This blog post explores how to persuasively articulate your collaboration skills and leadership capabilities—beyond simply listing class president activities, meeting experiences, and conflict resolution examples—when writing your business school statement of purpose.
Writing about Academic Experience and Reflections
“Thoroughly managing break times and immersing myself during focused study periods”
The aspect I paid the most attention to while studying was precisely ‘how to manage break times’. I don’t dislike studying; in fact, I rather enjoy it. I find pleasure in gradually learning new things and love the feeling of acquiring knowledge. I also find competition inherently fun. However, the crucial issue was my inability to regulate my break time effectively. I would play just as intensely during breaks as I studied, often missing study time and ending the day having played instead. Therefore, I made a conscious effort to strictly manage my break time and promised myself to secure time for studying.
So, whenever I took a break, I limited it to no more than 10 minutes. I was especially careful about this when resting at home. During class, the bell ringing made it easier to stick to my promise of just a 10-minute break. But at home, I’d relax too quickly. Snacking would eat up time, and before I knew it, I’d lose motivation to study, end up watching TV, and fall asleep. So, I set a 10-minute timer when I got home to enforce this habit. I studied during the time outside of breaks, and to maintain focus within that study time, I also took breaks once every hour.
Studying this way taught me ‘how to concentrate’. Rest hard when resting, but stick to the time limit for breaks; study hard when studying, and stay focused within that time. So I learned to study when it was time to study and rest when it was time to rest. Doing this naturally helped me regulate my daily routine. I also learned to use my time wisely. This reduced my stress. It felt much freer than just thinking I had to study relentlessly. I believe this balanced exam preparation lifestyle allowed me to study healthily.
Major School Activities and Reflections
“Three Things I Realized During My Three Years as Class President”
I was fortunate enough to be recommended by my friends and serve as class president three times. This meant I spent all three years of high school holding the position of class president. And through these three terms as president, I came to realize three things.
First, not everyone thinks the same way. I realized this during my freshman year. When I became class president as a freshman, I was so excited that I gathered my friends to plan an event for Teacher’s Day. The event was a success; many friends enjoyed it, and the teachers were touched. However, in one corner, some questioned whether the event was necessary at all and why we hadn’t asked the students’ opinions before organizing it. I was very surprised at the time. I had assumed everyone would naturally agree to organizing an event for our teachers on Teacher’s Day. But I was wrong. That moment taught me that for group life, no matter how good an idea seems, you can’t just insist on your own thoughts or push your own agenda; you must listen to what other friends have to say. So, after that initial shock, I learned to always ask, implement things carefully, and decide opinions through voting, especially for small matters or anything requiring my friends’ help.
The second lesson was that sincerity is the most crucial leadership quality. One of the hardest moments as class president was when I had to ask friends to do something. It’s really tough to ask everyone to help with work when they’re all tired and sleepy. And while there are many ways to assign tasks, the best method was to lead by example. After a festival when everyone was exhausted, rather than the teacher or class president repeating a hundred times to pick up trash, it was best for me to step forward, drag my tired body, and lead by example. Then, my friends would naturally join me in cleaning up the trash. And no complaints were heard. When the class president asked someone to do something, the most common response was, “Why aren’t you doing it?” But by stepping forward first, unity improved, and complaints about the class president disappeared. I realized that the sincerity of leading by example was the most important way to unite the class and guide my friends.
Third, greet people well. As class president, you inevitably end up owing favors to many friends. To manage nearly 40 classmates, I inevitably needed help from others. In those moments, what I had to do was always greet them properly. It was crucial to express gratitude when someone did something kind, apologize when I needed to, and offer encouragement when needed. This prevented misunderstandings and allowed me to stay close with my friends. So, as class president, I always made sure to greet everyone properly.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections
“Receiving help and giving help is what group life is all about!”
While serving as class president, I inevitably worked hard to maintain peace in the class. It wasn’t easy to accommodate friends with different personalities, especially as they grew increasingly sensitive due to college entrance exams. Especially when announcements weren’t properly conveyed, or if our class felt disadvantaged—like missing out on some hint—the excitement among friends was immense. To calm that excitement and promote convenience among friends, I always did one thing: ‘Manito’.
Once a month, we drew Manito to look out for each other. So I tried to build relationships where we could help each other. What I learned as class president was that thinking you can lead friends because you’re so great is a recipe for disaster. Rather, being class president meant you had to be good at receiving help from friends. So I worked hard to ensure friends helped each other, grew closer, and didn’t just form cliques where they didn’t know each other well. And surprisingly, Manito gained a lot of support from friends. Even friends who initially resisted began to wonder if someone helping them might be their Manito, and before long, they were all watching each other closely. By the time Manito ended, it had created opportunities to become friends with many more people.
Through this activity, I realized that the greatest force for unity is ‘interest’. When you show interest in someone, you naturally learn what they want and dislike. And as you get to know each other through that interest, you stop doing things that annoy them. Furthermore, as you naturally learn about each other, you become considerate, which leads to building good relationships. Most importantly, you become aware of who is struggling and offer comfort. By building these strong relationships, we could support each other through the tough exam period.
Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation and Career Plans
“Business Administration: The Most Fundamental Discipline for Navigating Our Times”
I grew up in a neighborhood with many older sisters and brothers, and among my relatives, I’m one of the youngest. While being the youngest has its downsides, like occasionally having to run errands, the upside is getting to see people on a similar path ahead of me. I saw which universities they attended, what they studied there, and the people they met who helped them secure jobs. Watching them made me want to become a person with leadership skills, to be proactive, and to study business administration based on that character. After all, we only live once. Life is about walking this path just once, not twice. I had no desire to live timidly in a small world along that path. Seeing my seniors, I resolved to live by gaining as many experiences as possible. That’s why I decided I absolutely had to major in Business Administration. I wanted to be someone who gathers diverse knowledge alongside many people, accumulates experiences, takes on challenges, collaborates, and experiences a great deal. That’s why I applied to the Business Administration department.
“Let me become someone who builds a great company.”
After entering university, I have three things I must do: meet many people, encounter many fields of study, and read many books. I want to meet diverse people to learn about the world, study the various branches of business administration to develop my abilities, and finally, read many books I couldn’t read in high school to cultivate my inner self. Therefore, what I want to do is establish a one-person company. Nowadays, with the internet so developed, people who work hard at even small tasks become experts in their field and start companies to run themselves. Though self-employment is said to be on the decline, I still believe having my own company is competitive. With abundant information and effort, I will ultimately become someone who starts their own company.
