In this blog post, I will focus on describing the efforts I made toward my studies and my learning experiences during high school, the extracurricular activities I engaged in with dedication, and examples of how I practiced consideration and cooperation.
Efforts in Academics and Learning Experiences
I studied languages particularly hard in high school. Although I had wanted to become a Korean language teacher since middle school, studying Korean in high school was even more enjoyable. While middle school focused on textbook-based learning, literary appreciation, and communication skills, high school shifted the focus to more analytical learning. Analytical learning involved going beyond simple appreciation to critically interpret literary works and derive their meanings. Although I enjoyed classes that focused on expressing personal feelings, I believed that learning to analyze the meaning of words, sentences, and entire works was a more scientific approach to Korean language education. In particular, the parts I found most engaging were analyzing modern poetry and logical writing. While there were also subjects like grammar, non-fiction reading comprehension, and fiction or classical literature, I was drawn to the logical analysis of emotionally expressive texts, such as poetry, and I found it fascinating to express my own emotions and thoughts in a logical, structured form through writing. Of course, I didn’t think that way from the very beginning. For example, when studying Jeong Ji-yong’s poem “The Windowpane,” I initially struggled to understand the interpretation that the line “standing there without breathing” represented a father’s feelings of resignation. Since interpretations are based on diversity, I thought it could also be interpreted as the father refraining from breathing out of fear that his breath might cause the child’s image—which is likened to a breath of air—to vanish. At first, I felt some resistance toward the way literary works were interpreted for school exams and the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), as they didn’t seem to embrace all these diverse interpretations. However, I gradually came to believe that a “logical interpretation” is, in fact, a universally valid one. I began to accept that an interpretation aligned with what the majority of people universally empathize with is the logical interpretation of the work, and I started to regard this as the model answer. Thinking this way made studying Korean much more enjoyable, and when writing essays, I began to strive to present feasible arguments and evidence that could be objectively agreed upon, rather than simply asserting my own subjective opinions.
Meaningful Extracurricular Activities
In high school, I focused above all else on my “academic studies.” I believed a student’s primary duty was academics, and I preferred activities that allowed me to concentrate on my studies. As I devoted all my energy to managing my academic performance, my internal school grades consistently ranked in the top tier, and I never fell below 5th place in the entire school. Once I achieved a high school-wide ranking, the way people around me viewed me changed, and I studied even harder to maintain that position. In my first year of high school, whenever midterm exams were approaching, I would buy a thick college-ruled notebook a month in advance and summarize the content of all subjects. I would predict the exam scope based on the class progress, and if I wasn’t sure, I would go to the teacher in advance to ask about the specific topics. By organizing the content of 10 subjects into a single notebook in an easy-to-view format, I could study efficiently by focusing solely on that notebook starting a week before the exam. In particular, with the mindset that “everything is contained within this notebook,” I kept adding content to ensure nothing was missing. Although I was able to maintain top-tier grades in the school consistently, my school-wide ranking suddenly dropped to 30th place when I entered my sophomore year of high school. This was because, while rankings in my freshman year were based on the entire student body, starting in my sophomore year, grades were calculated only among humanities students, and the criteria for ranking changed as each student’s elective courses differed.
I decided not to get discouraged and not to worry too much about my rank. I judged that what mattered now was achieving good relative grades in each subject. So, to secure good relative grades, I took social studies courses that many of my friends chose, thereby increasing my chances of getting a top grade. As for second foreign languages or arts and physical education subjects, I deliberately chose less popular courses—those not selected by many students—rather than the most popular ones, aiming to achieve high grades among a smaller group of students. In these cases, memorization was key rather than deep understanding, and since it was easy to get a top grade as long as I avoided mistakes, I studied by memorizing the entire syllabus without missing any details. In my sophomore year of high school, I managed the core subjects within the liberal arts track in this way and employed different strategies for each elective subject to maintain a grade of 1 or higher. Although I didn’t place much importance on my overall school ranking, this study strategy naturally allowed me to maintain the top spot in the liberal arts track. In my senior year, I stopped worrying so much about my internal grades or rankings and focused entirely on preparing for the CSAT. To perform well on the CSAT, I needed to identify and address areas where I hadn’t completed the curriculum or where I still had weaknesses. So, I chose a class that offered an advanced language course and enrolled in supplementary classes focused on solving applied math problems. By applying learning methods and strategies that suited me and practicing selective focus, my grades and rankings naturally improved.
Examples of Practicing Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation
During my senior year of high school, our class had a harmonious atmosphere. Our homeroom teacher always paid close attention to each and every student, helping us not only with our academic performance but also with various everyday concerns. Above all, she was an excellent teacher who frequently counseled us and personally sought out information to help us with career decisions—something students often find most difficult. Moved by our teacher’s warmth, we decided to organize a Teacher’s Day event to express our gratitude. We held a class meeting to plan the surprise party and assigned roles to each of us. To ensure our teacher wouldn’t notice, we prepared everything during the evening self-study session the night before and secured the classroom door tightly so we could carry out the plan the next morning. When we divided up the roles to ensure the event’s success, I was assigned the task of writing a thank-you letter to our teacher. Since I usually enjoy writing and often send notes and letters to my friends, my classmates entrusted me with this task, saying I’m good at writing. Having been given this important mission, I agonized over how to best express the feelings of the entire class, convey our message of gratitude to our teacher, and move her deeply. I aimed to write a letter that conveyed my sincerity without overusing flowery language, while still making the most of my writing skills. On Teacher’s Day, we mapped out the teacher’s route—from the school entrance to the hallways and into the classroom—and placed arrows along the way. When the teacher entered the classroom, everyone stood up, set off firecrackers, clapped their hands, and began singing the Teacher’s Day song. Some of my friends even gave our teacher a hug, while another brought a cake they had prepared. I took out the long letter I had written in advance and handed it to our teacher personally. Our teacher smiled broadly, said she was truly grateful, and sang along with us. Thanks to this event, we grew even closer to our teacher and were able to have a happy year.
