In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at actual examples of each section of a personal statement for applying to the Department of Software Engineering at Kwangwoon University, focusing on the lessons learned.
Writing About Academic Experiences and Reflections
I learned the value of challenge and achievement through creating inventions. While pursuing my dream of becoming a software expert and developing an interest in science, I saw news coverage of the damage caused by the Gyeongju earthquake, which led me to reflect on how vulnerable groups prepare for earthquakes. While researching the topic, I discovered cases where disaster evacuation alerts were not sent due to system errors after an earthquake occurred. Realizing the severity of the problem, I decided to invent an “Earthquake Detection Evacuation Alert System” and entered it in the school’s invention competition last April.
The alert system I designed focuses on detecting foreshocks to anticipate the mainshock in advance and assist with evacuation. Using an Arduino embedded system and an SW-420 vibration sensor, I designed it to trigger an alert sound and send an evacuation text message via a mobile app when the measured values exceed a specific threshold. To make it as compact as a home IoT device, I began building it using a small box and a breadboard. Initially, the speaker volume was too low, so I sought advice from an expert and discovered the issue was insufficient power. After several rounds of trial and error—including attempts to connect the battery directly to the breadboard and repurchasing components—I improved the device’s quality through all-night assembly sessions.
Although I was inexperienced, I found great fulfillment in witnessing how the project’s quality improved through repeated efforts, and ultimately, I won first place and had my project displayed at the school. This experience made me realize the value of achievement gained through perseverance and determination, and it solidified my goal of growing into a software expert through more specialized learning.
After entering high school, I joined an integrated permanent club to learn computer programming and refined my career path by learning from upperclassmen. I also participated in competitions hosted by the IT Alliance, which broadened my understanding of the IT industry and prompted me to reflect on the qualities required of a software expert, as well as to reconsider the duties and roles I would eventually take on.
I developed an interest in VR development after discovering a passion for visual expression and interaction—including teaching myself 3D modeling using ZBrush—and while volunteering, seeing people who use wheelchairs inspired me to want to use software to improve their daily lives. In college, I plan to conduct VR-related research through systematic theory and diverse hands-on experience. I aim to continue research that reduces real-world limitations by developing VR technology for people with disabilities and socially vulnerable groups—such as implementing public facilities or commercial spaces via apps.
Description of Major Campus Activities and Reflections
I formed a small, elite independent student club and gained practical experience by developing products with my team. Together with about five like-minded friends, we devoted ourselves day and night to our studies, product development, and research; sharing our passion for this work with my peers was a truly heartwarming experience. We enjoyed the joy of collaborating and sharing our dreams, and when we had the opportunity to promote our club at the school festival, we decided to create a D.D.R. (a device that uses a person’s electrical current to connect circuits and simulate keystrokes on a computer or laptop).
Based on an electronic circuit idea we found online, we used an empty box to create a wide board and wrapped foil around paper to make a conductive footpad. We also took on the challenge of building a drone. Due to our small team and limited time, there were times when my friends began to lose interest, and there were moments when I, too, wanted to give up. However, we steeled our resolve, sought advice directly from a drone-building expert, and gathered various opinions, which ultimately led to the drone’s completion.
Although the finished drone differed significantly from commercial drones in terms of performance, when I connected it via Bluetooth and saw it actually take flight, I was deeply moved as I reflected on all the effort we had put in. At the festival’s opening ceremony, the principal asked us to demonstrate the drone, so as the club president, I practiced piloting it in preparation; however, it was disappointing when it crashed due to signal interference during the demonstration. Fortunately, D.D.R. proved to be a huge hit with students during the festival, drawing such long lines that it was a resounding success, and we received praise from our teachers.
Although we faced many difficulties and disagreements while preparing with a small team, I fulfilled my responsibilities as a leader by strengthening teamwork, and that experience remains a valuable asset that helped me develop practical problem-solving skills and leadership.
Writing About Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections
Through my activities with the dance team, I deeply realized the value of cooperation. During my sophomore year, the school rented a local gymnasium to host a large festival inviting many distinguished guests and alumni, and current students were required to participate in a dance competition. Faced with this sudden request to participate, my classmates were flustered and complained that it was a waste of time, but I believed this experience would be a precious memory and a learning opportunity, so I spent every break trying to persuade them.
Although there was initial resistance, through repeated persuasion, we formed a team centered around the class officers, and I leveraged my energetic personality to take on the role of producer, remixing existing songs and editing the music. Once we breathed new life into the monotonous song, my friends became interested and participated actively, and we practiced choreography together late into the night.
Through this process, I realized that dividing tasks so that each person could take on a role they were good at and perform it diligently created great synergy within the team. Although we didn’t achieve a good result in the preliminaries, our effort and passion were recognized, and we were invited to the finals, where we concluded our performance in a joyful and harmonious spirit. Through this experience, I came to understand that harmoniously collaborating and sharing difficulties are the foundations of teamwork, and that joy is multiplied when we work together rather than alone—which has led me to cultivate an attitude of actively giving and sharing what I have.
Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans
As someone who aspires to become a software expert leading the next generation of industries, attending university has been a long-held dream of mine. I felt that Kwangwoon University, with the largest College of Software Convergence in the country, leads South Korea’s information and communications technology sector and possesses such a high level of expertise that it was selected as a Software Support University. I believed that the systematic theoretical education, industry-focused major courses, and guidance from an outstanding faculty would provide me with the practical skills and academic foundation I aim to build.
I decided to apply because I judged that the employment-contract programs with companies such as Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics would serve as a practical stepping stone for my growth as a software expert. Although I was not selected for the SW Maestro program during high school, I intend to take on this challenge again after entering university to enhance my expertise and competitiveness and grow into a talent for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
In the long term, I hope to develop technologies that improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and socially vulnerable groups through research in the VR field. I plan to conduct research on creating app-based representations of large department stores, convenience stores, and public facilities to enhance accessibility, as well as on using VR via smartphones at home to reduce spatial constraints. I will cultivate my investigative skills through various experiments and research at university, and I will maintain a study notebook to record the knowledge I’ve always been curious about, ensuring I continue my learning diligently.
After graduation, I aspire to play a role in positively transforming the quality of life for the public as a software engineer who drives the industrial development of South Korea. To this end, I will build my expertise through undergraduate studies, research, and hands-on experience, growing into a professional equipped with practical skills.
