In this blog post, I will summarize my academic efforts and learning experiences during high school, the school activities in which I meaningfully participated, examples of my consideration and cooperation, as well as my motivation for applying and my career preparation process.

Writing About Academic Experiences and Reflections

Practicing Discussion-Based Learning Through Questions and Dialogue
During high school, I participated in a school study group focused on humanities literature. Our school had a system where a teacher was assigned to a study group if five or more students applied, so I organized a group with friends interested in the humanities, and our Korean language teacher served as our mentor. At the start of each study session, we held meetings to set learning goals and plans, receiving guidance from our teacher throughout the process.
Our teacher recommended humanities books for us to read, and we selected those that would help us build background knowledge. Among the books we selected were ‘What Is Justice?’ and ‘Broad and Shallow Knowledge for Intellectual Conversation’. After each of us read the books, we would gather at a set time to hold a book discussion. Rather than following strict speaking rules, our discussions were structured around posing a broad question and then developing the conversation by posing follow-up questions centered on that main topic.
The questions we primarily asked were designed to spark reflections on current affairs and philosophical ideas in connection with the book’s content. For example, through questions such as “What are your thoughts on North Korea’s socialist system?” and “If reunification were to occur, how would it unfold differently from the German case?”, we broadened each other’s perspectives. While the questions themselves seemed sophisticated, the actual discussions were conducted in an accessible and practical manner that allowed everyone to participate, focusing more on expanding our thinking than on criticism.
Our instructor referred to this not as a “debate” but as a “conversation,” introducing us to a dialogic approach to education similar to the Jewish educational method of Havruta. We adopted elements of this conversation-centered learning method and adapted it in our own way; as a result, we were able to more easily understand current affairs and humanistic thought while gaining valuable experience in exchanging ideas with one another.

Report on Major School Activities and Reflections

Philosophy Academy: Discussing Classics and Literature
I participated in the Philosophy Academy, which was operated as part of the school’s Creative Experience Program. The Philosophy Academy allowed us to gain background knowledge on classics and philosophical ideas—topics that are difficult to cover in the regular curriculum—through liberal arts-style classes, and it provided opportunities to share our thoughts with friends after reading excerpts from classic works.
Compared to the book discussions in my previous study group, the Academy differed in scale and depth. While the study group was a small, self-organized gathering, the Academy was an opportunity for students from various classes to come together and hear diverse opinions; the topics covered were also explored more deeply within their historical and textual contexts. Furthermore, whereas we chose our own topics in the study group, in the Academy we were able to conduct discussions under the guidance of an instructor who selected the topics, allowing for more specialized direction. Although our autonomy was somewhat limited, there was the advantage of interpreting the classics more meaningfully through topics selected by experts.
The works I particularly remember were materials summarizing Mozi’s philosophy and Goethe’s ‘The Sorrows of Young Werther’. Since Mozi’s philosophy covers a broad range, we studied it using excerpts provided by the instructor, which gave me a new understanding of China’s turbulent times and the concerns of the thinkers of that era. Mozi’s concepts of “universal love” and “public interest” became topics of discussion, and I specifically raised questions about the practice of enforcing universal love through rewards and punishments.
During the discussion, I argued that education and persuasion—which draw out genuine sincerity—are more effective than coercive rewards and punishments, while a classmate with an opposing view presented evidence that rewards and punishments are necessary to control human selfishness. My opponent cited extreme examples from wartime to illustrate the selfishness inherent in human nature, but I provided examples showing that empathy can also be cultivated through educational approaches. Through this process of exchanging differing arguments, I could tangibly feel my background knowledge and ability to develop logical arguments improving.

Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections

Goethe, Collaborative Project
Toward the end of the semester, as the Philosophy Academy was drawing to a close, I teamed up with friends I had debated with at the Academy to work on a collaborative project. The assignment was to read Goethe’s ‘The Sorrows of Young Werther’ and write a collaborative essay, but it wasn’t easy to produce a coherent piece with multiple people speaking with one voice.
We agreed to complete the overall outline first rather than starting to write immediately. We organized the process step by step, from selecting the genre to defining the theme and determining how to gather the necessary evidence. The format we chose was an interview. We believed that reconstructing the novel’s characters in an interview format would allow us to convey their lives and emotions more vividly.
We also clearly defined the division of roles within the team. I took on the role of Werther, representing the character’s psychology and perspective, while my teammates took on the perspectives of Goethe or other characters in the story, engaging in dialogue with me. One classmate took on the role of transcribing the interview content from the reporter’s perspective. To faithfully express Werther’s inner world, I read the book repeatedly, striving to understand the psychology and social context of an 18th-century German youth.
Throughout this process, we didn’t just engage in discussion; we utilized complex learning strategies to complete the piece. By coordinating our perspectives and integrating content according to our outline, we gained practical experience in the importance of collaboration and the ability to reconcile differing opinions.

Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans

A philosophy magazine covering a broad range of humanities and classics
My motivation for applying to the Department of Political Science, Journalism, and Public Relations stems from the alignment between my career goals and the department’s educational objectives. The department aims to cultivate dynamic professionals capable of working across various media fields by integrating politics, journalism, and public relations. Since I aspire to become a journalist who combines a perspective on current affairs with expertise in public relations and publishing, I believe the department’s curriculum will serve as an excellent foundation for achieving my goals.
My goal is to publish a philosophy magazine targeted at people in their prime years of social engagement. My personal interest in classics and philosophy was formed while reading humanities, philosophy, and literary classics in high school, a process that led me to reflect deeply on my outlook on life and social values. Wishing to share these insights with a wider audience, I decided to create a popular philosophy magazine.
To this end, I concluded that I must first become a journalist who understands the magazine industry and possesses strong reporting and writing skills. To cultivate the ability to take an interest in social issues and current affairs and articulate my opinions logically, I plan to organize study groups with my classmates in college to engage in ongoing discussions. This is because discussion serves not only as a means of learning but also as an important exercise in broadly embracing others’ perspectives.
Additionally, I intend to gain practical experience in the publishing field to build a foundation of knowledge in public relations and marketing. Since my goal is to launch a magazine as a one-person publication, I need to analyze market potential and the future of the medium, while improving my planning and editing skills through hands-on experience. By the time I graduate from college, I will have laid the groundwork to successfully run my one-person magazine and resonate with a wide readership.