This blog post guides students preparing for Gerontology on what values and vision to include in their academic plan, based on volunteer experience and altruistic growth.
Writing About Academic Experience and Reflections
I once truly hated Korean language. The reason was clear: it felt like there was ‘no right answer’. Unlike math, which has clear correct answers, or subjects like social studies or science that can be logically memorized or understood, Korean often depended on interpretation. Even that interpretation felt like something I had to memorize, making studying increasingly frustrating. Whenever I encountered Korean, I felt stressed, and gradually I avoided studying it altogether. Naturally, my grades dropped.
But to get into the university and major I wanted, a good Korean score was essential. Faced with a situation I couldn’t escape, I resolved to overcome it somehow. So, for the first time, I decided to seek out my Korean teachers. I visited the literature teacher and the grammar teacher separately and honestly confessed: “Korean is too difficult, and my scores won’t improve.” Unexpectedly, the teachers welcomed my visit. They looked over my report card and past exam questions with me, diagnosing the root cause of the problem.
And soon, the core issue became clear: it was my ‘vocabulary skills’. My weak vocabulary made text comprehension difficult, and I repeatedly failed to choose the correct answer due to subtle differences in nuance. Only then did I reflect on myself. I realized that my childhood habit of not reading much had ultimately led to this outcome, and I felt ashamed of myself. But I couldn’t give up just because it felt too late. I resolved to start now, no matter what.
From that moment, I began rebuilding my foundation from the ground up. I memorized a few Korean vocabulary words each day and thoroughly reviewed the fundamental concepts of grammar. I even approached spelling like a rote-memorization subject, repeating it over and over. At first, I felt embarrassed, thinking, ‘How could I not even know this?’, but I didn’t dwell on that feeling. Instead, I adopted the attitude of ‘Let’s learn it now, even if it’s late,’ and studied diligently. As I steadily built my foundation step by step, surprisingly, my grades began to improve little by little. While the rising scores were gratifying, the biggest change was gaining confidence in my ability to study.
Through this experience, I realized two crucial truths. First, a solid foundation is essential. I keenly felt that no matter how many problems I solved, it was ineffective if my basics were weak. Second, it’s crucial to accurately assess my own level rather than comparing myself to others, and to develop strategies tailored to that level. What’s easy for someone else might be difficult for me, and conversely, what I excel at might be challenging for someone else. Ultimately, what mattered was recognizing my weaknesses and working to improve them.
Now, Korean is no longer a subject that frustrates me. Instead, it has become the most interesting and rewarding subject. Every time I discover the meaning of a single word or the hidden nuances within a sentence, I feel like I’m understanding the world anew. This process of transforming my most disliked subject into my favorite one wasn’t just a change in how I studied; it was a valuable experience that fundamentally altered my entire mindset and attitude. Though I still have many shortcomings, based on this experience, I resolve to never lose the strength to build a solid foundation, honestly seek help, and steadily move forward, no matter what difficulties come my way.
Writing about major school activities and reflections
When I started volunteering at the senior welfare center, the first thing I encountered was the ‘selfishness’ deeply rooted within me. Growing up as an only child, I was showered with my parents’ love. Naturally, I became accustomed to ‘receiving love,’ but felt awkward about ‘giving love.’ So initially, the experience of volunteering felt unfamiliar and difficult. I couldn’t understand why I had to cook for the elderly when I couldn’t even eat myself, why I had to let others rest while I couldn’t rest, or why I alone had to take on the hard tasks. I felt deep resistance within.
However, as time passed, I realized this was my greatest flaw. Not knowing how to give sincerely for someone else ultimately meant losing opportunities for genuine connection, and furthermore, it meant confining myself within a narrow world. This realization came gradually through the warm consideration shown by those around me during my volunteer work.
The most important value in volunteer work was ‘consideration’. Volunteering transcended the simple act of helping others; it was something everyone willingly shared their time and effort to build together. Therefore, consideration among volunteers was paramount for the smooth operation of the activities. Yet, at first, I failed to practice that consideration properly. I would be late for activities because I was eating, or insist on going home to wash up the moment I got dirty. I was chasing immediate comfort and shirking shared responsibility.
It was my friends, who silently took on my share of the work, who made me realize this about myself. Seeing them fill in for my shortcomings without a single complaint filled me with shame and led to deep reflection. In that moment, I decided I didn’t want to stay this way anymore. I resolved to become someone who could reach out first to help others.
After that resolution, I gradually began to let go of the ‘mindset focused on my own comfort’ within me. I strove to become someone who first noticed others’ hardships and helped carry their burdens together. Of course, I wasn’t skilled at it from the start. I went through many trials and errors because I didn’t know how to care for others, and sometimes I sought advice from those around me. However, observing the attitudes of my seniors and witnessing my friends practice sharing, I began to learn step by step.
Throughout this process, what I focused on most was ‘water’. During volunteer activities, we often worked up a sweat, so I realized how important it was to always have water ready and offer it to each other. While simply handing someone water is a small act, it was also a warm expression of caring, saying, ‘I’m looking out for you.’ As time passed, I began showing care and consideration in various ways: setting up rest areas so my friends wouldn’t tire, preparing gifts for juniors, or planning festivals. Gradually, my selfishness transformed into altruism, and this change brought me significant growth.
Looking back, volunteering at the senior welfare center was more than just a social experience; it was a pivotal moment that changed my attitude and perspective on life. I learned that willingly opening my heart and reaching out to help someone is precisely what allows me to understand myself more deeply and see the world more broadly. Though I’m still far from perfect, that experience continues to be a profound lesson in my life. Moving forward, I want to view the world with an altruistic heart rather than a selfish one, practicing the value of living together.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation and Reflections
“Mediating a Dispute Among Friends”
As our club activities entered their second year, the number of brands we developed and designed steadily increased. This led to a shared desire to move beyond simple design work and engage in more productive and meaningful activities. Rather than seeking opportunities far away, we decided to start within our own school. Our attention turned to a volunteer club run by friends who were actively involved in volunteer work. Although they had consistently carried out various external activities, unfortunately, they were not well-known to many students.
Wanting their warm activities to be more widely recognized, we decided to help revamp the brand for this volunteer club. Specifically, we planned to donate our talents by redesigning their logo and creating a mobile application to introduce their activities, thereby assisting with brand management. Upon hearing our proposal, the club members were delighted and expressed their gratitude. They shared that, focused on their volunteer work, they hadn’t considered creating their own logo or online promotion. They were excited about gaining a symbol of belonging and a promotional tool.
Our team started by designing the logo for the t-shirts and vests frequently worn by the volunteers. After several meetings to gather ideas, I proposed a design centered around Korean characters, prioritizing readability and visibility to match the nature of the volunteer group. Since the group’s name was ‘Angels’ Gathering,‘ I focused on visually emphasizing the word ‘Angels’ and considered placing the remaining text relatively smaller.
As the designer for the project, I was responsible for combining text and arranging colors. I aimed to maintain a neat and clean overall impression while avoiding overly flashy or complex colors. Considering the volunteer group’s uniforms often feature bright colors, I set the logo’s base to a dark tone for contrast. To evoke the image of an angel, I incorporated a small, sparkling icon using gold accents. The final draft underwent multiple revisions and refinements through club-wide meetings, culminating in a design that satisfied everyone.
This logo, created collaboratively, was subsequently used on various volunteer group items like t-shirts, vests, and name tags, playing a significant role in enhancing brand consistency. We also exchanged many ideas to make the application user-friendly, and the development team member implemented it to be simple while clearly showcasing necessary functions. The completed app was widely promoted online, helping spread awareness of the volunteer group’s name and activities both within and outside the school.
This project allowed us to feel a meaning beyond simply sharing design skills. The experience of seeing our small talents provide tangible help to others made us reflect anew on the value of club activities. The sense of accomplishment gained from thinking together and creating together became an irreplaceable, precious memory. Moving forward, I hope to continue exploring ways to spread awareness of the value around us, building on this collaborative experience.
Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans
“To learn wisdom and live a life of service”
My motivation for applying to the Department of Gerontology at Kangnam University stemmed from my earnest desire to be reborn into a new way of life. I experienced the growing pains that other friends went through relatively early in life somewhat later than most. It wasn’t until I started volunteering after entering high school that I began to learn about the world little by little. Through that process, I realized that the world I had been looking at was not the whole picture.
Before that, I thought what I experienced and saw was all there was to the world. However, meeting diverse people and encountering their lives up close taught me a great deal. People lived carrying their own complex stories and secrets, and I had lived extremely self-centeredly, completely unaware of that depth. I felt ashamed of that version of myself, and my past indifference to others’ pain seemed pathetic. So, I decided that from now on, I wanted to live a life helping others, empathizing with their suffering, and sharing it together. This desire naturally led me to the Gerontology Department at Kangnam University.
Since then, I’ve volunteered at various places like childcare centers, senior welfare centers, and disability welfare facilities, experiencing firsthand what it’s like in the field. Especially while volunteering in senior welfare, I could feel the shortcomings and limitations of the current welfare system. Despite the elderly population continuing to grow, the facilities and systems to support them were insufficient. I felt deeply frustrated by the stark imbalance between demand and supply, and naturally began contemplating ways to improve this situation.
During this process, I conceived various ideas. For instance, I envisioned a platform connecting youth or university students interested in volunteering with actual welfare sites. I became convinced that if voluntary participation and opportunities could be linked, it would create new synergies and a more efficient welfare support system.
With this background, I enrolled in the Department of Gerontology at Kangnam University to build both theoretical knowledge and practical experience, aiming to realize the ideas I envisioned. During my university years, I plan to actively participate in diverse internships, projects, competitions, and entrepreneurship programs to challenge myself in turning my ideas into concrete systems. Furthermore, after graduation, my goal is to grow into a talent capable of creating my own new welfare model, making tangible contributions to society.
Moving forward, I aspire to go beyond merely providing welfare services, striving instead to conceive and implement more creative and sustainable elderly welfare systems. Learning wisdom and living a life that practices the value of service based on that wisdom—that is the path of a true ‘welfare expert’ I envision.
