This blog post examines what Tourism Management professors value most when evaluating academic plans. From organizing experiences that demonstrate suitability for the major to presenting future career paths and academic goals, we outline the key points that bring you closer to acceptance.

Writing About Academic Experiences and Reflections

“Always positive! Study with a positive mindset!”
I once read a book about the mystery of water. What surprised me most was that even water, which has no will of its own, responds to ‘words’. The book documented the process of speaking to water and photographing the resulting crystals. No matter the language, words like ‘Thank you’ and ‘I love you’ produced incredibly beautiful and brilliant crystals, while phrases like ‘I hate you’ or ‘I despise you’ often resulted in destructive crystals. Reading that book made me truly understand what people mean by ‘the power of positivity’. Because words carry power, whether we realize it or not, we should always speak happy and joyful words. Realizing this, I resolved to study with a positive mindset.
Before that, I lacked confidence in my studies and saw many shortcomings in myself, so I often scolded myself. I would say things like, “Why are you so bad at this?” or “Why are you so stupid?” to myself. But after deciding to study with a positive mindset, I resolved to use kind words to help myself grow. So from then on, I started nurturing myself by saying things like, “You did well enough,” or “You really worked hard today.” Surprisingly, I began to feel my mood gradually improve and my mind clear. Simply changing my words, by praising myself, became the catalyst for regaining my confidence. From then on, I began studying with a positive mindset. Even during tough moments, I studied joyfully. And even if my test scores came out lower than expected, I didn’t get discouraged; I encouraged myself.
I believe that was the action that restored my confidence. And I could immerse myself in studying joyfully, with ease and without rushing. After finding myself, my grades gradually began to improve, and I started studying diligently.

Writing about major school activities and reflections

“Discovering Korea’s charm and flavors through the travel club”

The greatest fortune I experienced after entering high school was joining the travel club and discovering the joy of travel. Within that club, I met and befriended diverse friends who had wonderful ideas and were running toward their dreams. Many members in our club had clear reasons for wanting to travel, as much as they dreamed of it as high school students.
Some friends dreamed of traveling because they wanted to become writers. So they sought out quiet, serene places, and when traveling, they would seek out such spots, then write about their experiences afterward. Other friends joined the travel club dreaming of capturing their own unique photographs. They loved taking photos immensely and cherished how those photos became opportunities to connect with others. They took countless pictures, and these photos often became materials displayed at festivals or club exhibitions. Being among such friends, I thought it would be fun and joined the travel club. I realized I needed to create a clearer reason for enjoying travel than I had initially imagined. Along the way, I traveled to various places with friends who dreamed of becoming writers, photographers, or travel journalists.
Sometimes we’d take weekend trips to places accessible by train, and other times we’d go on overnight trips during holidays. Through these experiences, I came to appreciate Korea’s beauty, charm, and flavors. Korea’s charm includes many places so dazzling they give you goosebumps, but it also has plenty of quiet, beautiful spots. This means there are many places to contemplate. Seeing these places made me feel Korea’s beauty. I also got to eat many delicious things. Expensive didn’t always mean tasty. Seasonal foods, made with fresh ingredients, truly became wonderful meals. Amidst my busy exam preparation life, I traveled, saw diverse things, learned, and felt deeply.
As I grew accustomed to traveling, I gradually began planning better trips. I discovered so many spots I wanted to recommend to fellow travelers. And whenever someone took my advice, had a great trip, and returned with cherished memories, I felt truly happy. That’s when I started planning various trips as the president of a travel club.

“Why do people dream of travel? Because humans are creatures who dream!”

I traveled to many places with good friends and diverse companions. What I realized was that each person dreams of travel for different reasons. Just as everyone has different dreams, what they sought at their destinations varied. Witnessing this, I nurtured a dream: to become someone who listens to diverse stories and crafts wonderful trips. That’s why I want to create good memories for many people.

Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation and My Reflections

“Leading Friends as a Choreography Team Leader”
I enjoy moving my body and being active. During my first and second years of high school, I actively served as the choreography team leader while preparing for aerobics group competitions. I wasn’t the best dancer, but I enjoyed it immensely. I found it fun to create dances while listening to music, so even when it was tough, it was incredibly enjoyable for me. I helped my classmates and worked hard to create good memories together.
Creating choreography wasn’t easy, especially since I wasn’t majoring in dance. First, I had to coordinate the opinions of various friends just to select the music. By my sophomore year, I knew I could select songs by combining my favorite artist’s tracks or rearranging existing ones, but as a freshman, I didn’t know how to synthesize everyone’s diverse opinions. So I chose to pick a song first and then gather everyone’s feedback. If you start by agonizing over “What song should we do?” from the beginning, no ideas will surface. However, by showing them aerobics routines done by previous seniors and playing songs I thought would work well, ideas started flowing. This naturally led to ideas for choreography and suggestions to incorporate new songs, sparking lively discussions. Unlike the stiff dances of other classes, this approach resulted in fun choreography, allowing us to prepare for the competition more energetically.
At this point, I realized that the essential element in brainstorming sessions—places for exchanging opinions—is ‘material.’ To create a good discussion space, a place for exchanging valuable ideas, bringing material and building thoughts based on it was truly an excellent method. So, if I ever have a discussion or meeting with someone, I decided I should research material and base the discussion on it to save time and ensure a productive conversation.

Select two books read in high school that had the greatest influence, including the reason for reading them, evaluation, and their impact on you

“The Art of Travel, Alain de Botton”

My favorite book is Alain de Botton’s ‘The Art of Travel’. Reading this book was a bit challenging at first. This is because the book’s theme itself involves traveling with philosophers of old. The frequent mention of unfamiliar names made reading uncomfortable at times. Additionally, unlike conventional travel guides that introduce specific locations, it felt tedious at times. However, upon finishing it, I found it left me with far more than other books. Typically, people just admire the sights while traveling, so seeing beautiful scenery and taking good photos is considered the ultimate goal. But Alain de Botton’s ‘The Art of Travel’ aims to make thinking and reflecting at the destination the goal. So he honestly expresses the emotions felt there. Because of this, through this book, I realized that when traveling, it’s not just about eating delicious food, seeing beautiful things, and taking photos to post on Instagram. Thinking thoughts appropriate to the place, thoughts that arise there, is also a good way to travel. This book helped me think about travel in a more multifaceted way. Inspired by it, I too began paying attention to my own thoughts when traveling to new places, rather than just fixating on what I saw. As a result, the joy of traveling became richer and more enjoyable.

“Lee Byeong-ryul, Attraction”

The second book I love is Lee Byeong-ryul’s ‘Attraction’. I greatly admire the works of Lee Byeong-ryul, a renowned travel essayist, primarily because of his honest and relatable prose. Reading his candid reflections on his own thoughts during travels made me recall aspects I had only pondered but overlooked. It particularly prompted me to question relationships with others. Being naturally sociable and outgoing, I’m known for interacting freely with diverse people. But those relationships are often superficial, just as described in this book. Sometimes, because I didn’t speak from the heart, I felt like something was obscuring the truth. That feeling was frustrating. Reading Lee Byeong-ryul’s ‘Attraction’ and experiencing the loneliness he pinpoints, I realized that what I’d been feeling was loneliness. That was comforting. It was comforting to know I wasn’t alone in feeling this way, that others experienced the same loneliness and anxiety. Deep down, it soothed my heart. This book gave me comfort and empathy. It reassured me that the emotions I felt during my turbulent youth weren’t strange, but natural. It was a book that comforted me and, therefore, gave me courage.