This blog post introduces how to effectively incorporate my unique experiences—gained through English conversation, theater, translation, and other activities—into my English Literature academic plan.
Writing About Academic Experience and Reflections
“Experience Studying Conversation Through Museum Interpretation Activities”
Since my first year of high school, I have consistently pursued English conversation studies with passion. However, the standard curriculum offered few opportunities to systematically develop conversational skills, leading me naturally to self-study. Particularly while preparing for the TOEIC Speaking test for the first time, I spent significant time practicing alone using online lectures and scripts to build my speaking ability. Then, I happened to learn about a conversation class program run by a native English teacher on campus. This program, held during the vacation period, was designed to enhance high school students’ practical conversation skills through various activities. I decided to participate in this class during my first-year summer vacation.
The native English teacher leading the conversation class was a professional instructor from Canada who was genuinely dedicated to helping each student improve. The vacation program especially included diverse, experience-based conversation activities: an English Village experience, participation in international events, and museum interpretation activities. Among these, the museum interpretation activity particularly caught my interest. I had already visited an English Village once, and while I still lacked the courage to participate in international events, I thought working in the familiar setting of a museum was definitely worth trying. I also anticipated that introducing Korea’s history and culture to foreign visitors would be deeply rewarding.
Through the program, I visited several museums with other students, including the Seoul Museum of History, the Money Museum, and the National Museum of Korea. Early in the activity, we listened directly to explanations by the museum’s resident professional interpretive guides and checked the content through headphones to review our assigned roles and necessary preparations. Later, using the work guide provided by the guides, we familiarized ourselves with the key points to explain and practiced how to answer anticipated questions from foreign visitors. Most of the conversations were composed of basic English expressions, so the difficulty level wasn’t high, and I gradually became more comfortable after several practice sessions.
Through this activity, I gained valuable experience not only in improving my English conversation skills but also in introducing and helping foreigners understand our culture. I felt particularly fulfilled and proud when I kindly explained Korea’s history and culture to young foreign friends visiting the museum and saw their interest. This experience not only gave me new motivation for conversation practice but also made me deeply realize that the ultimate reason for learning a foreign language isn’t just to speak, but to communicate and understand.
Going forward, I intend to cherish these practical conversation experiences and steadily improve my English skills through various activities. And someday, taking on a role to promote our culture on a broader stage is also one of my small goals. The museum interpretation activity was the first step toward that goal and remains one of the most memorable and valuable experiences in my conversational studies.
Writing about major school activities and reflections
During my first year of high school, I participated in an English conversation learning program led by a native speaker instructor. It involved visiting an English Village to learn storytelling, and during this process, I had the unique experience of creating a fairy tale in English myself. Working with friends, we wrote the story script ourselves, created character lines, and brought it to life in a theatrical format. The entire process was incredibly interesting and enjoyable. Particularly, the process of carefully considering and refining English expressions naturally led to a significant improvement in my English skills and boosted my confidence in the language. This activity left such a strong impression that upon returning to school, I decided to start an English drama club myself.
The club was formed with friends who shared the same goals and interests, and we developed various activities based on our collaborative experience at the English Village. Our core activities included creating and translating fairy tales, original writing projects, writing and translating play scripts, and performing storytelling and plays. All these activities were in fields we found fascinating and provided invaluable opportunities for us to enjoy ourselves while growing. Our first challenge was translating popular ‘English fairy tales for children’ into Korean. We sourced the original texts, interpreted them, edited and adapted the content to suit our context, and then rewrote them in English. During this process, we also sought advice from native English teachers regarding grammar and natural expressions.
Representative works we handled included Snow White, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and The Three Little Pigs. Being familiar stories allowed us to adapt them in more creative ways. We then prepared puppet shows based on the completed scripts, refining them through repeated practice. We visited local daycare centers and kindergartens to perform English puppet shows for children. Seeing their delighted reactions firsthand allowed us to refine scenes and supplement content. This process naturally honed our sense of considering the audience’s perspective and provided real-world experience in refining a piece of content.
After gaining some familiarity with translating and producing fairy tales, we began to seriously challenge ourselves with creating original play scripts. We sourced existing famous play scripts in their original languages, translated them into Korean, and then rewrote them in English to complete the scripts. The works we handled included Les Misérables, The Judgment of Solomon, Sherlock Holmes Short Stories, The Merchant of Venice, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Hamlet. We focused on maintaining the core content of the originals while re-editing them into an easy-to-understand structure. Specifically, with actual theatrical performances in mind, we simplified complex scenes and adjusted dialogue and movement to increase their feasibility. Subsequently, we prepared masks and costumes to perform on stage ourselves, and after numerous rehearsals, we were able to present the completed English play at our school festival. On the day of the performance, our play received enthusiastic applause from many students and was very well-received. It was also a deeply meaningful experience that the play was recognized for its artistic merit and advanced to an external English drama competition.
This entire process was a valuable experience that went beyond simply improving English skills, fostering creativity, collaboration, planning abilities, and expressiveness. Especially, collaborating with friends from diverse backgrounds, striving together toward a common goal, and communicating with the audience on the actual stage brought an indescribable sense of fulfillment and accomplishment. Moving forward, I want to continue creative activities based on this experience. Through the medium of English theater, I aim to express myself and create opportunities to connect with more people.
Practicing Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation
“Reflections from Serving as Vice Class Leader on the School Trip”
Early in my senior year of high school, I went on a school trip to Jeju Island with my friends. Since it was a long-distance trip, the students’ safety and order were paramount. As the vice class leader responsible for maintaining the class atmosphere alongside the class leader, I had to pay special attention to these aspects. My primary roles included headcount checks and ensuring safety during movements.
During the trip, we used various modes of transportation like buses, trains, and ferries. Each time we moved, I had to meticulously check that all students were on board and no one was left behind. For example, when traveling by bus and stopping at a rest area, I thoroughly checked that the headcount was accurate before departing again. When taking the train, I made sure no student missed the train and that friends who went to the restroom didn’t get left behind. When boarding a ferry, I carefully monitored overall safety and conditions, checking for students suffering from seasickness or those who might have lost their boarding passes.
While the class president coordinated the overall schedule and timing to keep the class moving together, I filled the gaps by personally checking on each individual’s condition. I took on more detailed tasks, like distributing motion sickness medicine when needed or helping students pack their lunch boxes. Of course, handling these practical tasks could be physically demanding, but I actually felt a sense of responsibility and satisfaction in the process. When friends relied on me and occasionally said “Thanks” or “You’re working hard,” it naturally made me want to do my best with even greater responsibility.
Even after arriving in Jeju, while visiting various tourist spots like the Olle Trail, I constantly kept a watchful eye to ensure no student fell behind or engaged in dangerous behavior. When foreign tourists approached our group to ask for directions or strike up a conversation, I took it upon myself to guide and explain in English. Seeing my friends acknowledge this by saying, “That’s our vice-class president for you!” made me realize that my role as an officer wasn’t just about responsibility; it was about positively impacting others. This brought me both joy and a deep sense of fulfillment.
Through these experiences, I personally felt how crucial consideration, cooperation, and responsibility are within group activities. I understood that going beyond merely fulfilling assigned tasks, the attitude of being mindful of others and offering help when needed holds immense significance. Whenever there were class events, I always participated actively and enjoyed the process of achieving something through collaboration with others. Moving forward, wherever I am and whatever role I take on, I will approach it with responsibility and sincerity, never forgetting to be considerate of others and maintain a cooperative attitude.
