In this blog post, I’ll summarize my academic efforts and school activities during high school, examples of my acts of kindness and generosity, as well as my motivation for applying and my career preparation.

Writing about my academic experiences and reflections

In middle school, I only had to focus on my regular grades, but after entering high school, I had to pay attention to mock exams as well. Since I’m a meticulous person, my regular exam scores generally reflected how well I’d prepared, but my mock exam scores were relatively poor. For example, while my regular exam grades averaged within 1.5 grades, my mock exam scores often exceeded 2 grades; in particular, the subjects that held me back on mock exams were math and social studies.
In Korean and English, my consistent studying and analysis of test questions yielded results. In contrast, I felt I was weak in math. Since the scope and question types for regular exams were somewhat fixed, I could prepare using past exam questions; however, the format of application-based problems on mock exams was difficult to predict. Therefore, to prevent basic mistakes, I first memorized the fundamental formulas thoroughly and prepared workbooks organized by difficulty level, solving a set amount of problems from each.
In particular, I solved many high-difficulty application problems to develop my own problem-solving methods and worked to diversify my approach to solving problems. For the Social Studies subjects—specifically my elective courses in Economics and Law & Politics—the ability to interpret passages and data was crucial. Therefore, I invested time in working through workbooks containing the latest past exam questions and clipping news articles to understand the current affairs context.
With the goal of achieving a grade within 1.5 grades on mock exams, I worked consistently for a year. As a result, my average grade, which had previously been 2.3, improved to 1.5 by my sophomore year. Through this process, I learned the importance of a study method that involves setting goals, analyzing weaknesses, and addressing them step by step.

Description of Major School Activities and Reflections

During my sophomore year, there were students in my class facing financial difficulties. Some came from low-income families, while others lived far away and had to live on their own; sometimes, they were unable to eat proper meals. One day, after hearing that a classmate living on their own had run out of rice, I pondered how we could help. After some discussion, we decided to establish a “Youth Solidarity Bank” as a class initiative.
The purpose of the Youth Solidarity Bank was for students to serve as their own economic safety net. We started with the belief that even small amounts, when pooled together, could make a big difference. We opened a group checking account and a savings account to deposit the money students contributed. Individual contributions were usually around 1,000 or 2,000 won, but as the number of participants grew, the total amount increased, and through word of mouth, teachers and parents also began to participate.
We established a rule that we would not accept large sums of money to maintain the spirit of student solidarity. The funds were managed transparently by an administrator, a treasurer, and an operations manager, who recorded the amount spent and its source each month. Students in need could apply for loans within a set limit; the funds were primarily used to purchase rice, daily necessities, and textbooks.
As the administrator of the Solidarity Bank, I learned the importance of responsibility and transparency in managing funds entrusted to me by many people. I also felt a great sense of fulfillment knowing that small contributions accumulated to directly help other students’ lives, and I came to truly understand the importance of social solidarity. Later, I expanded my experience by participating in social solidarity banks, village cooperatives, and eco-friendly food cooperatives outside of school.

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

I had a friend whose younger sibling was in elementary school. I heard that the sibling was suspected of having leukemia, and because the family’s financial situation was difficult, they were worried about the medical bills. Although I could have asked my parents for help, I didn’t think it would be much of an assistance, so I pondered ways to encourage voluntary participation from the school community.
As a result, I came up with the “Beans of Love Campaign.” The idea wasn’t to actually collect beans, but rather to raise small amounts of money—the equivalent of beans. After thinking about how to get as many students as possible to willingly contribute small amounts, my friend and I created a poster explaining the younger sibling’s situation and posted it in every classroom and on the school bulletin boards. We also distributed donation boxes to each class to encourage voluntary participation.
We defined amounts ranging from 100 won to 10,000 won as “beans.” Our thinking was that even a small amount—say, 100 won a day—could add up to a significant sum over time if collected little by little. We successfully garnered participation from the entire student body, deposited the collected funds into a bank account, and delivered the money to our sick friend’s family.
Through leading this initiative, I learned the importance of planning and promotion, and I felt a deep sense of fulfillment knowing that even a small effort can make a big difference in someone’s life. I also realized that encouraging voluntary participation—rather than forcing individuals to help—is what creates sustainable giving.

Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans

Throughout high school, I pursued activities with the goal of majoring in a field related to politics. With my outgoing personality, I participated in student council leadership roles, student government, external volunteer work, and social economy movements; during this time, I played a leading role in establishing and operating the Youth Solidarity Bank. By planning and carrying out activities to help others—such as the “Beans of Love” drive—I found great fulfillment in solving public issues.
My areas of interest include social solidarity, social welfare, and the establishment of social safety nets. While these topics are closely related to the Department of Social Welfare, they are also broadly connected to the field of politics. Therefore, I intend to study the structure of welfare policies and the policy-making process through political science, and by pursuing a dual major in social welfare or building related knowledge, I aim to grow as a policy researcher.
In college, I plan to participate in various social movements and volunteer activities, just as I did in high school, and, if necessary, engage in on-campus political activities to broaden my experience. Afterward, I intend to join a public institution where I can participate in welfare policy research or serve as a policy advisor. Through continuous self-development, I also plan to pursue graduate studies to acquire more specialized research capabilities.