In this blog post, I’ll candidly share my academic experiences, school activities, and examples of compassion, generosity, and collaboration during high school, as well as my preparations for college.
Academic Experiences and Reflections
When I entered high school, I realized just how much my foundational knowledge was lacking. During middle school, I had lived with the mistaken belief that “I don’t need to study,” and as a result, I had missed out on too many basics. Even after I developed a dream once I got to high school, I always felt like I was falling behind everyone else. Ultimately, because I was slow to grasp concepts and frequently missed key points when solving problems, I decided I needed to fundamentally change my study methods.
So, instead of mindlessly solving a large volume of problems, I shifted my approach to thoroughly planning my studies and solidifying my foundation. While other students set goals like “finishing one problem book a week” or “memorizing 1,000 vocabulary words,” I took a different approach because I had already concluded, based on my experience, that my lack of improvement stemmed from a weak foundation.
For math, I studied by reviewing concepts starting from the first year of middle school, using practice exams as a guide. At first, I didn’t even understand what the questions in the practice exams were asking, but as I built up my foundational concepts one by one, the process of solving problems began to make sense. As a result, I set a fixed study time for math—combining foundational review and practice exam work—to 1 hour and 30 minutes a day, and by sticking to this consistently, my skills improved.
I applied the same principle to Korean and English. While solving practice exams, I reviewed and memorized the grammar and basic knowledge I should have learned in middle school. The key was to let go of the impatience of wondering, “When will I ever finish this?” and instead faithfully follow and check off the meticulously planned schedule.
As a result, by the end of my sophomore year of high school, I had thoroughly mastered the entire middle school curriculum. Although I started late, I gained confidence that I could achieve my goals through consistent effort, and I realized firsthand how important it is to create a personalized schedule and find a study method that works for me. I also learned that the habit of setting goals and faithfully executing them has a direct impact on improving grades.
Major School Activities and Reflections
The role I valued most in my school activities was that of treasurer. In the early days of high school, I was heavily influenced by my friends, and thanks to meeting great peers, I naturally took on an active leadership role. Those friends were the type of class presidents and vice-presidents who believed in “playing when it’s time to play and studying when it’s time to study,” and inspired by their example, I decided to take on the role of treasurer.
Our class was well-organized, and membership fees were collected accurately. I was responsible for managing the fees, setting the budget, and planning expenditures. I felt a sense of responsibility while planning the annual budget—deciding how much to spend at certain times and when to cut back—and experienced a unique sense of excitement throughout the process.
The role of treasurer went beyond simply collecting money. To collect dues and transparently report how funds were used, I created an official ledger and announced the remaining balance and future spending plans after every expenditure. I developed the habit of double-checking everything to avoid mistakes or omissions, and through this process, I learned firsthand the value of accuracy and reliability.
Through my work as treasurer, I developed an interest in accounting and management, and I even began to hope that one day I could make this my career. Although taking on responsibility could have been a burden, that burden actually turned into enjoyment, and I discovered the joy of working proactively on my own.
Later, in my second year, I served as vice-class president, further developing my communication skills. I made an effort to lead by example by checking to see if any classmates were struggling and by personally picking up trash or helping with cleaning. Additionally, by exchanging ideas with class presidents and vice presidents from other classes and coordinating class operations, I learned the importance of proactivity and collaboration.
Through my roles as treasurer and vice class president, I was able to grow not only in my management skills but also in my communication with colleagues. A major achievement was learning how to understand different perspectives and find common ground while exchanging and coordinating opinions with others.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections
When I was serving as vice-class president in my second year, we experienced a major conflict during the preparation for a school field trip. It was discovered that we were short on funds, and the student serving as treasurer claimed that the prop purchase team had exceeded the budget and spent money arbitrarily without providing receipts. On the other hand, the prop team felt wronged, insisting they had only used the allocated funds. As emotions ran high between the two teams, the atmosphere in the class became very tense, and the field trip preparations were on the verge of being canceled.
As vice-class president, I decided that I needed to prevent an emotional response and resolve the issue based on facts. I personally visited the stores the props team had gone to and cross-checked the receipts with the purchased items one by one, and in the process, I discovered the root of the problem. It turned out that at the hardware store where they bought the rope, there was a record of them accidentally paying for four ropes instead of one.
Fortunately, the shop owner was honest; when I explained the situation, he acknowledged the mistake and refunded the remaining amount. He even waived the cost of the rope itself. I calmly explained this to both teams and mediated, urging them not to let the situation escalate. Eventually, they reconciled, and the class atmosphere was restored. We were able to use the remaining money to prepare even more fun activities.
Through this incident, I learned that in a conflict situation, what matters most is calmly identifying the problem and finding a solution based on evidence, rather than getting upset or blaming others. I also realized firsthand how much of an impact the ability to mediate from a neutral standpoint and persuade others has on resolving conflicts.
Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans
Although I felt from a young age that I wasn’t particularly good at anything, serving as the class treasurer and vice-class president in high school helped me realize that I have an aptitude and interest in management and accounting. The sense of satisfaction I felt while communicating with people and managing finances became the first clue to my career path, and this experience was the decisive motivation for me to apply to the Department of Taxation and Accounting at Incheon National University.
In college, I first intend to actively participate in classes and systematically learn the fundamentals of accounting and taxation from the ground up. Although I currently lack specialized knowledge, I understand that accounting and taxation are fields that require practice, repetition, and memorization, and I plan to overcome this process through diligence. I intend to use my coursework to verify my suitability for the major and to confirm for myself whether my interest remains strong.
In the long term, I want to prepare for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam and grow into an accountant who manages a company’s overall finances and operations. I aspire to become not just someone who is skilled in accounting, but a professional capable of taking responsibility for and coordinating all aspects of business operations. To achieve this, I will steadily accumulate experiences that allow me to develop practical skills in addition to my academic studies.
Furthermore, during my college years, I do not intend to focus solely on my major; I also wish to cultivate my character and interpersonal skills through club and team activities. As I am the type of person who grows through interaction with others, I believe that experiences collaborating and communicating with a diverse range of people are essential. My short-term goal is to approach college life with an active and diligent attitude among supportive seniors and friends, and through this process, become a student who repays the opportunity by achieving success.
In conclusion, drawing on my meticulous nature and sense of responsibility, I aim to acquire specialized knowledge in the Department of Taxation and Accounting while simultaneously developing practical skills and interpersonal abilities, so that I may contribute to society as a certified public accountant.
