This blog post explores how to convincingly articulate your motivation for applying to environmental engineering, focusing on sincerity in solving environmental problems, a sense of responsibility born from small actions, and the process connecting technology and values.

Writing about academic experiences and reflections

“Math requires a strong foundation; let’s get back to basics.”
I chose the science track because I loved science, but when I started taking serious classes in my sophomore year, the most challenging subject turned out to be ‘math’. While other students easily solved problems and moved on, I struggled immensely with applied math. I kept following my math teacher around asking questions, only to hear, ‘You’re worse at applying concepts than humanities students.’ I couldn’t even figure out why I struggled so much with application problems myself. My constantly falling math grades made me feel frustrated and helpless. I couldn’t afford private tutoring, so I was at a loss about what to do. That’s when my best friend’s advice became a ray of light for me. “Maybe it’s because your fundamentals aren’t solid? Try solving problems from middle school again!”
This friend also struggled a lot with math. But they could afford to go to a cram school, and when they checked why they couldn’t apply math concepts, they realized it was because they’d forgotten the formulas learned in middle school. Taking a hint from my friend, I opened a workbook from my third year of middle school, half-doubting it would help. And there, a whole new world opened up. The things I had skipped over in the second semester of my third year of middle school, the parts I hadn’t studied because I was too excited about becoming a high school student, were all right there in that book. And I realized that not knowing those parts was what had been causing me so much trouble. So, from that moment, I decided to go back to the basics. I set everything else aside and calmly started working through the math book from my third year of middle school. Sometimes I felt scared, thinking I couldn’t solve new problems, but I believed finding the fundamentals was crucial, so I started working through them calmly. Gradually, I could fill in the gaps I didn’t know, and the ability to apply concepts began to develop. Therefore, I alternated between solving basic problems, application problems, and the foundational problems I had solved in middle school, and I’m still studying hard now.

Writing about major school activities and reflections

“Environmental Club: Becoming More Than Just Picking Up Trash”
My interest in the environment began after watching a documentary. It was the very famous Korean documentary series “Tears of the Arctic,” “Tears of the Antarctic,” and “Tears of the Amazon.” These three documentaries are also extremely well-known as the ‘Tears’ series on the environment. Watching these documentaries, I shed truly hot tears deep within my heart. The animals, indigenous peoples, and environments featured in the Tears series had never committed any crime. They were simply there. Yet, due to humanity’s relentless greed and selfishness, the environment was destroyed, and those beautiful animals lost their place to live. I felt a strong sense of responsibility for this. That’s why I thought I had to start doing something, anything, right now. And that’s when the ‘Environmental Club’ caught my eye—the least popular club among our school’s volunteer groups.
The Environmental Club, as the name suggests, is a club that thinks about and cares for the environment. While other friends were doing volunteer activities that seemed more impressive, we prepared work gloves and went around cleaning up places dirtier and less environmentally maintained than our surroundings. While other friends questioned what was so great about a club that just picks up trash, I felt compelled to take action, even if it meant doing that. So I participated diligently. I saw it not as something someone told me to do, but as taking ownership and responsibility for what I believed I should naturally do. Whenever volunteer opportunities or meetings arose, I went out voluntarily to participate.
What I came to realize through this was that even a little bit of care can make a difference for the environment. I believed that even the smallest actions could improve it. This conviction stemmed from our experience of revitalizing the small stream in our neighborhood. Our neighborhood stream was so polluted by someone’s trash piles that it was called a “trash river,” a place swarming with foul odors and insects. So, we made a plan to slowly restore this stream over a year. Seeing successful examples nearby and from other university volunteer clubs, we started picking up trash, cleaning it away, and scrubbing the rocks. At first, I truly dreaded going in, and seeing the rotting filth sometimes made me want to vomit. But I approached it with a sense of responsibility, believing that what humans create, humans must clean up. Sometimes I grew weary because people kept littering, but we encouraged each other and kept clearing the trash relentlessly. We also scrubbed the rocks and removed oil spills from the surrounding area. Then, amazingly, nature began to recover.
This experience made me want to become an environmental engineer striving for the world and the future. I wanted to dedicate my life to taking responsibility as a human being and saving nature. That’s why I decided to apply to the Environmental Engineering Department at ○○○ University and began calmly working towards my goal and dream.

Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections

“If I had shown just a little more consideration…”
This happened when I was vice-class president. It was my first year of high school, and I could see everyone was on edge. Whether it was the tension of becoming high school students or the fear of college entrance exams, they were focused on immediate classes and grades rather than making new friends. They seemed to be building walls, avoiding sharing information about classes while keeping their distance from each other. Everyone was so sensitive that they had turned their backs on one another. And they were hurting each other’s feelings through actions like trying to gain an advantage in performance evaluations, refusing to share information about exams, or not showing their notes. Because of this, everyone felt awkward, and that atmosphere didn’t break even as the semester progressed. It felt like an unbreakable, selfish atmosphere.
But I believed I had to break it. Because I thought studying together would create a win-win situation and greater synergy. Having grown up in a large family, I knew how great the joy of doing things together could be. So I started making concessions first. Even though I was the vice-class president, I often took on the class president’s duties. Sometimes, I sacrificed my own time to handle tasks that weren’t strictly my responsibility but needed doing—like cleaning the hallways or emptying the trash bins. Occasionally, when many friends were struggling or dozing off in a particular subject, I’d summarize the material and share it with them. At first, some classmates wondered why I was doing this. But gradually, my sincerity began to resonate. By the end of the second semester, mutual concessions were visibly taking root. This only strengthened my resolve to lead with consideration and give way first. I actively took the initiative to look out for my classmates, like making announcements about performance evaluations or exams they might not know about. By the end of freshman year, we had truly come together, and they even started helping each other proactively. That’s when I realized that consideration brings about change.

Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans

“The most important thing to focus on now is the ‘environment’; I want to become an environmental expert.”
My desire to become an environmental expert stemmed from the confidence I gained through actively participating in volunteer activities with the environmental club. Others tend to have a somewhat passive attitude toward environmental issues. They think, ‘What difference will it make if we do this?’ I remember carefully checking facts because I couldn’t believe the Arctic ice was melting or that penguins in Antarctica were losing their habitats.
I wonder if it’s even possible just because I’m throwing away less trash, conserving water, and saving electricity now. But I don’t think that way. What I felt through volunteering was precisely this: If we move just a little more and think just a little more, the environment can change. That’s why I believe I must act and take responsibility. Consequently, driven by my desire to become an environmental engineer and an expert on the environment, I aspire to join the Department of Environmental Engineering at ○○○ University.
If I am admitted to the Environmental Engineering Department at ○○○ University, I intend to acquire comprehensive knowledge about the environment while participating in the university’s diverse internships and programs. Through these experiences, I aim to broaden my perspective on the world. Furthermore, if the opportunity arises, I also hope to apply for ○○○ University’s startup support program to gain hands-on experience in launching an environmentally focused venture. To achieve this, I believe I must first dedicate myself fully to acquiring foundational knowledge during my freshman year. I believe I should study engineering centered on environmental science and, building on that foundation, also take courses in business administration and the humanities. I want to fully utilize opportunities to study more unique and diverse fields, filling my knowledge through multifaceted learning to get closer to what I want to do. While building this knowledge, I will actively engage with environmental issues, observing and reflecting on my surroundings through experience rather than avoiding them. I also want to show a proactive stance by persuading those around me to raise environmental awareness through campaigns. I will be a passionate university student.