This blog post focuses on what activities in a journalism and broadcasting academic plan can boost your acceptance odds, examining how to effectively present your school newspaper, editing, and article writing experience to make it compelling.
Writing About Academic Experience and Reflections
“Improving Writing Skills Through School Newspaper Editor-in-Chief Activities”
As someone dreaming of becoming a journalist, the most enjoyable subject for me was ‘Korean Language’. Because I enjoyed writing, I invested more time in Korean, especially when studying grammar. Additionally, while serving as the school newspaper’s editor-in-chief, I worked hard to enhance my writing skills. I became the editor-in-chief of the student council editorial board starting in the second semester of my sophomore year. This role as ‘editor-in-chief’ became a crucial turning point in my life. The articles I began writing for ‘Clear News’ after developing my dream of becoming an editorial reporter in my sophomore year gradually became another effort toward achieving that dream. After becoming editor-in-chief, I participated more actively and concretely in both writing articles and editing activities. When writing articles, I often stayed up all night with my Korean dictionary as my companion. Though inexperienced, I read many online articles and rewrote my pieces multiple times, driven by the desire to write better. I paid particular attention to grammar rules like spelling and spacing when writing. Through this process, I built my own knowledge of the Korean language by directly consulting the internet and dictionaries for grammar rules and example sentences.
This knowledge proved invaluable when editing our school’s regularly published literary collection, ‘Finding Myself Within.’ Editing the anthology involved reading students’ manuscripts and proofreading them, which wasn’t always easy, but it felt rewarding, like seeing glimpses of my own future. Writing articles for ‘Clear News’ and editing the literary collection or newspaper made me happy, as it felt like I was taking steps toward my dream. Serving as editor-in-chief, I cultivated the qualities of a journalist through various activities like newspaper editing and article writing. I also developed the language skills essential for a journalist—such as improving my vocabulary comprehension and correcting grammatical errors—through diverse activities.
Writing about Major School Activities and Reflections
“A Time to Connect with History Through Visiting the Independence Hall”
I have always loved history. I’m particularly interested in world history and modern/contemporary history. Because of this, I always enjoyed studying history-related subjects and never found them boring. However, I felt that just learning from what teachers taught in school was somehow a little insufficient. So, the learning method I chose was reading history-related books or watching documentaries. For world history, where the overall flow is important, I could study more easily and enjoyably by reading the ‘Distant Countries, Neighboring Countries’ series at home. Reading these books, which are presented in comic form, allowed me to learn about many more specific events than what was covered in textbooks. For modern and contemporary history, I focused on understanding by watching numerous documentaries about historical figures and events. Among them, the saddest documentary I watched was the one about the life of Doctor Ahn Jung-geun and the search for his remains. It was heartbreaking to see the excavation team travel all the way to the Chinese prison in Ryongsun where Dr. Ahn died for his country, striving to recover his remains, yet ultimately failing to find them. Watching this documentary, I shed tears of sorrow, completely unrelated to studying for my modern history exam. Seeing the life of Dr. Ahn Jung-geun, the person I most admire, I resolved to live honestly and with conviction, just like him. Additionally, during my first year of high school, I visited the nearby Independence Hall in Cheonan to study Korean history and experience the exhibits firsthand. There was a section recreating torture tools and methods from the Japanese colonial period. I remember being truly shocked after learning the actual purpose of those instruments.
Seeing the cultural artifacts and numerous photographs I had only seen in textbooks at the Independence Hall made me feel as if I had become a living person from that era. Furthermore, experiencing the vivid exhibits, historical processes, and reenactment videos sparked a deeper interest in the history of the Republic of Korea and reinforced my resolve to strive so that painful history is never repeated. It was a truly valuable time and a meaningful learning experience, allowing me to escape the confines of textbooks and see a broader history.
“Participating as a Reporter in Creating the School Environmental Newspaper”
Since June this year, I joined the school environmental newspaper production club and worked as a Green Reporter. To directly inform our school’s students about the importance of environmental protection, I created a website, engaged in writing opinions and articles, and when reporter meetings or training sessions were held, I directly convened meetings with friends to discuss article content topics. As an environmental newspaper, we covered topics like global warming and South Korea’s ecological environment. Learning many facts I didn’t know about the environment led me to reflect on my own ignorance about nature. We also held passionate discussions about South Korea’s precarious natural state. Through this process, I realized that protecting nature isn’t just about forestry and water management; what we truly need first is ‘heart care’. I came to understand that genuine nature conservation stems from a ‘heart’ that flows from sincerity.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation and My Reflections
“Experiencing the Happiness of Sharing Through Volunteering at a Rehabilitation Center”
During my second year, I visited a nearby rehabilitation center for the elderly and volunteered directly. Though unfamiliar with rehabilitation center volunteering at first, I quickly adapted and was able to provide attentive care to those with physical or mental challenges. Seeing individuals with physical limitations, I was struck anew by the fact that despite being fellow human beings and individuals, those with disabilities or mobility issues live with countless constraints in our daily lives. I also sensed that far more people in society need help than I had imagined. The more you share, the more positive impact you have on someone’s life, bringing about even a small positive change. That is the essence of volunteering. Though brief, participating in this rehabilitation center volunteer work taught me how to share my heart. I also realized that instead of looking down on or ignoring those in need as socially vulnerable, we must actively support their daily lives to enable their complete independence. Temporary material support or aid only provides them with momentary relief; in the long term, it can actually undermine their sense of independence. Volunteering taught me that small changes begin with a single small action, and if I want anything to change, I must start by practicing it myself.
The greatest lesson I learned during my volunteer work at the rehabilitation center was that ‘everything requires love.’ I regretted being too busy with school to care for those around me. This experience made me resolve to live a life of sharing what I have, cherishing the people I will meet, the connections I form, and those who need my help. Though I went to volunteer, it was actually a time when I learned and felt far more than I gave. This experience, which taught me the value of respecting others and the happiness of sharing, made me feel that I must become someone who practices even greater sharing in the future.
