This blog post explores how leadership experience from high school connects to the responsibility, situational judgment, and teamwork required in a police administration major, while introducing effective ways to demonstrate suitability for the field.
Writing about academic experiences and reflections
“After thoroughly preparing and reviewing, practice diligently during breaks!”
My weakest area in studying was ‘reading comprehension’. Yet, without strong reading skills, achieving good grades was impossible. For instance, in the language section, if you aren’t accustomed to reading quickly, you can’t finish all the passages within the time limit. Consequently, I always ran out of time and couldn’t complete the later passages. Similarly, in the foreign language section, failing to read and comprehend within the time limit naturally led to many mistakes. So, my slow reading speed was always like homework in my studies. But improving reading speed wasn’t easy. Even though I narrowed the time gap significantly through training, I still had far less time compared to other friends. Therefore, I diligently studied the foundational theory so that even if my reading was slow, I could utilize the time well. I also studied to ensure familiar content appeared in the passages as much as possible.
Therefore, I always did my previewing and reviewing extremely thoroughly. The content the teachers taught us was the absolute fundamentals, consisting of things we absolutely had to know. Knowing this, I always carefully reviewed and took notes on the teachers’ words, striving to solidify the basics. I always took notes, trying hard not to miss a single word the teachers said. And during vacation, when I had relatively more time, I practiced diligently. During breaks, I pulled out all the theories learned over the semester and reorganized them. I made a concerted effort to memorize as diverse knowledge as possible. I re-memorized English grammar starting from the very basics. Idioms, in particular, were a crucial hurdle I had to overcome for my weak reading comprehension, so I diligently memorized 100 at a time. And as a result of memorizing so diligently, I eventually built the fundamental skills needed to compensate for my reading comprehension weakness. My CSAT scores improved significantly, and I gained the ability to apply to ○○○ University. I realized that if you know your weaknesses and work hard, anything is possible.
Writing about major school activities and insights gained
“Everyone has things they can’t do, so let’s help each other!”
The most enlightening school activity was serving as the Physical Education Club President during my first year. I had been physically weak due to circumstances, so I started exercising from a young age to build my stamina. Being constantly active improved my skills, placing me among the top performers in PE. After regaining my health, I practically never missed a chance to lead the club. As a result, PE class was always a joyful and exciting activity for me.
However, my first-year high school position as sports club president was special because there was a classmate who had difficulty using one leg. Due to polio, one of his legs was twisted. He wore a brace and had undergone surgery, so it wasn’t usually noticeable, but it became apparent during PE class. As the physical education club president, I felt I had to help him. So during PE, I always stayed by his side during activities. What surprised me was how many classmates actually struggled with physical activities.
I had assumed no one was truly bad at PE. I thought it was just a matter of enthusiasm. But that wasn’t often the case. Among those who struggled, many genuinely couldn’t move their bodies as they intended. When I helped the friends with disabilities, they watched and learned from me. But no matter how motivated they were, those born with physical limitations simply couldn’t perform physical activities properly. Realizing this shocked me. And I came to understand: everyone is born different, and therefore we must live by helping each other.
For example, while I’m good at sports, I have absolutely no aptitude for sitting down and studying, so I have to keep trying hard. But some friends, even if they weren’t good at sports, were incredibly talented at studying. Realizing these differences broadened my understanding of people. By helping friends who struggled, I could build friendships, and at the same time, I could study with their help. It was the moment I understood why people must help each other to live.
“Volunteering is the most fun activity!”
Another activity I enjoyed was volunteering. Since I love moving my body, I didn’t want even special activity time to be spent sitting still. So I chose volunteering, which let me move around more. And I started finding it fun. I felt that doing work without expecting anything in return was inherently appealing. Strangely, that thought occurred to me. When you receive compensation, an instinct kicks in to work only as much as that compensation warrants. But this volunteer work, done without compensation, becomes pure because the very purpose is a battle with oneself. So, I ended up working hard enough not to feel ashamed of myself. That’s why I worked diligently and was able to gain diverse experiences in many places.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections
“Encouraging Friends for Cooperation”
When you’re struggling, even a small remark can set you off. That’s exactly how our class felt after the midterms in my sophomore year of high school, when the choir competition we’d worked so hard to prepare for fell apart. Strangely, it was a day when nothing went right. Early that morning, I got a call saying the friend who was supposed to accompany our choir had fallen ill with gastroenteritis. The mood immediately turned chaotic. We hurriedly picked another accompanist and managed to find a friend from another class who knew our song. We urgently asked them to play, but they ended up making a major mistake. It was his first time accompanying, so he wasn’t used to it and kept making mistakes one after another. Our class had to finish the choir performance in that chaotic atmosphere and ended up not winning any awards.
Then, my friends started getting angry. And some friends even said that since the choir competition is a contest, the friend who accompanied our class must have messed up on purpose. That made everyone’s feelings complicated. But I knew no one should blame the accompanist, and that he wouldn’t have done such a thing. So I stepped forward to calm everyone down. I suggested we give him a gift instead. Because, after all, he had to work hard without rest after the accompaniment ended, all because of our class. At first, my friends didn’t listen to me. But as I kept talking and reassuring them, they started to agree with me. In the end, our class pooled our money and gave that friend a box of snacks as a gift. The friend who had played the accompaniment was also grateful. And strangely enough, giving the gift made our hearts feel lighter. The hurt feelings melted away, and we felt like we had grown a bit. Our class was able to forget our hurt feelings and become even more united.
My Growth Journey and Motivation for Choosing My Major
“The Transformation of a Small, Sickly Child”
When I was young, I was a very sickly child. I was born with a weak heart and often went into shock, which caused my parents immense worry. So, instead of sending me to cram school, my parents sent me to the gym from a young age. It’s no exaggeration to say I spent my childhood at the gym. Exercising as much as I could, resting, and socializing with others, I gradually grew healthier and became more sociable. By middle school, I had become a lively child. What also stands out most vividly from my time at the gym was seeing the seniors stand up to stronger opponents to protect their friends. Watching them, I realized that’s how strength should be used. And that strength truly shines not when used to protect oneself, but when used to protect others. Observing those seniors, I grew up learning right from wrong, always looking around to see if any of my friends were in trouble.
“I want to grow into someone who does the right thing.”
The reason I chose police administration is because I want to grow into someone who does the right thing. I aspire to become someone who does what is more just, someone who helps those doing good work, and thereby contributes to making South Korea a more beautiful and safer nation. Even now, there are countless police officers in our country working day and night, and countless other public servants working alongside them. It is no exaggeration to say we live safely thanks to them. I want to inherit that pride. I too aspire to work passionately enough not to dishonor their names and to be someone who serves the people. Of course, the journey will be difficult. But I will not give up. I will accomplish anything and move forward for my aspirations. By enrolling in the Police Administration Department and challenging myself in related roles, I will grow into someone who works with integrity.
