In this blog post, I’ll summarize my experiences and reflections, focusing on my academic efforts, school activities, and experiences with consideration and cooperation during my time in high school.
Academic Experiences and Reflections
Due to my naturally optimistic personality, I used to be someone who took my time. With the mindset of “I have plenty of time, so I’ll do it later,” I would study only when I felt like it and waste time doing other things when I didn’t feel like studying. However, as I prepared for college, I decided I needed to correct that lazy habit, so I resolved to create a “time-based study plan.”
Specifically, I meticulously divided every hour of the day—from the time I woke up to the time I went to bed—into study time, rest time, meal time, and commute time, and then created a schedule. I designed a schedule tailored to my biorhythms and daily routine, and set a personal rule to strictly adhere to it unless there was an unavoidable commitment. To ensure I could focus solely on my studies without distractions during study hours, I organized my surroundings. Since I tend to concentrate better on my own, I chose to study alone in the library and consistently followed this routine.
I was relatively confident in my language skills, so I was able to manage Korean and English with relative ease, but subjects requiring memorization demanded greater concentration. Therefore, rather than relying on simple memorization, I adopted a strategy of systematizing and efficiently organizing the material to be memorized in a way tailored to both my school grades and the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). I poured my passion into college admissions by systematically allocating my time and condensing the study material to maintain focus.
Of course, the transition wasn’t easy. I experienced significant stress while pushing past my own limitations, but I overcame it through my determination to “study what I truly want to study” and my passion for my future. At first, I had my doubts about whether it would work, but by consistently following my plan, I saw my grades improve, which gave me the confidence that “nothing is impossible”.
Write about major school activities and your reflections
I enjoy experiencing diverse cultures firsthand, so I joined the “World Culture Club.” In the club, we studied and discussed the cultures of various countries—including art, music, the humanities, and history—and also organized visits to art galleries and museums. Having traveled to many countries with my parents when I was young, I had little resistance to different cultures, and through these club activities, I was able to explore the cultures of countries I was interested in more deeply.
In particular, I’ve had a fascination with France since childhood, so I took a great interest in Paris’s architecture and culture. While researching how architectural landmarks—such as the Eiffel Tower—came to be cherished by the city’s residents, I realized that Korea and France view cultural values differently. This experience served as an opportunity to move beyond a purely national perspective and to respect and compare the values of other cultures; ultimately, it led me to decide to apply to the French Language and Literature program, driven by a desire to gain a deeper understanding through the language.
Another meaningful experience was writing a feature article for an English-language newspaper. Although I wasn’t actively involved in an English-language newspaper club, at a friend’s suggestion, I collaborated with the World Culture Club to write a feature article on Parisian architectural cultural products. As the project lead, I prepared an article exploring how Parisians understand and assign value to architecture; I gathered data by researching relevant books and documentaries and conducting a written interview with a Parisian architecture expert.
Based on the information gathered through my research and interviews, I analyzed the cultural differences and similarities between Korea and France. Rather than taking a perspective that simply judged “right” or “wrong,” I completed the article with the aim of understanding cultural differences and suggesting ways we could apply those insights to our own context. Through this activity, I was able to develop my observational skills regarding culture, my ability to conceptualize and articulate ideas in writing, and my capacity to collaborate with others to create a single piece of work.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections
During my school years, I often took on the role of mediating fights among friends. Since I dislike conflict, I initially stepped in to mediate because I found the chaotic situations uncomfortable; however, as I repeatedly helped resolve these conflicts, I began to reflect deeply on conflict management and consideration.
The reason I was able to mediate effectively was that I listened carefully to what each person had to say. Rather than simply analyzing the cause or circumstances of the argument, I paid close attention to the emotions each person was feeling, trying to identify and understand why those emotions had arisen. The mere fact that there was a friend who understood their feelings was enough for the parties involved to quickly open up and develop a willingness to reconcile, and as a result, conflicts were often resolved amicably.
Through this experience, I learned that the core of consideration, sharing, cooperation, and conflict management lies in understanding others’ feelings. I also realized that true consideration begins with identifying what the other person needs, and that cooperation is a process of finding the best solution by listening to and understanding the perspectives of many people, rather than simply pushing one person’s opinion. Moving forward, I intend to continue practicing sharing and consideration while collaborating with others, based on this empathy and understanding.
