In this blog post, I’ll share the academic experiences and school activities I gained during high school, examples of how I practiced consideration and cooperation, and my reflections and efforts regarding my motivation for applying and my career preparation.
Academic Experiences and Reflections
“From Logic-Centric Learning to Balanced Learning” I used to have a habit of trying to understand specific units in specific subjects in only one particular way. I was particularly drawn to units that involved “logic,” and my study method tended to focus on clear definitions and analysis. For example, in music class, rather than enjoying choir or instrumental practice, I preferred analyzing the structural elements of harmony and applying them to problems. I focused more on the logical composition of music than on the joy of listening to it.
This learning style led to a high level of theoretical understanding in arts and physical education subjects but resulted in low scores on performance-based assessments. While this approach worked to my advantage in core subjects like math, economics, and science, it proved to be a weakness, particularly in language arts. Among the sub-units in language arts, I made almost no mistakes in understanding and solving problems related to grammar and non-fiction (such as logic and information interpretation); however, I felt I lacked communication skills in the appreciation of classical and modern literature, as well as in rhetoric and reading comprehension.
The problem was that I often failed at time management because I tried to “define” and “analyze” every single piece of study material. When tackling modern literature passages, I spent so much time analyzing every word in the answer choices that I didn’t have enough time to grasp the overall flow of the work; in listening comprehension questions, I was so busy writing down and analyzing the passage sentence by sentence that I failed to find the correct answer. To correct this, I began practicing to first grasp the overall intent of the question. Rather than analyzing each answer choice or passage one by one, I trained myself to summarize each passage and question using just one or two words or a short sentence to capture the essence. This summarization process prevented me from wasting time on unnecessary analysis and, as a result, greatly helped improve the efficiency of my studying.
Writing About Major School Activities and Reflections
“Executive Committee Activities to Address School Violence” During the second semester of my freshman year of high school, a survey on the prevalence of school violence was conducted at our school. After distributing questionnaires to each class, an average of more than three cases of school violence per class were identified. Consequently, the school formed a School Violence Mediation Committee to investigate the incidents and the parties involved and begin developing countermeasures. As the class vice-president at the time, I served as a member of the committee and was responsible for communicating the committee’s decisions to my class.
The committee carried out three main tasks: first, investigating reported incidents; second, posting the committee’s decisions and rules; and third, convening meetings with relevant student leaders to discuss solutions. As a class officer, I was involved to some extent in all three of these tasks, and I particularly focused on participating in the meetings to discuss solutions, striving to offer practical and actionable suggestions.
During the investigation process, witness statements were often more detailed than those of the victims, so we arranged to interview the reporters individually to verify the circumstances. Since the reporters might have feared retaliation, we made sure that class officers naturally led the interviews, and through this process, I deeply felt a sense of responsibility and the gravity of the situation. I also took on the role of documenting the rules established by the committee—such as the formation of an investigation team for classes where violence occurred, standards for punishing perpetrators, and deadlines for acknowledging the facts—and consistently posting them on the class bulletin board to encourage students to familiarize themselves with them.
Above all, the most memorable activity was my initiative to improve the school atmosphere. Since school violence is difficult to resolve through short-term punishments alone, I believed a long-term, cultural approach was necessary. So, I proposed a small campaign to change the school’s greeting culture. The idea was to use the phrase “I love you” instead of casual greetings to affirm each other’s presence and express respect. I proposed this with the belief that a single word could change the atmosphere and foster consideration for one another. It was unanimously accepted at a student meeting and became an established part of the school’s greeting culture. Through this experience, I learned the process from proposal to implementation and establishment, and I realized that even small actions can transform the atmosphere of a community.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections
“My Beloved Friend, ○○○, Who Had a Physical Disability” ○○○ was a friend I met in my freshman year; although he had no mental disability, he was classified as having a disability due to a physical impairment. Since there were only a few students like him in our grade, our homeroom teacher urged us to take good care of him, and luckily, I was assigned as his desk partner, which brought us closer. Although ○○○ had physical limitations, he actively participated in class and did well in his studies, which made me want to help him even more.
However, while some students wanted to help ○○○, others picked fights or complained for no reason. One student caused a dispute by taking issue with the fact that ○○○ received certain accommodations due to his physical condition, and on one occasion, it even escalated into a physical altercation when that student shoved his chair. After that incident, ○○○ became withdrawn and often mentioned how difficult things were. As their deskmate, I felt sorry for them and resolved to look out for them more carefully.
Since then, I have voluntarily continued to serve as ○○○’s deskmate, staying by their side not only during class but also at lunch and when moving between classrooms. I helped them review during breaks by showing them the notes I had prepared in advance. At lunch, I helped ○○○ get their meal along with their friends, ate with them, and even helped clear away leftovers, providing practical support in their daily life. When going up and down the stairs during class changes, I supported them from the side to make sure they didn’t struggle. As a token of gratitude, ○○○ would often share snacks they brought from home.
Interestingly, it was ○○○’s idea to launch the “I Love You” greeting campaign, and I presented that suggestion to the committee to help bring it to life. I saw how proud ○○○ felt when their idea was put into practice, and I took it upon myself to be the voice for that friend. Through this experience, I learned how much consideration and small acts of kindness can impact an individual’s restoration of self-esteem and the improvement of the community’s atmosphere.
Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans
“A Financial Professional Who Communicates with Citizens at the Grassroots Level” Both of my parents worked as civil servants for over 20 years, and when I was young, I often watched them handle public inquiries or manage service counters with great skill. Growing up witnessing how tasks that might seem minor were actually vital roles essential to society, I developed a desire to work in a field that involves direct communication with people.
While I didn’t simply decide to follow in my parents’ footsteps and become a civil servant, it became clear to me that I wanted to do work that, like theirs, involved “communicating with citizens at the grassroots level.” My interests lay in the fields of economics and finance, so I set a goal to become a bank teller at a branch, where I could meet customers face-to-face and provide everyday financial services. While the financial sector is often associated with glamorous images—such as securities sales or dealing with high-net-worth individuals—I found greater meaning in actually helping ordinary people and families.
I also believed it was a good fit for my aptitude. Given my interest in economic trends and my learning style, which involves a fondness for mathematical calculations, I felt I had the foundation necessary to study economics. Therefore, I plan to build a solid foundation in my major—including microeconomics and macroeconomics—to develop my expertise, gain practical experience through internships in the banking sector to develop a sense of the field, and then work diligently as a bank teller. I am actively preparing to achieve my goal of becoming a financial professional who directly helps customers and the local community by building my academic foundation in the Department of Economics at Sogang University.
