In this blog post, I will summarize my academic efforts and school activities during high school, examples of compassion, generosity, and cooperation, as well as my motivation for applying and my career preparation process.
Academic Experience and Reflections
During high school, I always felt anxious during exams. Although I was usually able to understand and retain the plot or outline of a literary work well during class, I repeatedly found myself unable to answer multiple-choice questions as well as I had studied when faced with the actual test. For example, even though I understood a novel like ‘The Old Man Who Made Jars’ well in class, whenever a similar question appeared on midterm or final exams, I would often get two out of four questions wrong.
After carefully analyzing the root cause of the problem, I realized that I tended to interpret questions subjectively rather than accurately grasping the examiner’s intent. In other words, the issue wasn’t a lack of understanding but rather errors arising from logical reasoning. Because I was accustomed to insisting on unique answers or my own interpretations, I struggled to arrive at universal and valid conclusions.
To overcome this, I purchased books on logic and critical thinking and began studying on my own. The books emphasized practicing the clear definition of concepts and, through training to accurately express abstract concepts in everyday language, helped me realize that I had been relying too much on my own subjective understanding. I then learned about the different types of fallacies in reasoning and, in particular, how to eliminate fallacies of ambiguity.
When solving problems, ambiguous wrong answers often appeared to be correct; I learned that to avoid such pitfalls, I must first identify the key concepts and definitions required by the question. Furthermore, by familiarizing myself with the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning, I developed the habit of determining which reasoning method to apply based on the question type. Now, when I encounter a test question, I first identify the key concepts, eliminate ambiguous answer choices, and then select the appropriate method of reasoning to calmly work through the problem, which has helped me reduce mistakes.
Major School Activities and Reflections
Out of my love for the school, I wanted to change its “poor reputation” in the local community. Located on the outskirts of town and with low admission scores, our school was viewed negatively by the outside community. With this in mind, I applied to join the Student Discipline Committee during my sophomore year and served on the Special Task Force for At-Risk Youth. This organization was tasked with providing counseling to first-year students who exhibited problematic behavior shortly after enrollment and helping them improve their conduct.
The task force’s approach was not simply to berate students by telling them to “stop misbehaving.” Instead, we developed a strategy to first build a rapport and establish trust with the student, and then guide behavioral change through ongoing counseling. In fact, there were underclassmen causing various problems, such as smoking on campus, bullying others in the classroom, skipping classes, and wandering around off-campus. Our team discussed which methods would be most effective and adjusted our approach accordingly.
The first-year student I was assigned to was a girl who exhibited particularly severe disruptive behavior. She had repeatedly violated school rules—such as taking the lead in bullying a specific student in her class, applying makeup during class, and smoking in the hallways during breaks—which resulted in multiple suspensions. She had also been involved in an assault incident and was on the verge of being recommended for transfer. While counseling her, I struggled with how best to approach the situation, but as we talked, I realized that beneath her outward behavior lay family conflicts and a desire for attention.
Therefore, considering she had no siblings, I took it upon myself to act as a big brother figure and help her navigate school life. I frequently visited her classroom to ask if she was having any difficulties, occasionally brought her snacks, and encouraged her to take an interest in her studies.
I reinforced positive behavior by praising her generously whenever she showed preparation—even for small pop quizzes—and by emphasizing her strengths and rewarding her, even when her grades were low. On the other hand, when she exhibited misbehavior, I deliberately withdrew my attention and maintained a consistent air of indifference to let her experience the consequences of her actions.
After much patience and a consistent approach, she gradually opened up and began to reflect on her actions. As he began to think about his own future, he made an effort to minimize the harm he caused to those around him, and as his senior, I felt a great sense of fulfillment. Through this experience, I learned that building trust and providing steady support is far more effective for bringing about change than trying to correct problematic behavior all at once.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections
As an extension of my activities with the Student Leadership Club, I planned and carried out local volunteer activities with my juniors. The fact that a junior became interested in volunteer work was the result of my ongoing counseling and career discussions with him. He later expressed his desire to become someone who does a lot of volunteer work, and I suggested we put that into practice right away.
We formed teams consisting of Student Leadership Council seniors and their respective juniors to make quilted blankets to donate to a local nursing home. We agreed that each team would complete one quilt, and I worked with my junior through the entire process—from cutting the fabric to stuffing it with batting and quilting it. Before the volunteer project, I had frequently clashed with this junior, and there were unresolved issues, such as them being caught smoking repeatedly despite not being able to quit. However, while we were making the quilts together, the junior displayed a serious attitude that was different from their usual demeanor.
Instead of rushing through the work, she carefully measured the fabric and dimensions, saying she hoped the elderly would stay warm using the quilts. She also honestly confided that, although she usually smoked out of habit, she wanted to quit this time. Seeing her like that, my prejudices melted away, and I felt a genuine desire to understand her. I decided that rather than harshly reprimanding her for her smoking right away, I should watch over her and give her time to change gradually, and I continued to support her consistently afterward.
As a result, after the quilt-making volunteer project, my junior began to change his behavior, demonstrating a sense of responsibility and diligence, and by the time I graduated, he shared the news that he had successfully quit smoking. This experience was a moment when I personally witnessed the power of consideration, sharing, and cooperation, and it taught me that consistent attention and joint action are more important than anything else when it comes to bringing about change in people.
Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans
I am majoring in psychology at university and plan to pursue a career as a professional school counselor by completing teacher certification. My experience of bringing about change through counseling in high school had a significant influence on my career choice. My natural tendency to listen attentively to my friends’ concerns, combined with my counseling experience in the student council, allowed me to directly appreciate the importance of counseling in a school setting.
In college, I plan to diligently complete my major coursework while also studying school counseling-related subjects in depth through the teacher certification program. In particular, I believe that to work as a school counselor, one needs not only theoretical knowledge but also field experience and systematic qualification acquisition. Therefore, alongside completing the teacher certification program, I plan to prepare for practical training and exams with the goal of obtaining a Level 2 Professional Counseling Teacher Certificate.
My interest in the field of school counseling stems from more than just my personal inclinations. I have observed the reality that, even when counseling systems exist in schools, students often fail to receive the help they need, and that superficial measures are insufficient to resolve underlying issues. I want to address the various problems that remain hidden in the classroom and the disconnect between how students behave in front of teachers and how they actually behave in their daily lives.
Therefore, I intend to build a solid foundation in psychology during my undergraduate studies and develop practical skills through diverse counseling internships and field experience, with the aim of playing a substantive role in supporting the public education counseling system. In the long term, my goal is to effectively manage the school’s counseling infrastructure as a professional counseling teacher and help students grow while feeling a genuine sense of security. To this end, I will consistently devote myself to my studies and practical training.
