You're here because you want to apply for that scholarship with AYFN, right? You're looking for application tips, video submission tips, and ways to stand out to be selected for the fully funded or partial scholarship?
Well, you're in the right place!
In 2020 I applied to and won one of ten fully-funded scholarships to travel to Seoul, South Korea with the ASEAN Youth Friendship Network (AYFN). AYFN is an Indonesian-based organization whose goal is to foster community between ASEAN nations and the rest of the globe. They host this trip to Seoul, South Korea every winter, along with another annual trip to Japan, Indonesia, and other ASEAN countries.
You can find my tips to crush your application in this article and in this video below!
Acing the video application
Below is the video application prompt I was given as an AYFN Korean Culture Camp applicant in 2020. The requirements for your video submission may have changed from this 2020 version, but the spirit of the questions is likely identical.
Pay attention to the following:
- how I included the research methods I use for every PTO that I apply to
- how I crafted a script before I made the video
- how I answered exactly what they asked very specifically
- how I included my personality in the video
- how I to used simple video editing techniques to make sure my video would be unique
and think about how you can implement these killer application tips into your submission.
Dear applicants,
CONGRATULATIONS.
We'd like to inform you that AYFN received hundreds of applications for the AYFN Exchange Program Scholarship: Winter Korea Cultural Camp 2020. Therefore, we are pleased to announce that you passed the first-round selection.
To continue into the second round selection process, applicants are required to make a creative short video (duration min 2 minutes, maximum 4 minutes). The contents of the video must include the following:
1. Personal Information (Family, hobby, education, experiences, organization, etc)
2. What are your strength and weakness?
3, What's on your mind when hearing about Korea?
4. Why would you like to visit Korea with AYFN?.
5. At the end of the video, you must attach this sentence ” Hi world. I wanna visit Korea with AYFN. So, I have applied the Exchange Program Scholarship provided by AYFN. I love AYFN, I love friendship.”
Note:
1. You can make a video as creative as you can.
2. The number of Views and Likes will be one of the assessments. So you need to promote your video.
3. Your video must be “Public accessible”
Please upload the video on YouTube. Also, send the youtube link into [email protected] , Subject: WKCC2020_YourName. Deadline: 20 November 2019
Below is the exact video that I submitted to AYFN that awarded me the fully-funded cultural exchange scholarship:
Video application transcription
Annyeonghaseyo! My name is Gabby Beckford. I'm 24 years old and I live outside of Washington D.C., United States.
I have 3 sisters, a mother, a father, and a stepmother. When I was in college, I studied Mathematics and Middle Eastern studies. Since I graduated 2 years ago, I've been working in Business Development for a large U.S. company.
I love to experience new countries and share them with the world with my videos, my writing, and the photographs I take, on my website Packslight.com.
For my strengths, I would say my confidence, my determination, and my creativity are very good!
And for my weaknesses… I think I would have to say my one-track-mindedness. I can only focus on one thing, and I sort of have tunnel vision. And maybe my patience. I really get excited, and it's hard to be patient and let things come in their own due time.
When I think about Korea, I think about a culture that is very common around where I live but one that I do not know much about myself. I think about how similar Korean may or may not be to Chinese or Japanese culture, and it makes me want to find out for myself! I also think about what holidays the United States and Korea celebrate together, and which ones are unique to Korea that I might really like. And of course, I think about popular Korean things like boba tea, KPOP, and KBBQ.
I love to travel. So I travel the world whenever I can. And it's possible that one day I might be able to visit Korea by myself. BUT! When I saw the opportunity to visit Korea with an organization like AYFN, I knew this was the best way for me to go. I want to visit Korea with an organization like AYFN because I love your mission.
On your website, it says your mission is “To connect young people around the world to know each other”. This is also my mission! I want to help encourage other young people to seek relationships with people of different cultures and to see the world.
I want to travel with AYFN to visit Korea wear hanbok, eat Kimchi, and practice the Korean language with AYFN because I know that I will be able to say I experienced authentic Korean society, and I want to be able to share it with the world that organizations like AYFN exist and that they want us youths around the world to experience these beautiful Asian cultures
And with my travel blog and audience, I know that I can share my journey digitally with the rest of the world and hopefully encourage other people to visit countries like Korea and see what beautiful things there are to do there.