1. Hello, please introduce yourself first.

Hello, I'm Jiwon Kim, and I'm about to enter the accounting major Ph.D. program at New York University Business School this fall. After graduating from Sungkyunkwan University's business administration department, I completed my master's program at Seoul National University Business School last February. My time at Sungkyunkwan University as an undergraduate has always remained a pleasant and warm memory, and I'm very happy and honored to participate in an alumni interview after graduation like this.

2. I heard that you are going to attend a Ph.D. program at New York University Business School in the U.S. What made you decide to go?

When I was an undergraduate student, I had to choose a detailed major in business administration as one of the graduation requirements for Sungkyunkwan University's business school and complete a certain number of credits. I chose accounting and was able to take various accounting-related classes to develop my interest in accounting. In the process, I realized that the numbers in the financial statements could not just be data, but could become 'signals' that reflect the true value of a company. Later, I studied accounting papers that analyzed the relationship between the contents of corporate disclosure such as financial statements and corporate value through the activities of the excellent undergraduate student research credit system, and came up with research ideas myself. This experience deepened my interest in accounting research and made me decide to go on to a master's degree. Through various seminar classes in the master's course, I was able to learn that accounting is a study not only the financial statements of a company, but also the influence of various types of communication on investors and other stakeholders. For example, I have been attracted to the study of accounting, which analyzes what kind of 'signal' corporate communication delivers to the market and stakeholders, such as sustainability management reports, posts on SNS by management, and appearances on podcasts. In addition, in the process of writing my master's thesis, I had great pleasure in specifying my ideas, analyzing data, and interpreting the results. Through this experience, I felt that I wanted to learn more deeply about the process of designing and developing my own research, and I decided to pursue a doctoral course. Since I was thinking about going to graduate school, I wanted to study in the United States, and NYU was one of the schools I especially wanted to go to. Thankfully, I got the opportunity to pass, and I am currently about to enter the doctoral course.

3. Is there a reason why you chose New York University Business School in the United States?

The main reason is that professors at NYU are currently actively working on topics related to my interests. I am very interested in how management strategically utilizes corporate disclosure and how this communication affects various stakeholders such as employees, consumers, and investors. As I looked at the papers in this regard, I found that many professors at NYU were continuously researching on the subject, and naturally, my interest in NYU grew. I also felt that it was very important to understand the theoretical foundation in accounting research while taking the Story seminar class during my master's course. There are many professors who do theory-oriented accounting research in NYU, so I expect that they will be able to solidify their theoretical background during the doctoral course. Lastly, NYU is not only located in New York, the center of global finance, but it is also continuing active academic exchanges through the Four-School Accounting Research Conference with Columbia, UPenn, and Yale. I decided to go to NYU because I thought that such exchanges with various schools would be a good opportunity to develop a broader perspective as a researcher.

4. How was the preparation process for going to graduate school abroad? What did you prepare?

Quantitative factors (English grades such as GMAT, TOEFL, etc.) and qualitative factors (research experience, thesis, etc.) are important to enter the overseas business school. First of all, English grades are required to be submitted when applying, and most business schools require GMAT and TOEFL scores. In the case of GMAT, the focus was on getting used to the type of question by intensively practicing the mock test. TOEFL is a test that evaluates overall English proficiency, and I prepared it while practicing speaking in English from time to time, especially since the speaking part is important. Qualitative elements are mainly submitted in CV and SoP, and as these two documents can influence the first impression of the applicant, a lot of effort has been made to effectively melt my experience and research interests. CV's research experience item focused on the graduation thesis and the research assistant (RA) experience that he wrote during his master's course, and also included the activities of the "Excellent Undergraduate Student Research Credit System" during his undergraduate years at Sungkyunkwan University. The Statement of Purpose (SoP) is an important document that communicates the applicant's research interests and motivation to apply for a doctoral program, and I wrote it based on the contents of my master's graduation thesis. Through this, I tried to explain in detail why I am interested in accounting and what kind of research I want to do through my doctoral program. Besides, some universities require completion of economics and mathematics-related courses as a requirement. To prepare for this, I also took additional relevant undergraduate classes during my master's program.

5. What is the most memorable work/activity in your undergraduate life at our university?

The most memorable activities were the activities of the research credit system for excellent undergraduate students and the experience of short-term exchange students in the summer at the IESEG School of Management in France. First of all, the activities of the research credit system for excellent undergraduate students were a valuable experience that became an important opportunity for me to decide to go to graduate school. Under the guidance of Professor Lee Jong-eun of Business School, I experienced the process of setting ideas for the thesis and collecting and organizing the necessary data. I was able to study accounting papers for the first time in this process, and I was able to tell the professor various ideas and ask for advice. The experience of writing a research questionnaire on a topic of direct interest, revising it by reflecting the professor's feedback, and organizing it in a thesis format was very helpful in the later master's course. In addition, I was able to further specify my goals by asking the professor for advice related to going to graduate school. During this research activity, a short-term summer exchange student program was held at our university, and I thought that my experience at an overseas university was important as I aimed to go to an overseas graduate school, so I completed the summer semester at the IESEG School of Management in France. Since I had no previous experience of living or studying abroad, this program remains a more special experience for me. I was able to broaden my knowledge by taking lectures on business administration from professors from various countries and meeting friends from various backgrounds. In particular, I have continued to have good relations with my close Belgian friend by keeping in touch with him until now. In addition, the experience of collaborating and presenting with various people in business academic festivals, industry-academic cooperation project classes, and academic activities also made my undergraduate life more meaningful. In addition, small and warm moments from my college days, such as playing with my friend until late at night at the festival of Sungkyunkwan University, taking pictures with my close colleague in school uniform, and walking around the Hanok Village with my exchange student friends during Buddy volunteer activities, remain valuable memories for me.

6. What are your plans for the future? What are your future career paths and goals?
The most important goal for me now is to develop my ability as a researcher and broaden my academic perspective during my PhD program. I want to do my best to learn and grow in a given environment. After completing my PhD program, I want to continue my research on topics that I am interested in while working as a professor at the business school. Also, I have felt very rewarded for sharing my experience and knowledge with someone by doing extracurricular activities or lectures for high school students during my undergraduate years, so making a positive impact as a good educator is also my important goal. Just as I have received a lot of help and instruction from good professors in Sungkyunkwan University and master's courses so far, I want to become a person who can provide such help to someone someday.

7. Lastly, if you have anything you would like to talk about for your business classmates, please.

I hope your classmates will make a lot of fun and meaningful memories at Sungkyunkwan University. Our school is located in the center of Seoul, so I think it is a great environment to have various experiences during my undergraduate years. Looking back on my undergraduate days, I also think I was able to make a variety of memories both inside and outside of the school. Also, Sungkyunkwan University's business school offers a variety of opportunities, so I think that if I take advantage of those opportunities, I will be able to have a richer and more fulfilling undergraduate life. I know that various academic societies are actively operated and various industry-academic cooperation courses are opened, so it would be good to look into these opportunities in advance and actively participate. Lastly, I recommend you to find out more about your career path while asking for advice from professors or seniors. When I had a lot of worries about my career in the past, I also had the experience of knocking on the door of Professor Lee Jong-eun's lab to receive various advice, and I think it was a really good choice to have the courage to visit at that time. I believe that if you are more active in your school life, you will be able to learn more and build good memories. If you have any questions about going to the business school, please feel free to contact me (jiwon.kim1823@gmail.com ), and I will help you as much as I know. :)