We each have a very interesting tale to share when it comes to pursuing our dreams, and today, I want to share my own story with you!

I was never one to contemplate about the future growing up. I’ve always had my plans laid out for me, and as long as my parents were proud,  I was too. That doesn’t mean i was ever willing to become a doctor or an engineer, but I was sure that anything in between those two occupations would be approved. 

Going abroad was never even a thought that ever occurred to me. I was too clingy and reliant on my family that even sleeping at my cousin’s house used to be a big challenge for me. Even if it did, I was only aware that many people from my country would move to or study in to Europe. Korea was not a country that people would talk about in my hometown at that time. 

My obsession with Korea.began when I turned 15, freshly into high school. What captivated me the most about the country was the music, with all its components and aesthetics. Before hearing anything remotely Korean, I had dabbled in western and Japanese pop music. I had also been singing and dancing as a side hobby, which I was not fully aware of at that time. Korean pop music managed to blend my two favorite things into one, all while looking incredibly appealing. A spark was born after that, and my curiosity and fascination grew as I explored all that Korea had to offer.

Despite my desire to get to Korea as soon as I could, I was a child, a very dependent one at that, and so my family made it clear that this was not something I could pursue. Even when I challenged myself and became more independent during my high school years, life simply had other plans. My dream had to be postponed due to the global pandemic, which ruined my graduation and destroyed my confidence, and forced me to delay my aspirations further. I was left to reconsider my options, and my family had taken a liking to an American school 15 hours away from my hometown. Left with no choice, I enrolled into said university, deeply depressed at the thought that I would have to bury my dream of moving to Korea. But after spending a full year at my previous University, I knew that I would never give up on Korea.

I spoke with my family about applying to Korean universities summer of 2021. I told them that I had found a study agency that has helped a couple of people from my country apply to universities in Seoul. It took a lot of insistence but they eventually gave me the green light. The study agency that I had found was called Skudy. It was a study agency based in Seoul, South Korea, and they were specialized in streamlining the application process for international students for the price of 99 USD.

Being as confused as I was about the whole ordeal, Skudy was a life savior. They helped me decide on what fields I wanted to pursue, and introduced me to universities that offered those desired majors. They answered all my questions, and provided a detailed list of the documents I would need. The agency also provided updates on the universities I was interested in, explaining tuition fees and application deadlines. They reviewed my study plan, and gave me advice on how to craft it in a way that would stand out to admissions committees. Furthermore, they helped me pay my admission fee when I ran into unexpected payment issues. Their assistance and encouragement was very reassuring throughout the process.

After some consideration, I decided to apply to two universities: Sejong University’s Media and Communication program, and Hanyang University’s Business Administration program. Both English tracks, of course. While I was more interested in Media and Communication, Hanyang’s esteemed reputation turned it into my top choice. It’s safe to say that I was very unsure what requirements I needed to fulfill, but being honest and clear about my intentions helped a lot, especially when crafting a study plan.

Although much clearer thanks to Skudy, the process wasn’t without its hurdles. The most difficult part was gathering all the required documents. As a Moroccan, I needed to have my documents notarized and translated from Arabic to English. It was a lengthy and stressful process, and I spent weeks running from one office to another, making sure everything would be done on time. During this period, I had to take a leave of absence from my previous university to focus entirely on the application process, and to save money.