This blog post outlines the core elements that must be included in your Food Biotechnology Department academic plan, providing specific guidance on how to effectively demonstrate your suitability for the major and your potential for growth.
Writing about Academic Experience and Reflections
“Academic Pursuits and College Preparation Through Public Education”
My parents have long been engaged in agriculture, cultivating eco-friendly agricultural products. This environment inspired me to apply to an agricultural life science high school, aiming to grow as a young entrepreneur in the agricultural field. While studying in the Food Life Science Department during high school, I developed a particular interest in developing health foods and fermented foods, nurturing a dream to become a CEO in this field. Specifically, to realize this dream, I prepared for university admission with the goal of entering the Food Biotechnology Department to study diligently and establish a solid foundation in my chosen major.
To become an expert in health and fermented food development, I believed it was essential to first understand the broader field of food engineering, including food nutrition, food chemistry, and food hygiene. To study these foundational subjects, I diligently took standard courses like Food and Nutrition, Functional Food Processing, and Entrepreneurship, actively participating in practical evaluations. The Entrepreneurship course, in particular, benefited from the school’s own system for nurturing entrepreneurs, allowing me to learn diverse information through a structured curriculum.
Beyond this, I diligently studied core subjects directly linked to the college entrance exam, such as English reading comprehension and writing, and calculus, to prepare for university admission. Preparing for college independently, including subjects like English and math, as well as learning how to write a personal statement, presented challenges. To address this, I utilized the school’s summer college preparation academy and college admission seminars to obtain specific information and receive career counseling regarding the admissions officer system. Furthermore, I received feedback on my written personal statement and guidance on strategies to improve my grades in key subjects where I was lacking.
Thus, I studied thoroughly through ‘public education,’ preparing for the CSAT through school classes and completing my college entrance preparations via the school’s internal programs. Even without private tutoring, I was able to adequately prepare for the entrance exams by actively participating in the programs offered by my school. Upon entering university, I will diligently complete the major courses within my department and utilize various departmental programs, such as laboratory research and field training within the Food Engineering Department at Kangwon National University.
Major School Activities and Reflections
“Developing Natural Cheonggukjang Through Fermented Food Club Activities”
Since high school, I dreamed of becoming an expert in developing health foods and fermented foods, which is why I joined the Fermented Food Club. The Fermented Foods Club primarily focused on fermented food production and fermenting microorganism research in the Industrial Microbiology Lab. I joined because it offered hands-on experiences making fermented foods using our own agricultural products. Our school particularly emphasized club-based education that nurtured students’ talents and characteristics. Through club activities, I gained many valuable experiences that helped solidify my vague dream of becoming an agricultural CEO.
During my first year in the club, I gained hands-on experience making traditional Korean sauces like cheonggukjang, doenjang, and gochujang using microorganisms. Having grown accustomed to buying pre-made sauces from the supermarket, I had no way of knowing the process beyond processed products. The club activities introduced me to this world for the first time. Initially, I thought we’d just make experimental batches that tasted somewhat similar. But actually making them myself, I was both surprised and proud to discover we could produce results good enough to sell externally.
The most memorable manufacturing process was undoubtedly ‘cheonggukjang’. To develop cheonggukjang with a deep flavor yet not an overpowering smell, I researched ingredients and manufacturing processes with my instructor and put the results into practice. The main process involved fermenting soybeans over a long period to cultivate Bacillus bacteria. We meticulously timed and repeated the steps of soaking, cooking, and cooling the beans to achieve the optimal state. Once cooled, we used rice straw for natural fermentation, frequently checking the microbial chamber to maintain the right temperature and humidity.
Using rice straw for fermentation definitely resulted in a cleaner taste with less odor. For the final step, instead of using regular salt, I used bamboo salt to neutralize any lingering smell. I then mashed it together with other vegetables to form the cheonggukjang paste. To mash it into a paste, I even sourced a small traditional mortar and pestle to make the paste the old-fashioned way. Although I often ate doenjang (soybean paste) or gochujang (chili paste), I rarely ate cheonggukjang because of its unpleasant smell. However, the cheonggukjang I made myself had such a deep flavor that I could eat it frequently without getting tired of it.
Selling this product at the festival, our club promoted it as ‘Odorless, Naturally Fermented Cheonggukjang Good for Constipation and Dieting,’ and it sold like hotcakes to students and teachers. Ultimately, we generated over 1 million won in profit, making the festival a success and securing research funds for developing other foods. Later, the pickles, cheese, and jams we made through our club activities also gained recognition, even attracting coverage from external newspapers, leaving us with a proud experience.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and Reflections
“Volunteering and sharing come back to you twofold.”
Our school offers diverse volunteer programs and actively encourages service activities, leading me to participate much more than I did in middle school. Through school-based programs like Environmental Guardians and Environmental Helpers, I worked extensively to beautify the school surroundings and improve farmland environments. I joined the Environmental Guardians volunteer group, primarily visiting farmlands, greenhouses, and guest houses to assist with food development or help tidy up farm areas.
Beyond school activities, students in the volunteer corps also participated in off-campus service. There were programs like Volunteer Day operations and talent donation initiatives. Through these two programs, we visited local nursing homes, welfare centers, and children’s centers. Working together with fellow volunteers, we had opportunities to practice genuine sharing and cooperation.
First, ‘Volunteer Day’ was held on the third Saturday of every month, involving visits to a municipal nursing home near the school. While many students couldn’t attend due to the fixed schedule, I was one of the students who participated without fail every month throughout my enrollment. The reason was that I grew fond of the elderly residents at the nursing home and promised myself I would visit them every time. During each volunteer session, we not only helped with tasks like serving meals and cleaning but also took the residents for walks and served as conversation partners, allowing us to become very close.
Additionally, the talent-sharing volunteer activity involved visiting places in need throughout the year to directly teach skills like flower arranging or cooking that the students had learned. We mainly visited daycare centers or children’s institutions, participating about five times a year, where I practiced donating my cooking-related talents. Through activities like making jams or cheeses that children love, I felt the joy of passing on what I had learned. Seeing the children happily learning and enjoying the food made me feel confident that I had chosen the right major in food engineering. Participating in these diverse volunteer programs taught me firsthand the meaning of the saying, ‘Sharing doubles and returns.’
Write about your thoughts on the two most influential books you read in high school
Twenty-Five Regrets at the End of Life / Shuichi Otsu
I read this book in my senior year of high school because it was a famous bestseller at the bookstore. The author, a hospice worker who eases the suffering of terminally ill patients, compiled reflections on life and death, particularly the regrets patients express when facing death. This sparked my curiosity. Reading the twenty-five relatively common regrets, I resolved that as a young, healthy student, I must live a life free of regret.
Especially since I had a dream of becoming a CEO in food engineering and developing healthy fermented foods, I read the sections related to dreams with particular attention. Patients reportedly regret not doing what they truly wanted to do, not dreaming, and not striving to achieve those dreams. One example shared was a physical education teacher who became paralyzed from the neck down due to an accident. During his battle with illness, he took up calligraphy by holding a brush in his mouth, carving out a new life as a calligrapher. Seeing this painter’s positive life—not giving up during life’s hardships but instead living by doing what he truly wanted—made me reflect on my own tendency to feel defeated and struggle at the slightest difficulty. It also made me grateful for the environment I have now, where I can study hard. Rather than settling for any job just because things are tough right now, I resolved to study even harder, challenge myself toward what I truly want to do, and keep growing.
Earth Ecology Story, The Age of Life / Kim So-hee
I read The Age of Life through the school’s recommended reading list. It was a book compilation of the 20-part TV program ‘The Age of Life,’ planned and broadcast by Indicom, a documentary production company. It addressed global water resource issues, environmental pollution, and minority ethnic problems, encouraging readers to view Earth’s ecology from a broader perspective and prompting reflection. Particularly, the section ‘Biotechnology: Progress or Disaster?’ was highly relevant to me as a food engineering major. It primarily addressed the ethical issues surrounding genetically engineered foods like Pomato, as well as genetically modified corn and potatoes.
It broadly covered not only food but also animal cloning and human cloning, clearly contrasting the opposing viewpoints of those against and those in favor. This made me seriously consider the rapid advancement of science and the inevitable ethical issues that follow. I contemplated whether genetically modified foods truly belong in the realm of God rather than humans, whether they should be avoided because their health effects remain unknown, or whether they should be naturally accepted as part of science’s developmental process. This also made me aware of the significant impact genetic modification technology has on food engineering. While I haven’t yet arrived at a definitive answer on this issue, it has become one of the fields I wish to research further upon entering university.
