In this blog post, I’ll summarize my academic experiences, school activities, examples of consideration and cooperation, my motivation for applying, and my career preparation during my time in high school.

Writing About My Academic Experiences and Reflections

Since I had to balance my art studies with my academic coursework, I focused more than anything on establishing “habits.” I calculated the time I could consistently dedicate each day and resolved to focus completely during those hours. I told myself that if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to get into my target university, and I put that into practice.
Specifically, excluding time spent at cram schools and on craft projects, I consistently used one hour for morning self-study, one hour during breaks and commuting time, and one hour after returning home—during which I would put off sleeping to study. During those times, even when I was tired, I refrained from sleeping and studied the subjects I had set aside, checking my daily progress.
Through this routine, I also learned which subjects I could tackle most efficiently at different times of the day. I established a pattern: studying the language section in the morning when my mind was clear and I could read well; memorizing English vocabulary during breaks; and carefully working through English problems I struggled with at night. I focused on solving even just a few problems accurately rather than simply doing a large volume.
As a result, my grades began to rise gradually, and this improvement soon translated into confidence. My previously passive attitude faded away, allowing me to enjoy school life with more energy. It was a time when I learned the joy of enduring minor inconveniences and investing my time in my future.

Major School Activities and Reflections

As part of my extracurricular activities, I joined the art club. The art club brought together a diverse group of art-oriented students, including those dreaming of becoming designers, painters, and cartoonists. It was a time to gather with friends who shared the same goals, understand one another, and offer encouragement—which helped me overcome my distrust of people.
Given the strong academic-focused atmosphere typical of a humanities-oriented high school, our club served as a space where we could understand each other’s fatigue and anxiety. Friends who had never tried art couldn’t easily understand the challenges we faced, but we empathized with each other’s situations and shared the exhaustion of juggling two tasks at once. As a result, we gained the strength to overcome the difficulties of exam preparation together.
We also reviewed each other’s work, provided feedback, accelerated our progress, and worked together to overcome creative blocks. As someone who had previously focused solely on individual projects, working collaboratively allowed me to experience firsthand just how important it is to have someone by your side, as well as the joy of community life and the value of collaboration.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my club activities was running the one-day craft workshop held during the school festival. As a craft major, I took on the role of teaching my friends simple craft techniques and providing hands-on opportunities, which made me feel very proud. Although crafts were less well-known than other fields of art, I felt a deep sense of fulfillment seeing my friends enjoy and appreciate crafts once I reached out to teach them.
I prepared for the craft workshop alongside my clubmates, and we learned to be considerate of one another. Thanks to students from other clubs who helped my classmates—who were struggling with festival preparations due to their practical art assignments—the event concluded successfully. In return, we helped decorate scenes from our friends’ festival with our artistic sensibilities, and through that experience, we deeply felt the importance of supporting one another.

Writing about examples of consideration, sharing, and cooperation, and my reflections

I have experience mediating conflicts between the Art Club and the general student body. Art Club students often skipped classes and rarely attended evening study sessions, which general students sometimes misunderstood as them just playing around. Conversely, we envied our peers who were working hard, and the gap between the two sides led to misunderstandings.
As the conflict intensified and the art majors began gathering separately during my sophomore year, the misunderstandings deepened further. When a sense of disregard emerged—with comments like, “You guys don’t do what we do”—I took the initiative to resolve the situation.

Believing that dialogue is the starting point for resolving conflict, I tried to rebuild relationships by greeting them first and striking up conversations.
At first, my efforts weren’t readily accepted, but as I continued to engage in sincere dialogue, their hearts gradually began to open. I spoke honestly about why we had to skip classes and why we were always exhausted, and in the process, I also listened to their perspective. Receiving feedback that we, too, had areas where we needed to change, we worked together to identify areas for improvement.
Afterward, I shared my reflections with my friends in the art club and suggested ways to collaborate with my classmates. As a result, everyone began to take action, and through dialogue, we cleared up misunderstandings and improved our relationships. Through this experience, I learned that sincere dialogue can resolve conflicts, move people’s hearts, and foster mutual understanding.

Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans

My ultimate goal is to become a product designer. I want to hone my skills by directly handling and working with various materials—such as metal, iron, and wood—to design products that suit the unique textures and characteristics of each material. I chose to major in crafts because I believe that someone with an ordinary background can actually create more creative designs.
To become a designer, I focused my efforts on understanding the “public.” Since the public is a constantly changing space and something I need to understand right now, I made an effort to create various platforms for communication to directly hear and feel what people are thinking.
One such initiative was the “Art Museum Next to the Zoo” exhibition, organized by the art club. We selected a theme for each season, collected works to display, and distributed the pieces to interested visitors. Through this activity, I was able to directly observe how audiences reacted to the artworks and incorporate diverse opinions into my portfolio.
Stepping out of my own isolated creative world to listen to and reflect on others’ perspectives broadened the scope of my work. At university, I aim to continue gaining experience in learning from and engaging with outside perspectives so that I can grow into a designer with a more public-oriented and broad-minded outlook. I will study diligently and engage with others to become a talented individual who shines in a wider world, thereby giving back what I have learned.