This blog post delves deeply into why language proficiency is crucial in the International Language and Literature Department’s academic plans, specifically explaining how global communication skills enhance major suitability and career competitiveness.
Reasons for Choosing This Major
I transitioned from middle school to high school without any particular dreams for my future. In my first year of high school, I simply wanted to become someone who worked with foreign languages. However, lacking concrete goals or plans, my homeroom teacher encouraged me to enter an English speech contest. At first, the idea of delivering a speech in English seemed impossible. But after writing scripts all night and practicing hundreds of times in front of my family, I gained confidence and developed a strong desire to win. My hard work paid off, and I won the Excellence Award in this competition.
Winning this speech contest greatly helped me decide on my target university and major. Moving forward, I aspire to enroll in your esteemed university and become a well-rounded individual equipped with solid foreign language skills, international sensibility, and humanistic literacy—qualities essential for meeting the demands of this globalized era.
Academic Plan and Goals
Upon admission to your university, I will first channel my passion for English into prioritizing foreign language studies. Above all, I will focus intensively on developing exceptional English proficiency. I will study English literature and linguistics broadly while building a solid theoretical foundation necessary for teaching English. I understand your university offers an overseas field study program. I plan to participate in this program whenever possible to directly experience and study overseas trends, including the relevant language.
Beyond my academic studies, I will actively participate in events hosted by international organizations and institutions to meet people from diverse cultural backgrounds. I wish to immerse myself in international exchange forums, encountering various languages, cultures, and ways of thinking, and experience political, economic, social, and cultural phenomena vividly firsthand.
I also plan to utilize vacations for overseas volunteer activities with organizations like the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity to practice sharing. Additionally, I intend to travel extensively to broaden my horizons and cultivate an open mind.
Post-Graduation Plans
Holding the dream of working for an international organization, I will dedicate myself to preparing for the qualifications needed to secure employment there. Passing the JPO exam hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade allows one to work at an international organization for two years under national sponsorship, so I will focus my full energy on studying for this exam above all else.
I dream of working at the WFP, a UN agency that supports the economic and social development of developing countries through food aid and emergency relief activities. I want to find professional fulfillment by doing meaningful work for people struggling with hunger and poverty at the WFP.
One person alone cannot make the world beautiful. A world built together through the practice of sharing—that is the true face of the international community. On my desk, the faded motto “Do your best, and leave the rest to heaven” still stands firm. I pledge to myself that for as long as I live, I will pour relentless effort and passion into everything I can do.
Self-Introduction (Life Philosophy, Values)
My personal motto is “No gain without no pains.” Nothing in this world can be obtained without effort. Believing that only those who strive can truly experience life’s joys, I endeavor to give my utmost to any task entrusted to me.
My high school has a reading room where top-performing students can study. This library has desks assigned to students from each grade based on their academic ranking, allowing top students to study in a quieter, more comfortable environment. I remember studying hard to get into this space. When I didn’t make it, I felt an inexplicable sense of defeat, but ultimately, that feeling became the driving force that pushed me to aim higher.
Personally, my senior year spent in that study room was the best time of my life. The atmosphere where students studied voluntarily motivated me, and that motivation fueled my growth. Since time never comes back, I believe I lived my school days to the fullest without regret, putting in the utmost effort I could muster.
