1. 2026학년도 신입생 Gabrielle Barrett  (학부 전공: Elementary Education)

From Dream to Acceptance: My Journey to Ewha

I first heard about Ewha Womans University eleven years ago. At the time, I was attending a women's university in the United States where they had an exchange program with students from Ewha. The exchange students would come to my classes and learn alongside me while experiencing American college life. I was too shy to approach them but I often wondered what it would be like to study in South Korea. Since childhood, I dreamed of becoming an English teacher in South Korea, and studying at Ewha seemed like the perfect addition to that dream. I made my decision, spoke with the study abroad coordinator and began planning how to make it happen. Unfortunately because of COVID, my plans took a detour. Over the next couple of years, while the world was healing, I started a new chapter in my journey. I transferred to a new university and taught in American schools after completing my degree. Although I was proud of myself for reaching my goals, I couldn't forget my desire to study overseas. As a result, I decided to teach English in Korea.

After I arrived in Korea, I was assigned to three schools and gained firsthand experience within the Korean education system. However, I quickly noticed that students struggled with conversational English and were uncomfortable with speaking. I realized textbook phrases and games were not enough. I wanted to understand how I could better support students who were hesitant to speak and help bridge their English learning. I also realized that native English teachers and co-teachers needed better collaboration strategies in the classroom. In order for me to bridge these gaps, I needed to become better educated. For nearly a year, I had researched master's programs in the US and in Korea but many programs were either too expensive, time consuming, or not the right fit. I was led back to Ewha, where I remembered the students who attended my education classes. I researched master's programs on the website and came across the MA TESOL program which included a fully English language curriculum with hybrid evening classes. I knew I had found the right program for me.

I began preparing a year in advance by researching professors, courses, and requirements. I also looked at past admissions requirements and student success stories. Then I prepared the required documents listed from the admissions guides. Lastly, I attended an information session to receive information I may have missed, which also gave me a chance to show that I was a prospective applicant. After checking the announcement page and Instagram page updates, I submitted my application and  prepared for the oral interview. Although I was accepted, this process was not always easy. It was challenging, and oftentimes I had imposter syndrome, but these challenges taught me to slow down, triple check details, ask a lot of questions and allow time for unexpected difficulties. My advice to future applicants is to start early, stay diligent, keep your documents organized, reach out to the department and be prepared. Eleven years after wondering what it would be like to study at Ewha, my dream had come full circle. Now I can look forward to becoming a better leader and teacher equipped with stronger strategies to support students and help other teachers.