This blog post introduces how to effectively convey a clear career vision and consistent learning attitude in your Civil and Environmental Engineering academic plan.
Writing About Academic Experience and Reflections
“Learn by seeing often, memorize by writing often”
This was a case where memorization really hurt me. I had good application and comprehension skills, but my poor memorization meant I always ended up near the bottom of the class on exams. It was frustrating and infuriating. Why was my memorization so bad? But after spending a year just getting angry, I realized that was even more futile and infuriating. I came to understand that when faced with a problem, I must overcome it and move forward; sitting stagnant solves nothing. So I made a huge effort to improve my memorization.
I wrote flashcards daily, filling pages densely. I also set aside dedicated one-hour sessions solely for memorization. I tried to memorize what the teacher wrote down right then and there, and I even took time to memorize while walking down the street. But the more I forced myself to memorize, the less it stuck in my head, and I could feel my concentration slipping. Then, one day during that period of effort, I tried a new approach. It was a time when I was feeling so unwell that I might as well have given up on the exam, just ‘reading’ books every day. The day before the exam, I only memorized the things I was unsure about. Yet, I achieved the highest score of my life. It was truly astonishing. Why did I score so well despite putting in less effort than usual? Then it suddenly dawned on me: the daily ‘reading’ I had done actually aided memorization. In other words, becoming thoroughly familiar with something through repeated exposure makes it easier to memorize. Moreover, for things I just couldn’t memorize, writing them down while memorizing allowed me to commit them perfectly to memory.
Realizing this, I discovered a study method: memorizing with my eyes and then reinforcing it by writing with my hands. Ultimately, I found a method that suited me and was able to study diligently. And through this process, I came to understand that if I didn’t give up and kept striving relentlessly, I could eventually acquire what I was capable of.
Writing about major school activities and reflections
“My first volunteer activity: learning to move forward instead of running away”
The connection that began with my first volunteer activity after entering high school became the catalyst that led me to volunteer continuously. And the most intensely impactful experience in my life, one that allowed me to see and learn so much, was also thanks to what I encountered through this volunteer work.
The first volunteer organization I joined supported people undergoing rehabilitation. These were individuals who, after suffering unexpected accidents that caused them to lose parts of their bodies, were training to regain normal lives and adapting to using prosthetics to replace their lost limbs. Rehabilitation requires significant support from caregivers, and the cost of rehabilitation equipment is substantial. The organization I volunteered with focused on addressing precisely those needs. My initial task was fundraising to cover rehabilitation expenses.
At first, soliciting donations felt embarrassing. Standing in front of people, proclaiming my goals, and asking for donations felt like I was begging. Moreover, standing outside for 12 hours at a time made my legs ache and drained my energy, leaving me angry and frustrated about why I was doing this. But enduring that hardship and delivering the donations made me understand why I had to do this work. The first donation I collected went to a friend much younger than me. He had lost his leg in an unexpected accident, not entirely but partially, and it helped him begin his rehabilitation. Seeing his joy gave me even greater hope. That happiness was greater than any other joy, like getting good grades or receiving a gift. That’s why I continued volunteering here, hoping to keep doing it.
And while raising funds for rehabilitation and helping with the rehabilitation itself, I gained ‘strength’. Amidst real pain and hardship, what those friends hope for are incredibly basic things. Walking properly, sleeping properly, speaking and hearing properly. Those friends strive with all their might for things that are basic to ordinary people. Seeing their efforts made me reflect on how lazily I had lived my daily life. And from that reflection, I gained strength. I resolved to follow their example, to become someone who never feels intimidated or gives up, striving hard wherever I am.
“Let’s spread the power of hope!”
When I entered my second year of high school, my greatest effort was promoting our volunteer club and organization. I wanted to show people that volunteering is beautiful in itself, and that even when it’s hard, it brings profound fulfillment. So I worked hard on promotion, and as a result, I was able to experience that fulfillment by volunteering alongside many people.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections
“Be the person who stays by their side until the end and helps with the cleanup together.”
What I felt while volunteering was that starting something isn’t hard, but finishing it is truly difficult. For example, if you’re volunteering to share kimchi, buying the cabbage, salting it, chatting with people, and making plans—those initial steps are incredibly fun and exciting. But when all the processes are finished, and it’s time to clean up afterward and take out the trash, the work becomes hard and difficult. Because I’m exhausted too. And when people were there to help me muster the strength during those times, I felt incredibly grateful and thankful. Realizing this, I resolved to become someone who helps with cleanup together within the school as well.
So I always stayed behind in the classroom to help clean up. After field trips, I was the most diligent at tidying up. And after sports days or festivals, when everyone was boisterously having fun and heading home, I stayed with the teacher, the class president, and the leaders to pick up trash or collect lost items to return to friends. Even during the daily cleaning, I took on the role of putting items back in their proper places after cleaning was finished. It wasn’t because anyone told me to. I simply judged that helping with cleanup was the most demanding task, so I decided I should take it on.
And the greatest benefit I felt from doing this was ‘being able to make friends who also liked to organize.’ There were friends who shared similar thoughts and worked quietly in the background. I hadn’t really noticed that before I started doing cleanup. But those friends handled cleanup with exceptional responsibility and unique diligence. I naturally encountered them often, and I was able to make truly kind and wonderful friends. I believe this influenced my daily life and vision, and by emulating those friends with their exceptional sense of responsibility, I was able to grow myself. We also became a reliable source of strength for each other.
Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans
“I dream of a Korea that is a little more convenient, a little safer, and a little more beautiful.”
My motivation for applying to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at ○○ University stems from my belief that it is a department with a vision capable of moving Korea forward. As the name suggests, Civil and Environmental Engineering deals with civil engineering, planning and creating the roads, buildings, and other so-called public goods we use. It is a field of large scale and great responsibility, requiring extensive learning. I believe that if I work in this department, I can put into practice what I have long envisioned: ‘change’. I believe Korea can no longer develop based solely on convenience. It must become a nation focused on shared growth and consideration for a more diverse population. To achieve this, everything from public facilities to large buildings and the environment itself must change effectively. I believed the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department was the field capable of driving this change, which is why I decided to apply.
Furthermore, I believe the quality I prepared to bring to the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at ○○ University is ‘diligence’. First, I learned why diligence matters through volunteer work. Seeing friends striving relentlessly for rehabilitation and others passionately dedicated to helping them, I realized that was true diligence. Because my diligence stems from this realization, I believe it will be the foundation for me to grow into a valuable talent. Furthermore, I am a person with ‘vision’. They say a person with vision doesn’t just run blindly forward; they possess the composure to look around and advance together. I have strived not only to pursue my dreams but also to become a person fit for society. I cultivated this spirit by volunteering and willingly taking on difficult tasks. Though still abstract, I will become a talent reaching out to the world, equipped with these two essential qualities: vision and sincerity.
