In this blog post, I’ll outline my motivation for applying to the Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering program and my career plans, based on my academic methods, school activities, and collaborative experiences during high school.
Academic Experience and Reflections
My high school college preparation journey can be summarized by the “Trinity Learning Method,” which integrates lectures, textbooks, and time management. The key is not simply spending a lot of time, but rather grasping concepts from lectures, deepening my understanding with appropriate textbooks, and efficiently allocating time by breaking down learning goals into specific time frames.
First, I carefully selected lectures because they helped me understand the overall flow of each subject. While I learned a great deal from my regular school classes, I supplemented any gaps with EBS and online lectures. When watching these lectures, I created separate notes summarizing the key points and used them as my own personalized study guides. For study materials, I avoided being swayed by passing trends and focused on advice from upperclassmen and proven problem books.
I applied different study methods depending on the subject. For example, I watched all EBS lectures—which have a high correlation with the college entrance exam—without missing a single one. For physics, I used the EBS Final textbook to understand the nature of past exam questions, while referring to an easy-to-understand self-study guide to solidify my foundational knowledge. For problem-solving focused materials, I worked through problems organized by difficulty level and created lists of incorrect answers and answer keys to review and repeat the problems I had already attempted.
Time management was the most crucial factor. I divided my study period into 2–3-month segments and set phased goals. January and February of my senior year were primarily dedicated to grasping concepts through lectures, while the three months starting in March were focused on reviewing my concept notes and solving problems by chapter. I adjusted the difficulty of the problems I solved, starting with easier ones and progressing to harder ones, and I recorded my scores for each subject to adjust my study schedule.
Starting in June, I devoted two months to addressing my weaknesses by intensively tackling the topics I struggled with, and from August onward, I focused on quickly reviewing the material I had covered so far to minimize mistakes. By organically linking lectures, textbooks, and study time in this way, my efficiency increased significantly, and I gained a clear understanding of my own weaknesses.
Describe major school activities and reflections
Growing up near the coast and port of Incheon, I naturally developed an interest in marine-related careers. Consequently, I enrolled in the Incheon Marine Science High School, a regionally specialized high school, and chose the Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering track within the Power Machinery Department, narrowing my career path to the fields of shipbuilding and mechanical design.
Unlike departments focused on navigation or fisheries, the Power Machinery Department provides hands-on, practice-oriented education directly related to the structure and machinery of ships themselves. Our department was subdivided into the Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering track and the Marine Engineering track, allowing us to receive more specialized practical training and design education. I devoted the majority of my efforts to acquiring specialized knowledge and improving my technical skills.
The curriculum could be broadly divided into understanding marine engines, design, and hands-on workshop practice. During my freshman year, I focused on building a foundational understanding—such as an overview of the offshore plant industry and the principles of thermal engines—and developed the basic skills necessary to pursue a long-term career in this field. Understanding the principles of thermal engines was particularly important, as it forms the basis for the overall structural design of a ship.
In my second year, while taking advanced courses in shipbuilding and marine engineering, I gained experience translating theory into actual drawings and models through mechanical design and fabrication, mechanical drafting, and CAD. In the CAD class, the process of expressing design intent through drawings and then bringing them to life through actual fabrication—going beyond simply drawing—was a fresh experience every time.
During my third-year practicum, I synthesized all the knowledge I had acquired to date to produce complete ship drawings and design the structure. Since the design had to account not only for the exterior but also for electrical, electronic, and auxiliary machinery, it required meticulousness and careful consideration. My practical skills and collaboration abilities improved significantly through the process of building model ships myself and evaluating and providing feedback on each other’s work with my peers.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections
Our university had a well-established system to support students in obtaining certifications, with the goal of cultivating practical professionals.
Since I planned to continue majoring in a related field in college, I decided to obtain every possible certification and prepared accordingly. I set my sights on a total of four certifications: Power Machinery Maintenance Technician, Grade 4 Engineer, Electrical Welding Technician, and Special Welding Technician.
In particular, for the Welding Technician certification—which has a low pass rate—a study group was much more helpful than preparing alone. The school provided time for study groups, and we formed teams of five to prepare by sharing past exam questions and success stories. We supplemented our memorization of facts by asking each other questions and explaining concepts to one another, and for practical skills preparation, we scheduled specific times to practice together and give each other feedback to improve our abilities.
During problem-solving sessions, we set a time limit to solve problems together and then shared our knowledge by focusing on the incorrect answers. We complemented each other’s weaknesses—a friend would explain a problem I got wrong, and conversely, I would help with areas I knew well. Thanks to this, we were able to tackle challenges that would have been difficult individually by sharing the burden as a group, which ultimately led to our success.
What I learned from this experience is the efficiency of collaboration and how to leverage others’ strengths. We were able to find solutions faster when working together than when struggling alone, and I deeply appreciated the value of relationships that foster mutual growth.
Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans
The experience I gained in ship structure design and fabrication during high school naturally led me to pursue a degree in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering at the university. As designing and building model ships myself helped clarify the areas I wanted to study more deeply, I aim to systematically build my theoretical and applied skills in college to grow into a professional in the field.
In my first year of college, I plan to solidify my foundation through courses in Engineering Mathematics and Physics, while improving my English reading comprehension to prepare for studying original English-language texts. In my second year, I will learn the fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics and Vibration and Noise Engineering, and master how to apply physical knowledge to design. In my third year, I plan to take courses in offshore plant production engineering, comprehensive design, and subjects related to drilling engineering—an area of particular interest to me—to finalize my specific career path.
After graduation, I intend to join a shipyard to gain practical experience in shipbuilding and structural equipment. At the same time, I aim to expand my career path into the field of drilling engineering, which requires a high level of expertise in areas such as deep-sea equipment design and pipeline design. Therefore, even while working, I intend to deepen my specialized knowledge through master’s and doctoral programs and participate in overseas projects to become a professional with international capabilities.
Ultimately, I aim to grow into an internationally competitive engineer in the fields of deep-sea facility design and drilling engineering by combining my hands-on experience at shipyards with research-based specialized knowledge.
