In this blog post, we provide actual examples of academic efforts, school activities, instances of consideration and cooperation, and motivations for choosing the major during high school for students preparing their applications to the Department of Economics at Korea University.

Academic Experience: Overcoming Weaknesses in History to Understand the Big Picture

I struggled with history. While my grades were consistently good in core subjects like Korean, English, and math, history was the one subject that held me back. Among the social studies subjects, I found economics, law, and politics relatively easy to study once I understood the underlying principles. However, I struggled to find enjoyment in Korean and World History due to the pressure of them being “memorization-based” subjects, which also limited my ability to improve my grades. It was only natural that I lost interest when I tried to memorize only key events and dates for exams. However, realizing that history grades were factored into my overall academic record and recognizing the importance of history itself, I resolved to overcome this challenge.
The reason I struggled with history was that I had tried to rely solely on rote memorization. In fact, with subjects I enjoyed—such as economics and law and politics—I achieved both enjoyment and success because I focused on grasping theories and principles first, and then memorized facts based on that understanding. So, I decided to approach history in the same way. I read my textbooks carefully, striving to understand the flow of events and underlying principles rather than simply memorizing facts. For example, I understood the differences between Paleolithic and Neolithic lifestyles by connecting them to the temperatures and environmental conditions of the time. By grasping the overall flow in this way and reviewing the textbook content, the knowledge stuck naturally without the need for forced memorization.
As a result, studying history became much more interesting, and my grades improved significantly. Through this experience, I came to understand my own study style and learned that proper learning requires first understanding the flow of principles, rather than relying on blind memorization.

School Activities: Founding a Tax Club and Expanding My Study of Economics

During high school, I had a keen interest in economics as a whole. I enjoyed studying various fields—such as household economic activities, market supply and demand, economic cycles, and trade policy—to understand economic principles. In particular, I enjoyed understanding government economic activities, economic cycles, growth, trade, and the balance of payments from a macroeconomic perspective, and I consistently built up my knowledge through news and newspapers. As a result, I naturally became interested in taxes and wanted to gain a more precise understanding of their importance in national policy and economic management.
To study the subject more deeply and engage with others, I founded a tax club. Since the field of taxation is not one that students typically focus on, we didn’t have many members and weren’t recognized as an official school club; however, I asked a teacher to serve as our advisor during lunch breaks or after school, which allowed us to continue our studies with accuracy and depth. Going beyond the textbook level, I studied in depth the concepts of direct and indirect taxes, the types of direct taxes such as income tax, corporate tax, and property tax, as well as value-added tax (VAT), specific consumption tax, tax rates based on taxable income, and VAT rates by industry.
Along with our studies, we had the opportunity to visit a local tax office and the National Tax Service. At the tax office, the director taught us about the types and importance of taxes, as well as the duties of tax officials; we also gained a better understanding of the tax collection process through hands-on experiences, such as reviewing income tax filing statistics at the Comprehensive Income Tax Filing Center. During our visit to the National Tax Service, we gained a more practical understanding not only of the organization’s structure, operations, and year-end tax settlement procedures but also of how taxes are actually used.
Through these activities, I satisfied my intellectual curiosity and experienced the joy of acquiring knowledge not just to pass an exam, but to enhance my own competitiveness. Furthermore, based on my club activities, I was able to solidify my career goal of working at tax-related institutions such as the National Tax Service.

Example of Cooperation and Consideration: Personally Helping Someone Who Struggled with Tax Procedures

One of my close friends was facing some financial difficulties. She lived alone with her mother and was a cheerful and diligent person. One day, she asked me for help with her year-end tax settlement. Her mother had found a job this year but had no idea about the procedures or what documents were needed for the settlement, so I decided to help her, as I had a relatively good understanding of taxes and economics.
First, I helped her step by step, starting with verifying her mother’s tax deduction details. Since her mother couldn’t use a computer and didn’t have a digital certificate, I helped her obtain one from the bank and guided her through checking her deduction details using the simplified year-end tax settlement service. I also informed her about the additional income tax deduction available by registering her maternal grandparents, who live in the countryside, as dependents, and we went through the relevant procedures together.
While reviewing the documents, we identified any missing items and worked together to finalize the tax return—whether by contacting the relevant agencies to request missing information or by obtaining receipts directly. As a result, we were able to complete the filing without any issues, and it was deeply rewarding to know that my knowledge and information provided practical help to my friend and her mother.

Motivation for Choosing My Major and Career Exploration Experience

Driven by my interest in economics, I have studied consistently and built my expertise by referring to resources such as ‘Mankiw’s Economics’ in addition to my textbooks. I believe I know more about economics than my peers, and I have studied the field of taxation in particular to a depth that goes beyond the high school level through my club activities. With this background, I am confident that I am prepared to diligently complete the required courses in the Department of Economics and pursue even deeper study.
Through my activities in the tax club and visits to local tax offices and the National Tax Service, I have firmly established my career goal of contributing to the national economy. Since deciding on this path, I have studied even harder to strengthen my expertise in the field. Believing that I must acquire the necessary skills to achieve my dream, I have applied to the Department of Economics at Korea University. I hope to complete my major coursework in an excellent educational environment and build lasting relationships through in-depth interactions with professors. As a student in the Department of Economics at Korea University, I will strive to become a professional who can contribute to the national economy.