In this blog post, I will outline my academic efforts, school activities, examples of consideration and cooperation, as well as my academic plans and career goals after entering college, as presented in my personal statement for admission to the Department of Political Science and International Relations.

Academic Efforts

I began studying essay writing in my first year of high school. At the time, our grade level was recruiting students who wanted to prepare early for college entrance essay exams, and after applying, I helped form an essay preparation class within my homeroom. In our class, we analyzed past essay questions from various universities, summarized the passages, and worked on creating our own portfolios. Specifically, before studying the technical aspects of writing essays, we first focused on understanding the characteristics of the essay questions and the nature of college entrance essay exams. To write original essays, we placed particular emphasis on providing concrete examples. We learned that if students could provide unique examples reflecting their own experiences, they could write original essays, so we practiced finding such examples every week. For example, consider an essay addressing the disposal of food waste—a serious issue within the broader context of local waste management—and proposing solutions to it. In this case, we would begin by focusing our analysis on the specific issue of “food waste” within the broader context of local waste management. Although food waste is smaller in volume than general trash, it emits a strong odor and can easily cause social problems due to foul smells when discarded on the streets. Furthermore, once disposed of, food waste from multiple households accumulates and decomposes, resulting in costs associated with collection and disposal at waste treatment facilities, as well as labor issues. Because of these problems, some households dry or freeze their food waste before disposal, while others grind it into small pieces before discarding it. Since I often dry my food waste at home before disposal, I wrote an essay outlining the pros and cons of using a food waste dryer, complete with examples. In this way, after analyzing the main point of the passage and the intent behind the essay question, I composed my essay by incorporating the essential content and terminology required for the task. Furthermore, I made an effort to incorporate my personal experiences into my writing to make it more vivid, and as a result, I was able to produce a piece that was both original and analytical.

School Activities

I was good at giving presentations during my school years. In class, I would voice my opinions without hesitation, and even if my arguments weren’t entirely logical, I had no trouble expressing my own thoughts. The school was recruiting students to compete in a county-level student oratory contest, and those around me encouraged me to give it a try. Under the guidance and support of my school’s Korean language teacher, I was able to prepare for the contest, and through this opportunity, I competed in the county-level student oratory contest focused on the nationwide law-abiding campaign and the eradication of school violence. My Korean language teacher, who supported me and coached me throughout the process, guided me through every step of preparing for the competition. While I was generally good at public speaking, I wasn’t particularly accustomed to developing content for a speech or structuring my thoughts around a specific topic. So, I relied on my teacher’s help in these areas and crafted an argument focused on eradicating crime within the school. While writing my speech, I revised any content gaps or logical flaws and proposed measures to protect students from harmful environments. Above all, to ensure students could attend school with peace of mind and to devise ways to protect them from juvenile crime, I paid close attention to my surroundings. Since I am a teenager myself and my friends are directly affected, I strove to accurately reflect the real-life problems and situations we face.
In particular, since this competition had a time limit, I had to clearly convey my argument within 15 minutes and present clear, factual evidence to gain the judges’ trust. After two months of preparation, I took the stage as a speaker and argued for emphasizing the importance of legal awareness and a sense of order to prevent student bullying. In particular, I argued that police substations should be stationed near schools to conduct surveillance and eradicate illegal activities. Given the seriousness of the issue, I advocated for a “one-stop reporting system” with a clear monitoring framework to ensure rapid reporting among students and enable teachers to address and resolve problems without delay. After winning an award at this county-level competition, I went on to participate in a provincial-level high school English speech contest. Organized by the UNESCO Association, this competition had the theme “Volunteer Work” and was an open-format presentation contest where participants could present on any topic related to volunteer activities. In my speech, I argued that volunteer work should be viewed not merely as an activity of “giving” help to others, but rather as an expression of the value of “sharing.” I explained that “sharing” involves providing services to help one another improve within an equal relationship, and that it is an effort to create a social atmosphere where the value of sharing is realized. Expressing these ideas in English rather than Korean was no easy task, but thanks to my consistent preparation, I delivered my presentation with confidence. By incorporating gestures to enhance my expressiveness, I was able to receive positive evaluations.

Consideration and Cooperation

It was during my senior year of high school that I first set my career goal on majoring in Political Science and International Relations. At the time, I formed a study group with friends who shared my vision. While preparing for college admissions—handling early admission and the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) on our own—we felt that in-depth interviews required group study. In particular, the Department of Political Science and International Relations was known for requiring in-depth interviews regardless of whether applicants applied through early admission or the regular admission process, and a key challenge was that the interviews included questions testing knowledge of political science and international relations, as well as current political issues. To address this, simply studying general knowledge on my own and reading political articles was not enough. So, to study more effectively, I collaborated with several friends, and discussing the same material together created a synergistic effect. Since this was an interview study group, the key was to review past interview questions. We collected past interview questions and shared the materials, making sure that no one was left out of the information. Using the shared materials, we held discussions to share our thoughts with others and made an effort to listen to others’ opinions regarding our own ideas and arguments. Sharing our thoughts and collaboratively developing our opinions in this way led to significant growth for everyone involved. We primarily studied political thought and theory—which elucidate the normative issues of politics—as well as comparative politics, which focuses on efforts to improve political systems, and international politics, which examines interactions between nations. These were the fundamental topics covered in an introductory political science course, and building on that foundation, we studied Korean politics, examining our country’s unique political phenomena and history. We also examined the characteristics of the power struggle in Northeast Asia—which reflects the international situation we face—addressed the challenges of globalization, such as balancing economic interests with the protection of citizens, and created interview questions regarding the leadership qualities required of students aspiring to major in political science and diplomacy. We refined our answers through a process of asking and answering these questions among ourselves.

Academic Plan and Career Path

Starting in high school, I participated in public speaking competitions, winning awards at the county level and placing in the provincial English speech contest. I am comfortable speaking in public and feel at ease on stage. I also enjoyed debating and frequently discussed political and current affairs issues with my friends. As a result, I naturally developed an interest in political science and acquired related knowledge; in my senior year of high school, I even organized a study group by recruiting students majoring in political science and international relations. My study group friends told me that I would be well-suited to be a spokesperson, which led me to seriously consider the role of a party spokesperson. Being a spokesperson is a profession that requires an understanding of the nature of the organization, as well as an understanding of domestic and international affairs, in order to articulate its official stance. In particular, my goal is to become a spokesperson for the Blue House, where I will familiarize myself with the President’s philosophy and policy direction and communicate them to the public. Since a spokesperson’s duties involve articulating positions and representing an institution, while rhetorical skills are certainly important, precise articulation and political knowledge are essential. Therefore, while studying in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Gyeongsang National University, I will strive to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary in these areas. Since a spokesperson must first and foremost help journalists understand the institution’s stance and, by extension, help the entire nation watching the broadcasts understand it, I will study logic, rhetoric, and communication. In particular, I have been practicing public speaking since high school. Through this process, I developed the ability to think on my feet and express wit and ingenuity naturally. Since quick thinking, wit, and sharpness are qualities typically possessed by those who read extensively and have a broad base of knowledge, I have made a conscious effort to read widely. In college, I plan to read books such as ‘The Intellectual’s Library’ and ‘Broad and Shallow Knowledge for Intellectual Conversation’, and I will practice articulating my own arguments. I will also practice speaking in front of others through speech training, and through this process, I will grow into a prospective spokesperson.