This blog post explores how to effectively demonstrate your suitability for the major when preparing your physics department academic plan. It presents strategies for effectively connecting your interests, experiences, and future goals.
Reasons for Choosing the Major
In elementary school, I was a child who particularly loved science. Back then, science was more than just a subject I had to study; it was a world that was inherently fun and fascinating to me. In sixth grade, I even organized a science lab with friends, filling the entire room with experimental tools. Looking back, I think I wanted to imitate the image of a scientist in my young mind.
While nurturing this vague admiration for science, I became deeply captivated by the field of physics in my third year of middle school after reading a book about the theory of relativity. Einstein’s way of thinking, which instantly overturned conventional wisdom about space-time, was shocking, and that shock was enough to draw me into the world of physics. From that moment, I developed a concrete goal: to major in physics and become a physics professor in the future.
I firmly believe that enrolling in the Physics Department at ○○ University, which possesses outstanding academic achievements and a research environment even among the top universities in South Korea, is the first and most crucial step toward realizing my dream. The thought of taking my first steps as a physicist at your esteemed institution, with its top-tier faculty and robust curriculum, fills me with excitement. I apply to your university with the determination to demonstrate what progress a student who enjoys and strives can achieve.
Academic Plans and Goals
If admitted to your university, I will diligently follow the curriculum and solidly build the foundation for my future research. Simultaneously, I will strive relentlessly to deepen my understanding of physics and expand my thinking. To this end, I have established three plans.
First is foreign language study. Proficiency in foreign languages is essential for accurately grasping physics’ diverse terminology and concepts. However, I believe merely reading and understanding documents is insufficient for becoming an expert. Since language is intrinsically linked to a nation’s sociocultural concepts, I will cultivate foreign language skills capable of interpreting sociocultural contexts. This will provide an academic foundation enabling deeper, more sophisticated comprehension of the same materials or papers.
Second is cultivating the ability to handle computers with ease. Considering recent computational physics research and the expansion of data-driven research across scientific fields following the Human Genome Project, cutting-edge science—including physics—relies heavily on computer technology to process and analyze vast amounts of information. Therefore, I judge that computer proficiency and learning computational physics are not optional but essential.
Third is the study of Eastern philosophy. I once heard that in the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ engineering doctoral program, students who cannot recite Laozi are dismissed. I believe this stems from the idea that the systems of thought presented by Laozi and Zhuangzi can aid in understanding physics from an Eastern perspective. Having primarily encountered Western-centric scientific theories, I wish to explore what perspectives Eastern philosophy offers to physical thinking. This will be an important asset for understanding physics from a broader perspective, and I expect the process itself to be a source of new inspiration.
Post-Graduation Plans
My ultimate goal is to become a physics professor and teach students. Physics is a discipline that gave me the fresh shock of encountering a completely different world for the first time. I want to be a professor who can stimulate and inspire students like myself. Through a dedicated university life, I will experience various fields of physics and believe I will find the area where I feel most suited. After that, I will steadily take the necessary steps to become an expert in that field.
If needed, I may choose to attend a domestic graduate school or study abroad. However, whichever path I choose, my resolve to continue studying until my abilities and academic achievements are recognized remains firm.
Rather than rushing, I will dedicate myself to my studies with seriousness and perseverance. I will strive to build the academic authority necessary to teach students without shame. I believe that without self-confidence and academic authority, true education cannot be achieved.
Self-Introduction (Life Philosophy, Values)
As a child, I filled my entire room with experimental tools under the pretense of conducting experiments, pretending to be a scientist. To those around me, I often seemed like a strange child. However, I would describe that strangeness as an extraordinary curiosity. I believe this unique curiosity and the desire to satisfy it have shaped me into the person I am today, someone who dreams of becoming a physicist. This spontaneous curiosity naturally led to self-directed academic exploration, and discovering the joy of studying not because I was forced to, but because I genuinely enjoyed it, is a significant strength of mine. I firmly believe one should pursue only what brings them genuine pleasure.
To achieve my dream of becoming a physicist, I will need to undertake a vast amount of study moving forward. While the process may sometimes feel difficult and overwhelming, I am certain that no hardship can ever take away my fundamental curiosity and the joy it brings. Based on this conviction, I will consistently walk the path of scholarship and research.
