In this blog post, I’ll summarize my academic efforts and school activities during high school, my experiences with empathy and collaboration, and my career preparation process.
Writing about my academic experiences and reflections
My grades were quite uneven during high school. While I consistently ranked in the top tier (around a 1.5 grade level) in science and inquiry courses, my results were polarized—I consistently received a 3 grade only in language subjects. So, to improve my language grades, I began by analyzing the root causes of my mistakes. By solving past mock exam questions and reviewing my incorrect answers, I identified specifically which question types I struggled with and what my weaknesses were when solving problems.
The language section could be divided into listening, grammar, non-fiction, and literature. My listening scores were relatively stable when I concentrated, but I faced significant difficulties in the other three sections. In grammar, although I had the knowledge—such as spelling rules—I struggled with understanding how those rules were applied in the passages and analyzing the answer choices based on that content to select the correct answer. I often found that even when I was confident in my answer, it was overshadowed by a deceptively appealing wrong answer.
In the non-literary section, I understood the intent of the questions well, but reading the long passages took a lot of time. If I read the non-literary passages too thoroughly, I ran out of time for the subsequent literary section; in the literary section, while I could read modern and classical poetry quickly, I spent a long time trying to grasp the content of the novel passages. I ultimately identified two main issues: a lack of ability to apply grammatical knowledge and the time it took to solve the problems.
I identified the causes as a lack of applied skills due to not having solved enough grammar problems, and a lack of background knowledge in both the non-fiction and literature sections. As a solution, I decided to read theoretical books to broaden my background knowledge of modern and classical literary works, and to consistently solve 10 grammar problems every day at a set time. I repeatedly worked through past exam questions while analyzing my wrong answers, and I organized my literary background knowledge separately to prepare myself to understand passages quickly.
After consistently following this approach for three months, my scores improved rapidly, and I was able to achieve a score in the early 2nd grade range on the mock exams. The experience of breaking down the causes of my problems into specific details to address them, and building up small daily practices, helped me develop the ability to design my own study methods and fostered self-directed learning.
Major School Activities and Reflections
The place where I found the most interest and spent the most time in high school was the chemistry lab, and at the heart of that was the school’s chemistry club. Conducting chemistry and physics experiments firsthand and transforming materials stimulated my creativity and curiosity, and I was able to try out various ideas in a free and experimental atmosphere.
The club provided an environment where we could set our own topics, procure materials, and conduct experiments. Since there were no mandatory attendance requirements or obligations to prepare for competitions, whenever we wanted to conduct an experiment, we would immediately go to the lab and gather in small groups to carry it out. The environment fostered open discussion and collaboration between upperclassmen and underclassmen, leading to a series of creative experiments.
The most memorable experiments were “Making Aspirin and Pain Relief Patches” and “Making Natural Mosquito Repellent.” Both experiments were particularly meaningful to me because I came up with the topics myself and carried them out independently. I was curious to see if we could achieve the same effectiveness as commercially available medicines, and I felt a great sense of accomplishment because I completed the entire process—from selecting the topics to procuring materials and conducting the experiments—either on my own or with a small group of club members.
The synthesis of aspirin involved esterification by adding acetic acid to salicylic acid derived from willow bark. Using materials prepared in the club room, we followed procedures such as double boiling, heating, distillation, and filtration to produce and dry the final substance, thereby creating aspirin. For the pain relief patch, we modified the materials by reacting salicylic acid with methanol. When I tried the patch, I could feel its effectiveness; while it was difficult to gauge the effectiveness of the aspirin—unlike commercially available products—the experimental process itself was very beneficial.
The development of the natural mosquito repellent stemmed from a practical need to address the problem of mosquitoes in the classroom during the summer, which disrupted evening self-study sessions. Drawing on previous attempts by club members, we adapted the formula by adding different scents and utilized centella asiatica—the main ingredient in Madecassol—to harness its antibacterial properties and distinctive scent. We mixed a solubilizing agent into the Centella asiatica solution, poured it into a spray bottle, tested it ourselves, and sprayed it on friends to immediately verify its effectiveness.
Through club activities like this—repeatedly planning and conducting experiments, verifying the results firsthand, and writing reports—my interest in pharmacy evolved into a concrete goal. The experience of practically applying a substance I had made myself strongly motivated me to learn more advanced experimental techniques.
Writing About Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections
During my sophomore year of high school, I served as a meal distribution volunteer for one semester. Due to the layout of our school cafeteria, classes on the third floor and below had to use the elevator to bring down their meal carts. Being a meal distribution volunteer was a voluntary activity that had the added benefit of counting toward my school’s community service hours. At first, I started out casually, focusing only on earning the volunteer credit, but I soon realized I had to be mindful of various situations.
Since students would rush to line up during lunch, I had to prevent people from cutting in line and ensure everyone stood in a single file to maintain order. The serving duty students would also organize the line by temporarily withholding trays when students crowded around the serving counter. Also, with popular side dishes, students at the back of the line would sometimes complain that there wasn’t enough, so I would open the serving cart to check the remaining portions of rice, soup, and side dishes in advance, then adjust the portions by serving the popular side dishes in smaller amounts.
There were some trial-and-error moments in the beginning. There were times when I missed a meal because I was on duty, and other times when I had to go up to the cafeteria to request more of a side dish that was running low. However, as we adjusted our roles among the duty students, the problems decreased. The boys took charge of the heavy soup and rice, and we cooperated efficiently by alternating between easier and harder tasks.
During serving, there were students who joined the line late—those who had just finished individual counseling sessions or were running late due to remedial classes. Although I wanted to eat quickly myself, I served them kindly and responsibly until the very end. As this consideration continued, my classmates came to understand the efforts of the duty students and stopped selfishly asking for extra side dishes; naturally, the practice of lining up in a single file became the norm.
Through my experience as a meal-serving duty student, I learned firsthand the importance of cooperation and the attitude of caring for others. I realized that even small acts of service, when carried out consistently with a sense of responsibility, can contribute to maintaining order within a community.
Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans
My experience in the chemistry club served as a catalyst for solidifying my career decision. As I conducted various experiments firsthand in the lab, my interest in pharmacy naturally grew, and through club activities, my goal of “wanting to major in pharmacy” became clear. Through the process of planning experiments, purchasing materials, and creating the final products, I developed the mindset of a researcher and practical skills.
In particular, an experience toward the end of my sophomore year of high school—when I teamed up with a freshman to bring to life the idea of making gifts for seniors preparing for the College Scholastic Ability Test—was especially meaningful. We created aromatic hand cream and cupcake-shaped soap, handling everything from experimental design to production and completion entirely on our own. Throughout this process, by carefully considering practicality, safety, and user preferences in our formulations and designs, I was able to take a hands-on approach to the process of making pharmaceuticals and household chemical products.
For the hand cream, we heated and melted jojoba oil and emulsifying wax, then added the appropriate amounts of essential oils and preservatives. After several trials, we found the formulation that caused the least irritation and had the mildest scent. For the soap, I melted the soap base, mixed in colorants and fragrance oils, set it in muffin tins, and decorated it with the remaining base. I also experimented with adding citric acid to incorporate benefits such as fatigue relief, antibacterial properties, and anti-aging effects.
When I presented the finished products to my seniors, I felt a deep sense of fulfillment seeing them marvel at the colors, scents, and shapes and express their gratitude. This experience further fueled my intellectual curiosity and experimental spirit. The process of identifying problems on my own and verifying solutions through experimentation aligns with the fundamental attitude expected of a pharmacy major.
Since then, I have been striving to gain relevant knowledge and practical experience with the goal of learning more specialized experimental techniques. My academic reflection in high school, creative experiments in clubs, and a sense of community fostered through volunteer work have all served as a foundation for cultivating the academic competence, self-direction, and collaborative skills required in the field of pharmacy.
