Need advice
Hi everyone, I’m currently a Vietnamese high school student planning to apply for Communications/Media-related majors in Korea, especially UIC at Yonsei University. My biggest goal is getting a high/full scholarship because my family cannot financially support studying abroad without it.
Here’s my current profile:
- GPA (estimated international scale):
- Grade 10: ~3.3/4.0
- Grade 11: ~3.5/4.0 (significant improvement in semester 2)
- Planning to push Grade 12 as high as possible (aiming for ~3.8+/4.0 equivalent)
- English:
- Current IELTS level around 6.5
- Goal: 7.5–8.0
- Strongest subject in school (English average ~9.4/10)
- Activities:
- Co-founder/founder-level role in the media department of the first student-operated club at my high school
- Interested in communication, media, storytelling, science communication, and youth-oriented content
- Planning to expand club projects and create more impactful activities during summer
- Awards/Plans:
- Preparing for IELTS + SAT
- Planning to participate in English talent competitions, IOE, and possibly academic competitions related to English/media
- Hoping to build a stronger spike in communications/media
- Academic strengths:
- English, History, Biology, communication/storytelling
- Weaknesses:
- STEM subjects are less consistent (especially Math/Physics/Chemistry)
I know my GPA is not at the “perfect international applicant” level, so I would genuinely appreciate realistic advice:
- Do I still have a chance for Yonsei UIC or other Korean universities?
- What should I focus on most during the next 1–1.5 years?
- How competitive would I be for scholarships?
Thank you honestly for reading this.