This blog post introduces an actual academic plan example from a student who prepared for religious studies based on their faith.
Writing About Academic Experience and Reflections
“Studying as if teaching myself”
For a long time, I took on the role of guiding and teaching younger friends at church. Through this, conveying information and teaching what was needed to others became second nature. Then one day, a thought struck me: ‘What if I applied this habit to my own studies?’ It was a method of studying where I treated myself as a student, teaching myself as if a teacher were instructing me.
This method proved especially effective for ‘review’. After learning new material, during the review phase, I would study again by verbally organizing it as if explaining it to someone else. For example, after closing a book, I would lecture myself on what I’d learned. Doing this naturally reinforced the important points. Repeating this process over and over, as if giving myself ‘tutoring,’ solidified more knowledge firmly in my mind.
Finding this personal study method transformed studying from a chore into a pleasure. I could continue reviewing effortlessly during breaks or free time, and my grades naturally improved. Once I shifted my mindset—seeing it not as ‘study I must do,’ but as enjoyable learning that utilized my own time like play—the process of acquiring and reviewing new knowledge itself became fun.
Especially during review, approaching memorization with the mindset of ‘teaching myself’ trained me to immediately grasp and recite the teacher’s words during class, allowing deeper immersion. This improved my classroom attitude, and teachers began paying more attention to me, sharing various study tips and knowledge. As my concentration and motivation grew, studying became enjoyable—not forced preparation for entrance exams, but a means to enhance my own capabilities.
Through this process, I gained one crucial insight: “Those who enjoy what they do can overcome any difficulty.” Moving forward, I intend to maintain this mindset, finding joy and growth not only in my studies but in life’s many challenges.
Key School Activities and Reflections
As someone raised in the Christian faith, I enjoyed praying alone but also longed to study Christian doctrine more deeply with others. I believed that personal willpower alone couldn’t sustain consistency, and that learning and sharing together would strengthen my faith. This led me to join a Christian club, where I gained much deeper insights than before. Meeting regularly to study doctrine and taking time for self-reflection on my own faith brought me greater peace of mind and expanded my positive mindset. Above all, club activities sparked my academic curiosity about Christianity, naturally leading to my goal of majoring in Religious Studies. I believe that studying Religious Studies allows me to broadly understand and research not just Christianity but world religions, enabling me to explore ways to contribute to society. Therefore, I continue to study and explore relentlessly to gain a broader understanding of religion.
While continuing my club activities, conversations with friends studying doctrine together provided an opportunity to deeply reflect on society’s perception of Christianity and perspectives on evangelism. During this time, the idea emerged to host an event that could introduce Christianity in a more approachable way without the burden of ‘evangelism’. Rather than evangelism, we aimed to create a space under the name ‘Christianity Introduction’ where we could share what we’d studied and freely exchange ideas. We decided to start with a small gathering on campus and planned a program that could be attended without pressure, utilizing after-school hours. With the help of teachers and through active promotion among friends, more people participated than we had anticipated. At the meetings, we briefly explained Christian doctrine and discussed not only the meaning of Christianity but also the essence and role of religion itself. Interestingly, not only students with Christian faith but also friends of other religions participated for the exchange and conversation. It became a valuable time to share thoughts and encounter diverse perspectives. Since then, the gathering has been evaluated positively for its impact and continues steadily under the support of teachers.
Through the Christian club and the ‘Introduction to Christianity’ event, I learned not only to maintain my faith but also to understand it more deeply and to share it with others. Furthermore, by conversing with people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives, I broadened my horizons and came to feel that religion can serve as a bridge connecting people and society. These experiences gave me conviction toward my academic goal of religious studies. I aspire to continue developing both my faith and scholarship, becoming someone who positively impacts society.
Examples of Care, Sharing, and Cooperation and My Reflections
“Understanding Other Religions”
As mentioned earlier, I was born into a Christian family and grew up attending church consistently. Consequently, Christianity became a natural part of my life, as routine as daily living, and going to church and praying felt utterly self-evident. However, I had only vaguely considered the fact that not everyone in the world believes in Christianity and that diverse religions exist. Then, as a Christian, I experienced conflict when I took my own actions for granted as ‘just the way things are.’
While discussing religion with a friend of another faith, the pride I held for Christianity, deeply ingrained within me, inadvertently surfaced, hurting each other’s feelings. Up until then, I firmly believed Christianity was ‘the entirety of religion’ and had no room to accept other perspectives. But only after experiencing that conflict did I finally realize: even within my Christian faith, understanding and respecting other religions is a perfectly achievable value. In fact, doing so can deepen my own faith.
During the argument, pride made me stubbornly insist only my position was correct. But as time passed, I felt compelled to apologize and reconcile. So I met my friend, offered a sincere apology, and promised to show respect and courtesy not only to Christianity but to other religions as well. Surprisingly, my friend shared that they had wrestled with similar concerns and had also reflected on their own attitude toward other faiths. That’s how we resolved our differences. Now, instead of conflict over religion, we share the values inherent in our respective faiths and have deep conversations.
Honestly, at first, I thought discussing religion with someone of a different faith would be difficult. But once we started talking, we found more common ground than I expected. There was significant overlap in the fundamental purpose and core values of religion, which actually made our conversation flow much more smoothly.
Through this experience, I realized something. Even beyond religious issues, it is wrong to label someone with different values as an ‘opponent’ or ‘someone incompatible with me’. Instead, I deeply felt that only when we understand and embrace each other’s differences can we truly walk the path of communication and empathy.
Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation and Career Plans
I intend to broadly study the doctrines of various religions moving forward. As a student in the Department of Religious Studies at Catholic University, I wish to directly examine the doctrines of Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, and other religions, and engage in studies that deeply understand their philosophies and values. The perspective of a Christian observing other religions is distinctly different from that of an individual observing religion, and conversely, the viewpoint of a non-Christian religious adherent observing Christianity is also different. By understanding and analyzing these differing perspectives, I aim to lay the groundwork for resolving conflicts between religions and, furthermore, contributing to solving diverse problems arising within a society and a nation. Religious conflicts occurring worldwide often stem largely from a lack of understanding about religion. Rather than being trapped in the belief that “my religion is absolutely right,” I believe it is essential that knowledge and awareness about the value and essence of religion spread throughout society, and that people have opportunities to understand and reflect on other religions.
Through integrated research in religious studies, I aim to deeply understand the doctrines and values of diverse religions, growing into a mature religious expert. Understanding the values of other religions will, in turn, deepen my own understanding of Christianity. This will greatly help me convey my faith authentically to others, moving beyond simple explanation to genuine empathy and communication. To this end, I plan to participate in various events aimed at peaceful religious activities and communication with people of diverse faiths. I also intend to organize events myself to create spaces for interfaith dialogue. Furthermore, if opportunities arise, I wish to actively engage in volunteer work and pilgrimages that broaden my understanding of religion. Specifically, starting with Catholic pilgrimage sites within Korea and extending to overseas pilgrimages, I aim to actively incorporate the insights gained from these experiences into my future academic research and activities promoting interfaith harmony.
Religion is not merely an object of faith but a crucial foundation of human history, culture, and society. I will steadily walk the path of becoming a religious expert who deeply understands this essence of religion, respects differences, and seeks paths of coexistence.
