In this blog post, I’ll outline my preparations for becoming a veterinarian and my future plans, based on my academic and extracurricular experiences in high school.
Attitude Toward Academics
I believed there was no “shortcut” to studying. I knew that the institution I was aiming for—a place that attracts the top 1% of students and produces experts—selects students based on their academic performance. However, that didn’t mean I wanted to rely on cram school tutoring or use “shortcuts” to get good grades. Therefore, my approach was to follow the “straight and narrow path.” First and foremost, I was extremely dedicated during class. I thoroughly prepared for and reviewed each class, treating every moment of class time as precious as gold and listening with the utmost concentration and dedication. Even when I was sleepy, I never fell asleep. In three years, I never once dozed off during class. I was always alert and engaged, looking forward to what I would learn and enjoying the experience. Naturally, I actively participated in class, always listening intently and answering questions. As a result, I could sense that my teachers were eager to give me more. They would offer me tips—on how to study effectively, how to plan my career path, and which study methods suited my learning style—because they saw how diligently I was listening. I took these insights to heart and grew as a result. Additionally, I always stuck to the basics when studying. Once a week, I set a specific date and time to take a practice exam. After taking the exam under test conditions, I reviewed my wrong answers and always reflected on why I had gotten a particular question wrong. Through this reflection, I identified the units where I was lacking and reinforced my foundational knowledge. I spent my weekends productively: one day at the library taking a practice exam, and the next day reviewing it and focusing on the topics I felt I needed to improve. I always prioritized exams above all else and reviewed my mistakes more thoroughly than anyone else, striving never to make the same mistake twice. In this way, rather than taking shortcuts, I returned to the basics and studied diligently.
Volunteer Work
The activities I was most dedicated to were volunteering at a shelter for abandoned dogs and participating in related campaigns. As a member of my school’s animal rescue club, I took part in various activities both on and off campus. Through this work, I felt a deep sense of mission. This is because the reason those cute, innocent animals are injured or sick stems from nothing other than human greed and indifference. People initially bring these dogs home because they’re cute, but as soon as they become a bit of a hassle or they can no longer care for them, they abandon them. Because of such people, these dogs end up wandering the streets, starving, and treated like outcasts, enduring abuse from others. If they fall into the wrong hands, they may be abused to the point where not a single part of their body—from their eyes to their paws—remains unharmed. These suffering animals are rescued and brought to animal shelters. But what’s remarkable is that when treated kindly again, they trust and follow people. Even though humans were the ones who caused their wounds and abused them, seeing them trust and follow those very same people again often brought tears to my eyes without me even realizing it. That’s why I became even more determined to pursue my dream of becoming a veterinarian. I felt a strong desire to become a veterinarian so that I could rescue and treat these animals through a more professional system. Additionally, planning and executing campaigns to change public perception was a valuable experience for me. It was an opportunity to understand people’s perceptions and to realize just how difficult it is to change them. First, we held many internal discussions to prepare for the campaign. After setting the campaign period, we brainstormed together about what to do within that timeframe. Over the course of three weeks of discussions, we started with public perception and debated what efforts we should make based on that understanding. First of all, people’s perceptions varied widely. The general consensus was that while animal lovers would readily agree with our views, those who didn’t care for animals would likely turn a blind eye. So, to reach people in a more accessible and engaging way, we decided to kick off the campaign by taking the stray dogs we were fostering for walks while holding signs. We worked hard to prepare for the campaign, which we had planned over the course of a week. We started the first day with a march holding signs, held a photo exhibition on the second day, and by the fourth day, we had taken down the exhibition and began collecting signatures to support the establishment of a shelter for stray dogs. Through this, I met a wide variety of people and heard the opinions of many, ranging from those in favor to those opposed. While I recognized that both sides had valid points, I decided I needed to take a stand and act on behalf of these vulnerable animals. So, I worked even harder, and together with my juniors and seniors, we’ve continued to hold this campaign once every six months and engage in ongoing volunteer work.
Consideration and Cooperation
Personally, I like math and am quite good at it. I think it’s true that I became good at it precisely because I enjoy it. In fact, when I look at friends who struggle with math, I’ve noticed that quite a few of them actually dislike the subject. I came to realize this clearly after starting a study group. I believe that what’s needed to excel in math is a solid grasp of basic concepts, constant problem-solving, and the discipline to keep repeating the process. In fact, there’s no other way. Some friends seem to think that you have to be a natural at math to be good at it, but that’s also wrong. Of course, depending on each person’s IQ or talent, the starting point may differ when they first begin. However, that’s not something that can’t be overcome with effort. Even friends who really struggle can do well if they just take a little more interest. That’s one of the reasons I started the study group. It broke my heart to see friends who struggled with math paying nearly one million won a month to unqualified tutors without seeing any improvement in their grades. I knew that they didn’t need those tutors at all—anyone could improve their grades as long as they took a little more interest, put in the effort, and studied consistently. So, I started a study group with friends who were struggling with math, and we studied together. We typically spent two hours together on math, and I answered questions and walked through problem-solving for friends who didn’t understand something. For friends who were worried about how to study, I offered advice and explained study methods in detail. As we did this, although there were slight variations among us, some friends began to see their grades improve. What I felt at that time was the joy of helping others and being part of a group. I felt a great sense of pride in helping others, and I also gained a lot of energy from studying together. It energized me and motivated me. I felt the joy of working together.
College and Career Path
After entering college, I will completely shift my mindset from that of a student to that of a professional. I will make a decisive mental shift and approach my classes with the mindset that “I am thoroughly preparing to become a professional.” I won’t take things lightly or treat studying casually just because I’m a student; when I study, I will do so thoroughly, striving with the mindset that what I learn now will become an integral part of who I am. Therefore, to lay the foundation for growing into a professional, I aim to study and work harder during my college years than at any other time in my life. And since I’m concerned that focusing solely on academics might cause me to neglect extracurricular activities, I plan to join clubs and societies so that I can balance my studies with weekend activities. The Field. I consider the animal shelter to be my true “field.” I believe that if I were to become detached from the field, I would undoubtedly lose my instincts, and I wouldn’t be properly motivated to know what I need to do. Therefore, I aim to be a college student who studies hard and works part-time during the week, and on weekends, goes out into the field to volunteer more professionally and care for the animals based on the knowledge I’ve acquired. I want to live my life with more intensity than anyone else.
As for my future career plans, I hope to major in both veterinary medicine and business administration so that I can become a veterinarian who also leads a shelter. First, I will become a veterinarian. Then, as someone with a background in veterinary medicine, I want to be the one to expand the necessary facilities and staff. While gaining experience, I will eventually establish my own shelter. My greater goal is to establish a center that operates more reliably, systematically, and professionally than existing ones—as befits someone with a degree in business administration. Naturally, this center will be dedicated to abandoned dogs. My ultimate dream is to establish and operate a place where animals abandoned by humans can live and heal—a center that is the most active in South Korea and provides a comfortable environment for their recovery.
