In this blog post, I’ll summarize the key points for the Keimyung University personal statement, focusing on academic efforts, campus activities, and examples of consideration and collaboration.

Academic Efforts and Learning Experiences

Study Systematically by Creating Annual, Monthly, and Weekly Schedules

I wasn’t naturally very interested in studying. However, once I found my dream, I decided I needed to study diligently. But when I suddenly tried to study, I couldn’t seem to get into it. I had clearly intended to spend one hour each on the Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Foreign Language sections during the three-hour evening self-study session. But often, the three hours would fly by just working on the Verbal Reasoning section; by the time I got home, I’d be so tired and sleepy that I’d rush through the Quantitative Reasoning section and fall asleep without even touching the Foreign Language section. Every time I fell asleep in a daze and woke up in the morning, I was disappointed in myself and wondered why I lacked such perseverance and passion. Then, during a chance consultation with my homeroom teacher, I realized that this was happening because I had a fundamental misunderstanding of how to make a study plan. The moment I saw the study schedules of the seniors who were doing well in their studies, I couldn’t help but be surprised. Rather than planning for a single month, they were setting their ultimate goals for the entire year and working toward them. These seniors, who first mapped out a broad annual plan, placed their weakest subjects at the very end of their overarching goals. They then broke down their progress into monthly schedules and assigned daily study loads that were challenging enough to require hard work but not overwhelming—ensuring that by focusing solely on moving forward, they would achieve the grades they planned for. I was truly amazed after seeing how these seniors studied. I decided I had to do the same. So, I set new goals. I established targets for language, math, and foreign languages through my third year, setting achievable benchmarks based on my current level. Then, after assessing what I needed to study to reach those goals, I created a monthly plan accordingly. As a result, I no longer felt overwhelmed by the volume of work, and I stopped losing sleep over the fear that I wasn’t actually studying. By calmly following that plan, I achieved my goals for the first time in my life by the end of my sophomore year.

Extracurricular Experience

The Electromagnetic Development Club: An Activity That Planted Dreams and Hope!

I didn’t have a dream. I wasn’t a good student either, but since my mother insisted I had to go into the humanities track, I ended up there by default. Within that track, I felt like I was treated like a criminal for not being able to study well, so I always lived with my head down. The reason I couldn’t even bring myself to think about doing well in school was that my grades were so low, and when I saw my classmates working hard, I was always struck by how much effort they put in—far more than I could ever dare to. Those were days when I wasn’t envious of how well they studied, but rather of how hard they worked. It was my club activities that ignited my passion. The Electromechanical Invention Club. Even the theme of this club seemed unimaginable to me at first. I wondered, “How could people like us possibly invent electromechanical devices? Isn’t that something only Einstein would do?” But as the saying goes, “If your friends go to Gangnam, you go too”—once I joined the club and saw the machines in action, I found them far more fascinating than I’d ever expected. We weren’t inventing machines from scratch; rather, we created new machines by utilizing simple moving parts or principles from existing ones. For example, we took the heating element from a coffee machine to build a warm humidifier, and we used parts from a humidifier to construct stage props. It wasn’t about inventing completely new machines, but about creating something new based on existing ones—and that was what really appealed to me.
The family-like atmosphere within the club, along with the inspiring sight of upperclassmen staying up all night in the club room doing things other than studying, also played a big part in drawing me into this club. That’s why I decided to join and start participating. As a freshman, I balance my time 50 percent on studying and 50 percent on club activities. Since there’s a lot to study, I’ll build up my knowledge by studying topics related to machinery. At the same time, I’ll learn how to work with machines by assisting the upperclassmen with their projects. Because many parts require safety measures, I’ll observe and learn how to handle them while working alongside the upperclassmen. After that, starting in my sophomore year, we formed teams to submit invention proposals and, based on those plans, began discovering one by one the elements that had previously existed only in my imagination. While giving presentations as teams, we engaged in intense debates and even argued at times, but once the discussions ended, we always maintained a family-like atmosphere, helping each other with our inventions and maintaining the machinery. What I felt while working on these various inventions was “fun.” Before I knew it, I found myself thoroughly enjoying these activities. And before I knew it, I found myself pulling all-nighters to work on them. I used to wonder, “How can anyone stay up all night studying?” but it began to feel completely natural—I was pouring all my passion into the project for the sole reason of seeing it through to completion. That’s why, quite naturally and without a second thought, I set my sights on majoring in electrical engineering.

Examples of Consideration and Cooperation

What I Learned from Helping a Friend Who Was Sick

There was a friend of mine. I had only known his name before, but by chance, we ended up in the same class and became deskmates. To be honest, I had preconceived notions about him—he always seemed to have no friends and appeared listless, so I used to wonder, “Why is he such a gloomy person?” Then, one day, we happened to open up to each other, and I learned that he had juvenile diabetes. The most significant symptom of juvenile diabetes is that, while the person appears perfectly fine and healthy on the outside—and doesn’t even seem to be in pain—they’re constantly tired and lacking energy. It’s a condition that makes them vulnerable to stress—to the point where they could go into shock—but it’s a condition that’s hard to explain. As a result, when they’re stressed, they become incredibly lethargic, but since others have no way of knowing this, their friends naturally drifted away, leaving them alone. I decided I had to help that friend. So, I started by telling my own friends about their situation and introducing them to my friend. Whenever I met friends and heard them gossiping about my friend, I stepped in to protect them, explained their condition, and spoke up on their behalf. As a result, more and more people came to understand my friend’s circumstances, and as the number of people who understood their struggles grew, people gradually began to gather around them. Starting with me, that friend began to gain true friends. And what I felt while helping my friend with the illness was “understanding.” In fact, there are many things between people that can be overcome simply through understanding. Even if someone seems listless or gloomy, once you learn their circumstances, your capacity for understanding broadens, allowing you to overlook even unusual behavior. That’s why I realized the importance of explaining things. And I realized I had to make an effort to understand. Since then, whenever I meet people, even if they occasionally act strangely, I’ve become someone who listens to their story and strives to understand them.