In this blog post, I’ll summarize my experiences and reflections, focusing on my academic efforts and school activities during high school, my experiences with compassion and giving, and my career preparation process.

Academic Experiences and Reflections

At first, I took it for granted that I “had to go to a cram school.” My parents also provided a lot of support to help me improve my grades, and I, too, believed that studying at a cram school was the right approach, so I attended classes and worked on problems late into the night. However, as time went on, my grades actually declined, the time I spent studying on my own decreased, and I began to feel burned out.
Finally, on the day I received the lowest grades of my life, I made the bold decision to quit the cram school. After quitting, I began to regain my natural study rhythm, and most importantly, I realized that studying according to a plan I set for myself was far more effective. I experienced firsthand the difference between studying as directed by others and studying on my own terms.
From then on, I devoted myself fully to my school classes. I made every effort not to miss a single class—which typically lasted 8 to 10 hours a day—and I focused intently on the lessons, taking thorough notes even on material I already knew. By thoroughly preparing for and reviewing each lesson based on the school curriculum, I was able to grasp concepts more quickly and study more efficiently.
I made previewing and reviewing a daily habit. Before class, I would skim through the unit at home to see what we would be learning, and after class, I would spend at least an hour grasping the context of what I had learned that day and memorizing only the essential parts. The habit of spending about an hour at night—even if just briefly—on repetitive memorization was a huge help; it allowed me to retain math formulas and English and Korean grammar without having to spend a lot of extra time on them before exams.
In addition, while studying primarily from my textbooks, I paid special attention to the “Study Guide” sections. Since the Study Guide clearly outlines what needs to be learned in each unit and which key points to focus on, studying based on this guide to grasp the overall context allowed me to understand the material much more systematically. As I consistently applied this method, my grades gradually improved, and I began to enjoy studying.

Major School Activities and Reflections

The volunteer club I was part of centered on the concept of “sharing.” We didn’t just do one-off volunteer work like cleaning up sites or carrying heavy loads; we mainly worked in partnership with local organizations such as the “House of Sharing” and the “House of Love” to distribute donated clothing, furniture, and food to those in need. On weekends, I would put on work gloves and help sort or transport items, and I even conducted field surveys to identify needed supplies and write reports.
During my freshman year, volunteering felt nothing but difficult. I’d be physically exhausted on weekends, and I sometimes wondered, “Am I sacrificing time I could be spending on my studies?” However, as I continued my involvement, witnessing the small moments of joy and expressions of gratitude from those we served made all my fatigue and worries disappear. The sense of pride I felt through sharing even helped me forget the stress of studying and my worries about friendships, which is why I decided to keep volunteering.
In my sophomore year, I served as the club president and led our activities alongside my underclassmen. In particular, we decided to create a blog and a Facebook page to promote our volunteer efforts more actively. We believed that using the internet would allow us to connect with a wider audience and collect more donated items. We focused on documenting our volunteer activities, collaborating with other volunteers, and bridging the gap between our online and offline efforts.
As a result, we received more donations than expected, allowing us to deliver better quality items to more people. I also discovered new volunteer sites and realized that there are far more people in the world dedicated to sharing and giving than I had imagined. Thanks to these experiences, I naturally developed an interest in the field of social welfare while I was considering my career path, and I became confident in my desire to help others.

Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections

One of the activities I devoted the most effort to during my first and second years of high school was helping classmates from disadvantaged backgrounds with their studies. Since I was able to study in a relatively stable environment, the disparity felt even greater when I encountered the circumstances of my peers. As I listened to the personal stories of my classmates—which I learned through my volunteer work and my role as class president—I came to believe that what they needed most at that moment was “an environment and opportunity to study.”
Specifically, I worked through practice workbooks with them, repeatedly explaining parts they didn’t understand, and sometimes even pushed them strictly to encourage their studies. For classmates who couldn’t concentrate on their studies due to family circumstances or domestic conflicts, I persuaded them that “studying is necessary to escape this situation” and offered a helping hand. In the process, I came to play a role not only as an academic mentor but also as an emotional support.
I also learned that helping others is not easy. Since those receiving help have their own free will and emotions, they didn’t always respond the way I hoped, and I was sometimes hurt when they took my help for granted. Because of those experiences, there were times when I felt frustrated and wanted to give up. However, each time that happened, I pulled myself together to stay true to my sincerity and tried my best to stay by my friends’ sides for as long as possible.
I still don’t often feel the conviction that “sincerity pays off,” but I still want to continue devoting my energy to friends whom no one else is helping. To that end, I’ve resolved to continue cultivating my abilities and patience through my studies.

Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans

The early years of high school, when I relied heavily on cram schools, were the most difficult time for me. Despite my best efforts, my grades didn’t improve, and watching my parents struggle to make ends meet was a huge burden for me. It was my Korean language teacher who helped me during that time. As the head of the Korean language department at the time, I was caught by my teacher looking downcast, which led to a counseling session. After hearing about my study methods, she gave me practical advice.
She advised me, “If your grades drop again, quit the cram school and try studying on your own,” and offered to help me manage my daily schedule herself. Those words and her actions gave me great strength, and with her help in reviewing my study plan, my grades gradually began to improve. That experience taught me just how much strength comes from receiving help from others, and instilled in me a sense of responsibility that those who receive help should one day become helpers themselves.
Based on this experience, I became firmly resolved to help people as a professional in the field of social welfare. I realized that helping others requires not just emotional sympathy, but professional training and methods. Therefore, I intend to steadily build the knowledge and skills necessary for the social welfare field so that I can become a professional capable of providing practical help without causing emotional harm.
Ultimately, my career plan has evolved beyond a simple choice of profession into a deeper reflection on “how I will help people.” Improving my study methods in high school, planning and carrying out volunteer activities, and my personal experiences of receiving help have all served as the concrete foundation for my decision to pursue social work, and I intend to continue preparing for this path moving forward.