I have drafted this email which I will send to HEC (Mr. Zia Ur Rehman) early Monday morning .. Hopefully will get reply same day... If he does not reply then I call him on the number mentioned in email ... Anything you want to know post on this forum or contact me on Facebook I will add it in the email before sending it ....

"Sir,
As per your email I am happy to hear that Hanyang University has granted me admission in its Combined MS and PhD program. It is a honor for me to represent my country in South Korea while working towards earning higher education.
As per schedule given on Hanyang University’s website orientation for new students is to be held on 18/02/2014 which means I will have to reach South Korea before the stated date. This leave only a two month time period for me to get everything in order to able to proceed on time.
I shall be grateful if you could take the time and answer my queries which are as below:
1: As letter of admission and provisional award from HEC are under process during this time is there anything the candidate can do/get done to avoid last minute runarounds?
2: Could you clarify if I will be provided accommodation by University in their dormitories (as I am HEC Scholar) or will I have to apply on my own to secure accommodation in University?
3: Will HEC assist in learning of Korean Language or is it the responsibility of the scholar to learn language on their own?

Respectfully
Hamza Zad Gul"


P.S. You can contact me on Fb by searching my full name

4. Will HEC fund all airfare or do i have to arrange for myself?
5. Will HEC help me in VISA processing and other mandatory requirements?

I have added the questions you have mentioned .. Will post reply on forum as soon as I get it

i can answer few of your questions as i have availed HEC MS scholarship from korea..
1,,,just do your shopping etc nothing else to worry about
2...accomadation will be provided based on the availability of rooms HEC has nothing to do with it...
3... Uni will offer language courses that u have to attend with ur normal studies and its compulsory

@Silver fur
4. HEC will provide one time air fare only (durig vacations you ca travel at your own expense)
5..yes HEC will help in visa processing ,,they will forward ur name to embassy and in my case i got my visa in 3 days and few of students got their visa on the same date...

Thank you for clarifying. Can u also share how your experience is studying in Korea and what are the pros and cons of this programme. And how strong a candidate u need to be to survive MS leading to PhD?
Also I am a female, so is the environment conducive for female candidates in Korea or not?

In my opinion
Studying in Korea was a great experience
the research environment and the way they "push" you to conduct research is very helpful in deciding your Phd area and for sure you will have some publications at the end of your MS.
Course work is never a big deal all they ask is about your research..
If you are good in research ,professor will be more than happy to keep you with him/her for Phd too ,never heard any MS leading to Phd scholar rejected for Phd after MS,,no one want to loose a free labour since HEC is funding you.
the best thing i like they dont care you are a male or female what you are eating what you are wearing ..so dont worry about gender etc,,,


things that should be very clear to all applicants
1... Korean is the official language that means everything will be in korean haha very few people speak english (dont worry telling about environment out of uni) ..older people thse who visit abroad frequently and little chlidrens going to english schools can speak english..
2...very important its not the graduate office to set your graduating criteria, it's your professor who will decide when you are going to recieve your degree so choosing the right professor is the main issue when you join university.(if not assigned yet).
You can change your supervisor but that is some thing they dont like and they feel insulted (ofcourse faculty will support fellow faculty member)

Means one should start learning Korean right away ...

Any senior from AIT?

Mr Shoaib, I really appreciate your advise regarding studying environment in Korea. I have also received an email from HEC regarding admission in Hanyang University Korea. But I have also applied in SKKU under this HEC scholarship Program, What is the procedure if I want to go for SKKU rather than Hanyang University, should I notify to HEC prior to the result of admission in SKKU?
I will be really thankful if anyone can guide me in this regard.