This blog post specifically examines how small acts of daily consideration and consistent sharing experiences strengthen the empathy and community spirit required in social work, making your suitability for the major more compelling.
Writing about Academic Experiences and Reflections
“Helping each other and studying together becomes a driving force.”
Before entering high school, I heard countless horror stories about high school life. Among them, the most chilling rumor I heard was that ‘high school students are selfish.’ They said that once you become a high school student, you basically enter competition mode, so people don’t readily share their notes or explain the test scope. Why? Because exams aren’t graded on an absolute scale but relatively. If you do poorly, someone else’s score goes up; if someone else does poorly, yours goes up. That’s why competition gets so fierce. So, they said, once you enter high school, you can’t make friends easily, and building relationships with people becomes difficult. Hearing that, I used to worry: Is high school life really that cutthroat?
And the reality of high school life I experienced was definitely even more intense than that. The constant barrage of various exams—early admissions, regular admissions—forced us to study frantically. So naturally, we became sharp-edged. The competition between us was fierce. Yet, amidst all that, there were definitely moments when change was possible. I found that opening. During the summer break after my first year of high school, I formed a study group with like-minded friends. We met with others who couldn’t afford cram schools but still wanted to study. We established some pretty firm rules: first, no talking within the study group – just studying. Second, we would monitor each other to ensure we strictly followed the study plans we set. We stuck to those two rules as we studied. We also organized and shared our strengths in different subjects and taught each other what we didn’t know. That’s how we spent every single day of the vacation, intensely and diligently.
Thanks to this study group, our grades improved. And it wasn’t just about better grades; through mutual trust and support, we were able to grow together. It was an experience where we studied hard and, beyond that, gained friends.
Writing about major school activities and reflections
“The many connections I made through the school lunch volunteer program”
The most enjoyable activity was the ‘school lunch volunteer program’. I voluntarily joined the team serving during lunch hours, helping prepare meals for the staff and occasionally guiding other students participating in the program. I faithfully participated in this activity for two years before my senior year of high school. It was a rewarding experience that brought me a sense of pride and introduced me to many people.
First, the sense of fulfillment I felt while volunteering was immense. It wasn’t like I was making food for my friends or serving them personally, but strangely, seeing them enjoy the meals made me feel incredibly proud. That’s probably why I worked so hard at it. To volunteer at the cafeteria, you have to give up quite a few things. For one, you give up your lunch break. While other friends eat lunch and play, I had to spend the entire lunch period unpacking meals, cleaning up the back of the cafeteria, moving trash, and doing various odd jobs. And I had to clean up food waste, something I rarely touched even at home, and that task always smelled awful. But I volunteered for it, and it was because of the satisfaction I felt. Seeing the smiling faces of friends enjoying their meals was so fun, joyful, and rewarding. That’s why I worked hard at it.
And the connections I made were also a great gift this activity gave me. Besides the regular volunteers, we also took on the role of guiding friends who needed occasional volunteer help or had to do volunteer work. Through this, I got to know many friends. I met many juniors and many seniors. While each came for different reasons, they were all equally kind-hearted friends. Working closely with them for a week or two, we’d become close as if there had never been any awkwardness. Meeting so many friends then, sharing stories, talking about what was inside, and listening to theirs – that became a huge experience in my life. Because I realized that while everyone seemed natural and ordinary on the surface, deep down, everyone carried their own pain. My friends were living with their own problems—issues with their parents, friends, or studies. Hearing those stories made me feel that everyone carries their own burdens.
“Studying is good, but participating in arts and sports is also good.”
Among school activities, the most enjoyable and meaningful were definitely the arts and physical education activities. Our school is particularly famous for its diverse offerings. During music class, we learned salsa dancing; in PE, we played traditional games like ring toss; and in music class, we even played with clay. These varied experiences helped relieve stress, and socializing with friends through them was also fun. Moreover, through these experiences, I became close with transfer students and learned that stimulating the five senses through shared experiences helps people bond.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections
“Looking out for others from behind, breathing together with friends”
The consideration I put the most effort into during my school life was helping the class president and vice president as the treasurer, looking out for my friends from behind the scenes. On the way back from field trips, I stayed behind to pick up trash. When getting off the bus, I always exited last to make sure no one left anything behind. During sports day, I looked after injured friends and checked if anyone was falling behind. At festivals, I was responsible for collecting and sorting our class’s trash.
I worked behind the scenes not to appear virtuous, but first because the class president and vice president seemed short-handed and needed help. Second, I believed that if something needed doing, it was my responsibility, not someone else’s. Trash doesn’t get cleaned up by itself if you don’t pick it up. It just stays there. Then that place quickly becomes dirty. Furthermore, if that place is a classroom, the energy state becomes extremely dirty. If you drop something on a bus, it’s an item that needs to be found. But if you just leave it or ignore it, someone else ends up in trouble. So it was something that needed to be done, and I thought that if it was something that needed doing, I should do it. If I didn’t do it, my body felt restless and I felt stifled.
And what I felt while helping people like this was that if it was something that needed to be done, I should do it. It didn’t matter if no one recognized it. It was more important that I had done it myself, even without any reward, than to just see something dirty or broken and walk past it. Helping friends like that, doing things alongside the class president or vice president even though I was just the treasurer, no one noticed, but I realized something on my own. I discovered that I found joy and a sense of purpose in small things. That’s why I decided to work as a social worker.
My Growth Process and Motivation for Applying
“I grew up with warm parents”
My childhood cannot be discussed without mentioning my parents. I truly grew up under the care of warm parents. My parents ran their own business, operating a fairly large rice cake shop in the market. They didn’t use every last piece of leftover rice cake or every perfectly made one solely for selling. They used them for the people around them, especially the elderly living alone. Because of this, I grew up always being cherished by those around me. My parents were warm-hearted and showered us with love, and naturally, the people around us also loved and cherished us. So I grew up surrounded by love. And from a young age, I learned to share delicious things with my friends.
The way of sharing I learned was to give ‘good things’. People sometimes have the wrong idea, thinking that because it’s giving, it’s okay to give bad things. But that is truly a mistaken idea. When giving to someone, you must carefully consider their feelings. Giving is easy, but from the recipient’s perspective, it can be hurtful to their pride. Therefore, when giving, you must always give something good with a joyful and grateful heart. I learned this from my parents. So, I too grew up considering it natural to be generous to those around me, and I believe this greatly helped my life and character.
“I aspire to become a person with a generous heart capable of sharing love.”
I wanted to grow into someone who could share love, and at some point, I began nurturing the dream of becoming a social worker. Some suggested that getting a certificate and studying in a different department might be better for employment, but I want to study with a determined heart, learning as much as possible. That is why I wish to enroll in the Department of Social Welfare at Kyonggi University. I will diligently study theory to fill my mind with knowledge, and through volunteer work, I will fill my heart to become someone society truly needs. I will grow into a person with a big heart.
