In this blog post, I’ll summarize my academic experiences and school activities during high school, examples of my consideration and cooperation, as well as my motivation for applying to the Pre-Korean Medicine Program and my plans after enrollment.
Academic Efforts and Learning Experiences
What I realized while studying is that even within a single day, there are times when I can concentrate and times when I cannot. For example, in my case, I have strong concentration in the early morning hours but tend to feel sleepy in the morning; my focus tends to wane around lunchtime, only to improve again in the evening. I realized this about my own circadian rhythm during my freshman year of high school, so I began to schedule my studies around it.
First, I identified the times when my concentration was strongest and made a plan to focus on the subjects I struggled with most during those periods. My weakest areas were the language section and the foreign language section. Since I had a strong personal interest in and found math and science subjects enjoyable, studying them wasn’t difficult for me; however, I found the language and foreign language sections relatively tedious, so I had to really discipline myself to study them. In particular, to avoid forgetting the four-character idioms in the language section, the various literary and non-literary terms used in that section, and the vocabulary and grammar required for the foreign language section, I had to memorize them consistently. Therefore, during the early morning—when my concentration was at its peak—I alternated between studying the language and foreign language sections.
Since I tended to feel sleepy in the mornings, I would warm up my brain by solving easy math problems, and during lunch breaks, I would take a walk to review what I’d studied or recall the vocabulary I’d memorized. In the evenings, after solving math and science problems, I would set aside time to review them once more before going to bed. After organizing my time in this way, my greatest effort was sticking to the schedule I had set for myself. Even when I wasn’t feeling well or really didn’t feel like studying, I consistently stuck to this schedule and made sure I could hold my head high regarding my focus while studying. I studied diligently, enduring the challenges and finding enjoyment in the process, and I believe this helped me develop a sense of responsibility and perseverance.
School Activities and Learning
I felt that I wasn’t reading nearly enough. Since I enjoyed math and science, I participated in related activities, and because I only joined after-school programs and clubs that aligned with my interests, I never had the chance to seriously engage with books. I felt this was a shortcoming, so when I entered high school, I decided to create opportunities to read. That’s how I ended up joining the “Reading and Discussion Club.” There, I interacted with a diverse group of friends, engaging in discussions that were sometimes enjoyable and sometimes heated, and I feel I gained a great deal from those discussions.
First of all, I enjoyed being able to exchange ideas. The very first book we discussed with my friends was ‘My Sweet Orange Tree’. Written by J. M. de Vasconcelos, it’s a book that probably everyone has read at least once in their childhood. To be honest, when I first heard a senior suggest we read and discuss this book, I was a little disappointed. I wondered what there could possibly be to discuss about it. However, the book wasn’t as trivial as I’d expected, and the discussion didn’t turn out to be as superficial as I’d feared. Through this book, we were able to discuss issues essential to childhood education, how to define the scope of domestic violence, and how to foster communication between parents and their children.
What I realized then was that I shouldn’t view anything simplistically but should cultivate a way of thinking that considers multiple perspectives. Through that realization, I made an effort to shed my overly simplistic way of thinking and adopt a more multifaceted perspective. Additionally, by listening to my classmates’ diverse perspectives, I became more open to accepting different opinions. In particular, issues related to violence and education were areas I was already interested in, and I believed that reflecting on these topics would form the foundation of my dream of becoming a Korean medicine doctor. Therefore, from that point onward, I made a conscious effort to participate more actively in discussions, read extensively, and cultivate my thinking through deep reflection.
Consequently, the ability to develop my thinking was another significant benefit I gained from this experience. As I pursued my goal of becoming a doctor of Korean medicine, my dream was rooted in the desire to heal people’s illnesses, comfort them, and help them lead more fulfilling lives. For this reason, I studied harder than anyone else, and in doing so, I grew increasingly confident that I was getting closer to my dream. However, on the other hand, I began to wonder: “As someone who will be dealing with human lives, is it really enough to just study like this?” I felt I lacked the deep aspects of personal growth essential to being human—such as a sense of reverence for life, morality, and virtue. I believe I was able to cultivate these qualities through reading books and engaging in discussions. I was able to broaden my perspective and discover the diverse facets and social strata of society. I came to realize that the world is full of various problems and aspects beyond my understanding. This experience served as a foundation that enabled me to think more deeply.
Examples of Consideration and Cooperation
Since classes are organized based on the science inquiry track we choose, students in the science track generally see the same teachers and classmates throughout both their sophomore and junior years. My class was no exception, and I served as class president for two consecutive years. I think the reason for this was that my classmates appreciated how I helped manage and keep track of our studies.
Everyone has different study preferences, and while some classmates find it distracting to have someone next to them and can’t concentrate, I generally do better when studying with others. Not only do I perform better when studying together, but our efficiency also improves when we all work hard together. Plus, since we’re in the same class, I believe we should all succeed together. So, I gather classmates whose grades have dropped significantly compared to last year, as well as those who volunteer to study together, and we study as a group.
My main responsibilities include helping them solve problems or explaining concepts they don’t understand during breaks, supervising their study sessions during the three-hour self-study period, and—when there’s about 20 minutes left in the middle of those three hours—going over summaries or writing on the board so we can study together. I started this study group with just one or two friends, but the response was so positive that before I knew it, more than half the class was participating. As a result, what started as helping just one or two friends has now expanded to more than half the class, which can be exhausting at times. Occasionally, when I can’t even take a break during recess because I’m helping my friends study, I catch myself wondering, “Why am I doing this?” But ultimately, seeing my friends’ grades improve after I help them finish their work, and watching them find their direction through the little help I provide, gives me a great sense of fulfillment.
Furthermore, the entire class’s attitude toward learning has improved, and because we study together without leaving anyone behind, the classroom atmosphere has become even better—so much so that teachers now enjoy coming into our class. Through this small act of giving, we’ve been able to create a much better atmosphere.
Educational Background and Motivation
The reason I decided to become a Korean medicine doctor is directly tied to the neighborhood where I grew up. A recent survey of my neighborhood revealed that the average age there is 75. That’s how many elderly residents there are. Perhaps because it’s on the outskirts and relatively quiet, many people have chosen to live there. And in that environment, my parents—who were the youngest and the youngest children in their families—spent their lives volunteering to help the elderly neighbors. When it snowed, they were the ones who shoveled the neighborhood; when it rained, they checked the water pipes; when it got too hot, they sprinkled water; and during holidays, they cooked food to share with the neighbors—it was my parents who did all of this. Since my parents were so kind to everyone around us, I was naturally the most beloved child in the neighborhood. Because of this, even through middle school, I preferred spending time with the grandmothers rather than with my friends.
I loved going to the elderly women’s homes, eating delicious candy, breathing in their familiar scent, and taking a peaceful nap.
Then, one day, I happened to witness an accident. A very elderly grandmother had fallen while coming down the stairs. I was so startled that I ran over, and I saw blood flowing continuously from her head. She asked me for a tissue, and I remember running back up to her house to get one for her, then bursting into tears. I was in the fourth grade at the time, and I remember that moment very clearly. And while sobbing uncontrollably, I rode in the ambulance with her to the hospital. Since she had always cherished me like my own grandmother, I clung to her knees and cried as if I were about to faint; I kept crying so hard that if my parents, who arrived later, hadn’t comforted me, it would have been a disaster.And even through my tears, I heard the doctor’s words clearly. The gist of what he said was that, since my grandmother was very old, her joints had stiffened, which was why she had fallen—it was unavoidable—and that her head injury could be treated right away. But I asked the doctor to fix her knees. I thought that if she had fallen because of her knees, she would keep falling because of them, and there would be no way to avoid bleeding like this again. The doctor looked troubled and said he couldn’t do that. When I persistently pressed him, asking if there really wasn’t a way, he suggested that I might find a solution by consulting a Korean medicine doctor. That was the first time I heard about Korean medicine, and it became my dream.I believe Western medicine has its limitations. On the other hand, I believe there are no limits to Korean medicine, which treats the root cause. That is why I began to dream of becoming a doctor of Korean medicine, and from that moment on, I studied diligently, dreaming of attending the Pre-Korean Medicine Program at Kyung Hee University, which carries on the legacy and traditions of Korean medicine. If I am admitted to the Pre-Korean Medicine Program, I will study more diligently than anyone else to become a doctor of Korean medicine who heals the root causes of illness. In this way, I want to care for each and every one of my loved ones and help them live vibrant, fulfilling lives.
