raja: Prior to university admission, you would only be required to sit for the Korean and English proficiency tests. But after you've gained admission, some universities may still require you to sit for a math test to determine what sort of math class you're eligible to take. For example, in SNU the freshies (for those who will need to take calculus later on) were required to take a math test. Those who did not (including Ritchie and myself) were then required to take up Basic Calculus (something like a tutoring programme) alongside the normal Calculus course.]

Three of us are pursuing the engineering course, and I was told that SNU is the place to go...So i would like to know which university in Korea is recognised by the Malaysian Government?
Of course, SNU is the best choice. There are still other universities which are recognised according to their courses by the Malaysian Government. The more prominent ones are Yonsei, Korea, Hanyang and Inha.
[Note from Raja: There used to be a list on JPA's eSILA website regarding the courses which are recognized by JPA... but I've just checked the site again and it seems that the site has been revamped and the link is nowhere to be found. So just try checking out the site every now and then to see whether it'll pop back up again. By the way, the last time I checked, the recognized universities were SNU, Yonsei, Korea, Inha, Hanyang, Ulsan, Kyungpook and some other place which offered diplomas. Out of those seven mentioned universities, only Ulsan and Kyungpook were not in the list of the twenty participating universities in the KGSP. So that leaves five. But another important thing to mention, it's not about which universities are recognized by JPA. What you should confirm is what COURSES provided by the universities are recognized by JPA. You see, take for example, the last time I viewed the site, the only courses offered by SNU which were recognized by JPA was Civil Engineering, Dentistry (or something like that) and some computer thingie. But there are JPA scholars actually taking degrees not mentioned in the list and the list had changed from the first time I had accessed it (before leaving Malaysia) to the time I was applying for universities. So again, nothing's for sure, but those under JPA may have added security since they're under JPA after all. Because of that, please try your best to check for recognition since technically JPA doesn't owe you anything LOL.]

Do we have to do housemanship in Malaysia or somewhere else after we graduated from the korean university...?
No. Just study, graduate and then do whatever you want. lol. NO BONDS

[Note from Raja: If you're talking about housemanship, it must mean that you're looking to do a degree like medicine, dentistry or pharmacy... This is a bit tricky to answer. Because first of all KGSP scholars are not allowed to do medicine. One scholar (not Malaysian), after completion of the language course and wanted to pursue medicine, was told to either change his major or go back to his own country (he went back). I don't know about dentistry or pharmacy, but if you're planning to pursue either of these majors, it's important that you CHECK with JPA to see if it's recognized or not. It could be hell for you later on if you don't especially since these degrees require housemanship. But let's say for engineering, you'd probably only need to take a special course when you graduate and return to Malaysia. Again, you have to confirm the accuracy of whatever information you're getting from us. I can't stress on that enough. ]

What is the best thing to do during our weekends? travel?

This is really random ?? but you'll have things to do with your university and new-made friends EVERYDAY, not only just weekend. And travelling might be kinda hard for you guys due to language barrier. So just try to stick among your university friends first, get used to the korean culture, food, weather, people, language etc.

In Japan, to work parttime or baito(arbeide) is one of the best thing and excellent thing to do to help us improves our Japanese as well as to understand the culture and social life in Japan, is it the same in Korea?

Another really good question, doing arbeide( sounds the same in Korean ) is really a good way to improve your Korean, actually not just for Korean , but for all languages in general, because you get to use what you learn and being exposed to the social life is the best way to learn a language. But, no arbeide during 1 year of korean language studies. ^^

All the best for your preparations!
Hope to see you guys in Korea soon.

Please send an email to kgspmalaysia@gmail.com
1)Full name
2)DOB
3)Hometown
4)Email
5)Designated Korean language institute/university
6)Major and university of choice
7) Korean Language Ability ( If applies )
8) Anything you want to add about yourself.

All inquiries should be directed to kgspmalaysia@gmail.com only.

Edited & posted by Ritchie
msn/email: leezhezin@hotmail.com

Reedited by Raja

Updated: 19 March 2009

Ritchie: A New Challenge, A New Life

2009-02-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

To give an idea on life in Korea as a Malaysian KGSP scholar, Ritchie has agreed to share an entry taken from his blog here~

Since my last published blog, countless events had happened and most of which brings great memories and shall be a great experience for my further education-pursuing life here in Korea. in particular,자세히..some events had been so far the best ever which happened since my arrival in Korea till now, approximately 3 months and 3 weeks had passed.

22nd September 2008:
SunMoon University Sports Competition~
Took part in the badminton competition and WON!! yeeehaa..^-^v

24th September 2008:
The Global Lounge was officially opened in SunMoon Uni. On that day I performed a song with 3 of my friends whom i got really closed since we're in the same program and go to school everyday together, and we stay in the same room~^&^ roommates~^^ we sang a song entitled 'Life is Good' , lyrics and song composed ourselves and it was performed well~~ besides that, was just normal...lol

26 September 2008:
3-month of Coming-to-Korea Celebration. Had a dinner with my friends under the same program in our uni for being in Korea for 3 months since our first meeting and arrival in Korea. Since then ties were forged and got closer, partly family partly friends..Will be one of those memorable days after we finish our 8 months together in SunMoon Uni....Bravo~

30 September 2008:
성화학숙 Festival - University Open-House Festival
More of a welcoming party for old and freshie students. Mini-concert held, with various performances by uni's own singers , dancers , etc. Even a magic show and a singing competition, one of my friend Zahid and Sergey got 2nd for putting up a good show^^ and later got my Prize for winning the Badminton Competition^^~

3-5 October 2008:
One of the best experience yet. Global Friendship Camp. Held in Paju-Si , Gyeonggi-do which is near the north-south korean border. It's not just a camp. It was a camp of youths from all over the world, 100 korean students from all over korea and 100 international students , gathering for a camp of unity,teamwork-building, the power of youth to change the world , especially on tackling world issues such as oppression and human rights as well as environmental problems, global warming etc and filled with fun activities, games AND importantly shows how Great unity is and with it new friends were made and Friendship was formed. Also it gave us insight on how precious independence is to a country and how war could destruct a country and burn the desire and future of the young and old alike from the visit of the North-South Korean border,군사 분계선 DMZ(demilitarised Zone or military demarcation zone), where historical sites with memories of those war-days still lurking, it seems like a visit back to history~ Went to an under-tunnel build by the North in 1970s when they tried to invade the South called the 3rd Undertunnel of Aggression. Pictures was forbidden so..~_~ . However the thing i could tell is that the feeling was overwhelming and it makes me realised how important Peace is to a
country.

KGSP Malaysia

2009-02-09T05:11:00.000-08:00

Welcome! Surely if you've reached here, it must mean that you harbour a certain amount of interest regarding the Korean Government Scholarship Program (KGSP).

The Government of the Republic of Korea is offering scholarship for at least six Malaysian students in order to support their undergraduate studies in Korea. The scholarship serves to promote education exchanges and friendship between Malaysia and Korea. Last year, the Korean government awarded scholarship to seven Malaysians for undergraduate degree course and forty two for graduate degree course. [taken from http://mys.mofat.go.kr/eng/as/mys/bilateral/political/index.jsp]

Well, here we are, the six Malaysians (we're less one person due to unforeseeable circumstances) to have been awarded with the undergraduate program scholarship. Having been here for slightly more than seven months, we have decided to create the KGSP Malaysia blog in hopes of uniting fellow Malaysian scholars under the KGSP (especially for those in the undergraduate program). We also hope that this blog would serve as a medium to discuss issues or problems faced or will be faced by KGSP Malaysians.

So, to start the ball rolling, in this first post, the six of us will each provide a little bit of our experiences/thoughts on the program.

First up, we have Ritchie (리치), the Penang boy (important to note that he is the only male in our batch!) who was placed in SunMoon University, Cheonan for the 8 month Korean language course.

Designated to SunMoon University at Cheon-an City, Chungnam Province for the Korean Language Course Studies. An unknown university. It wouldn't have been so hard if they had just put us in a relatively known university like Yonsei or Korea.
Hardest thing to cope with is the new environment and the new language. Food and people are also really different. First 2 weeks were the hardest part, and 1 month later, everything fell into place and tadaa~ a new real life begins.
Getting sick while you're away from home in a foreign land is the worst possible way to feel homesick. Getting used to the food would be hard at first but should be fine after 1 month though. While learning Korean can be hard, the fun part is getting to know more friends and fun trips(depends on whether you're lucky or not) to places like Jejudo. Living out of Seoul in a countryside like myself can be pleasant but at the same time has its bad points. One can save lots of money but most people would prefer living in Seoul for convenience. Seoul would have more people speaking in English so it's better for foreigners like us.
Having Korean language knowledge before coming to Korea would give u a slight advantage, but if you study hard enough, in about 6 months, you can speak okay- Korean although not as freely. Also, having a good knowledge on Korean language would be vital when taking the the exam which in turn determines whether you get to enter the university of your choice. So, having a great interest for Korean Language will be of great help! Besides, your Korean needs to be of a competitive level to study some courses in Korean whether you like it or not.
Basically, as soon as you enter Korea, you have to live by yourself(YES, YOURSELF, unless you have another kind Malaysian to live with you), although you still can forfeit the scholarship but if you're up for it, then just go for it^^ - Ritchie has gained admission to Seoul National University to pursue a first degree in Materials Science & Engineering.

Next, would be me, Raja (라자), a Subang girl placed in Myongji University, Seoul.

When I came to Korea, a multitude of things happened simultaneously. It was exciting. It was challenging. And I discovered what it truly meant to be an international student, in every sense of the term. The first two months, I had to face a language barrier so high due to the lack of English proficiency within both the Korean community as well as the international students. But don't let this fact deter you. Being able to come here as a KGSP scholar, I must say, is one of my greatest accomplishments. And if you have the chance to do the same, it is definitely not one to be missed! Learn to expand your horizon, and you'll be better because of it. - Raja has gained admission to Seoul National University to pursue a first degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering.

Also from Penang, we have Xin Ying (신잉), placed in Ajou University, Suwon.

KGSP was formed to establish mutual friendship between Malaysia and Korea and further promote education exchanges. This scholarship program includes a one year Korean language course that is very constructive for the long run. Korean language courses were arduous in the beginning but it assisted me to wholly comprehend the Korean culture and perspectives thus giving me significant insights. Life as a Malaysian student in Korea can be portrayed in one word – adventurous. A bumpy road, countless failures are within expectation, sleepless nights, yet worth the ride. - Xin Ying has gained admission to Seoul National University to pursue a first degree in International Relations.

Meet Miki (미키), another Subang girl, placed in SunMoon University, Cheonan.

If you are a fan of the Korean Wave; one with a vision for success; a person who dares to be different; with the urge to contribute to our beloved country's development; desiring to have life enriching experiences -- then Korea should be your choice of destination for further education. I am grateful to be part of the Korean Government Scholarship Program. Being part of this program is like being on a huge battleground; it is incorporated with tonnes of difficulties, endurance of the unfamiliar events, the homesickness, the vicious battle within self without tutelage and yet to be found in the comfort of new circle of friendships, a pool of opportunities, and the sweetness of victories. In average, despite the obstacles faced, the 8 months of the korean language studies have been really fruitful and provided me with unforgettable experiences as it has trained me in many aspects and every difficulty i had gone through has moulded me into a fighter. Optimistically, it is a win-win situation here as whatever difficulties you encounter today will definitely be useful for tomorrow. For sure, learning and adapting to new a environment is never easy, nevertheless like the yin and yang which are complementary opposites within a greater whole, it has been a valuable and worthwhile journey. - Miki has gained admission to Inha University to pursue a first degree in Mathematics.

Then, there's Natalie (나탈리), from Sunway, and placed in Sogang University, Seoul.

It has been more than 7 months since I came to Korea. Time just flies and I could still clearly remember the day when I first came. The anxieties and difficulties I encountered were like something which had happened just not long ago. After 7 months in this land, I have experienced a lot of things which were not exposed to me when I was in Malaysia. I somehow found myself becoming more independent and could solve problems without relying on the help of my parents. This is a great opportunity for me to grow up, to learn and to explore more. I will try my best with all my effort,determination and diligence to ensure a brighter future. - Natalie has gained admission to Yonsei University to pursue a first degree in Economics.

Last, but not least, we have Michelle (미셸), hailing from KL and placed in Ajou University, Suwon.

First and foremost, being selected out of 5,000 applicants for this KGSP scholarship is not merely pure luck, but God's greatest blessing for my 23rd birthday and just as I was preparing to further my study abroad, this scholarship came just in time to realize my dream to pursue a degree in Visual Communication Design. During these 7 months in Suwon, Korea, I was greatly overwhelmed by the locals' enormous compassion, warmth and care towards foreign students like me. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have been able to adapt well in such a short period. With Korea's powerful fashion industry and Koreans' versatile sense of fashion, this country provides me with the right opportunity and environment to fulfill my dream~ - Michelle has gained admission to Konkuk University to pursue a first degree in Communication Design.

So that makes all six of us! And it has come to our knowledge that the deadline for the KGSP for undergraduates 2009 application submission has just passed. So, should you be joining us soon in Korea, please do send us an e-mail at KGSPMalaysia .at. gmail.com... just to say hi if nothing else~

p/s KGSP Batch 2009 updates coming soon