Finally, the day has come! I'm finally walking into the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Malaysia! Previously, the visits to the embassy have always been at the guardhouse to drop the documents off. It was such an honour to enter the gate and into the building.
Morning preparation
The interview session was scheduled to start at 9:30am sharp and we were asked to be there at 9am. I woke up at 6am as usual, did my make up, tied my hair and wore a complete formal attire (soooo formal). I was so nervous the entire morning I have only managed to eat a banana and drank some coffee (Maxim coffee for some luck?). I left home around 7:30am and reached the embassy at 8am. There was an hour's time gap in between so I waited in the car and going through my own notes.
So upon entry to the embassy, I have met a few other selected candidates outside the embassy and we have shared a few chats. At first, I thought there were a few other interview sessions as there were only 6 people including me, waiting at the gate to be ushered in. But then as time passes, more and more of them came in. 10 of them to be exact. We showed our ID by the guardhouse before being let in the premise.
We were told that there were 12 selected candidates for the interview, one rescheduled I supposed. We waited at the lobby before the interview started. It was so intense and everybody was equally nervous. The Secretary came to us and let us know the turn that we are going to be interviewed (she was so nice and bubbly). She told us that the interview session today was the only interview session that is going to be held. Out of 100+ applicants, 12 of us were shortlisted.
There were 3 interviewers + 1 intern in the interview room. Among the 3 interviewers, 2 of them were Korean and another one was a Malaysian professor from UPM.
The interview did indeed start right on time. The first candidate was ushered to the first floor where the interview was held. It was a meeting room with a long meeting table in the middle. As the candidates went in one by one, we continued sharing a few chats here and there. There were candidates opting for Ph.D. studies and Masters. The majors of the candidates also widely differ. There were law students, chemical engineering, sports, international relations, pharmacy etc. I was the only one opting for MBA, so no direct competition here haha
The interview
Around 10:10am, I was notified that I will be the 6th candidate to be interviewed and the 3rd candidate has just started the interview. After that, we were ushered to the waiting room which was previously occupied by some people for meetings. We continued our anxious wait in the waiting room...
In average, each candidate spent around 15mins inside the interview room. It kinda took a while before I went it. I went in around 10:45am and was greeted by the intern first as she was the one who opened the door for me. All of them greeted me so kindly as I walked in the interview with my trembling legs and awkward smile. I made my way to the chair where a piece of A4 paper and a pencil was placed on the meeting table. I greeted all of the interviewers as they introduced themselves one by one.
Below were the questions that they have asked me throughout the interview. They focused on the personal statement that I have written for the scholarship application.
1. Please introduce yourself
2. Why did you choose Korea to further your studies?
3. Talk about your experience at Yonsei University
4. What were the difficulties that you have faced in South Korea?
5. Tell us about your strengths and why should we choose you?
6. What are your plans after graduation? Do you plan to come back to Malaysia?
At the end of the interview, they told me that the result of the interview will be announced by 4th April, which is in a week's time from today.
Final thoughts
Hmm thoughts on the interview?
The interviewers were undeniably very friendly. I was worried at first that it will be a scary interview but it wasn't the case at all. I felt that the interview went well, although I've hoped that they would ask me more questions. Maybe it was the time limit, I wasn't able to talk as much as I've wanted to.
So now, I guess I will have to wait until the 4th of April to know my verdict. Good luck to me!
Check our Part 4 here!
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