In this blog post, I will summarize the academic experiences and school activities I engaged in during high school, examples of my acts of kindness and giving, as well as my motivation for pursuing urban administration and my career plans.

Academic Experiences and Reflections

While I believed that studying for grades was important in high school, I also considered it my duty as a student to engage in “my own personal study”—exploring topics that piqued my curiosity and pursuing self-development. I found that studying with the mindset of “I just need to get into college” actually reduced my efficiency and weakened my motivation and concentration.
Amidst this, reading the book ‘What Makes a City Live?’ reaffirmed my interest in the Department of Urban Administration, which is my academic goal. From that point on, I decided to study cities and architecture on my own, separate from my academic grades. I felt that the process of examining urban phenomena from both humanistic and scientific perspectives held significant value for me as a student and as someone aspiring to pursue research.
Since then, I have begun building a foundation of knowledge by reading books and seeking out lectures on urban science and urban architecture. Rather than limiting myself to simple theoretical study, I asked myself questions such as, “Why are administrative procedures within a city important?”, “What necessity and value does urban architecture hold?”, and “Why must urban design be beautiful?”
Although I did not undertake this study with any specific outcome in mind, it provided me with insights into the meaning and structure of cities and helped me gain a sense of what goals I should pursue in my university studies. I have been consistently documenting this process, collecting and organizing materials, and through this journey of realizing the value of academic research, I regained my focus and sense of purpose in learning. Ultimately, this allowed me to concentrate more not only on my urban-related reflections but also on my studies aimed at improving my grades.

Major Campus Activities and Reflections

At the university’s academic conference, I wrote a paper on “The Necessity and Value of Urban Design” and received the Best Paper Award. Since I had set urban administration as my major goal, I had already gathered materials through relevant books and lectures. By organizing my thoughts with reference to expert interviews and various case studies, I was able to approach the paper writing process with ease.
I believe the key to the positive response was incorporating my own reflections into the paper. I compared urban design trends and implementation methods in other countries with research trends in Korea, and analyzed the impact of urban design on people and society—specifically, the formation of value and outcomes from a social science perspective—to formulate my argument. This process deepened my academic curiosity about urban administration and served as an opportunity to establish a concrete list of subjects and goals for my university studies.
Another activity I engaged in was the school debate club. I joined the debate club to overcome my fear of public speaking. Although I initially joined to address this weakness, through debate I learned how to organize my thoughts and construct my arguments logically, and I also developed the ability to observe social phenomena objectively.
Since debates require presenting arguments to support one’s position, they demanded more study and learning, and my speaking skills improved significantly as a result. I used to stutter, but I was able to overcome that habit through my efforts to convey my arguments persuasively. I also gained the ability to listen attentively and the courage to raise challenging questions, and I became convinced that a culture of debate is a crucial element in fostering problem-solving skills in society. I hope to use debate to solve the problems I will face in college and later in my professional life.

Examples of Compassion, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections

The most memorable experience from my activities in the school volunteer club was a two-day, one-night camp with people with intellectual disabilities. Unlike the usual volunteer work where we spend just a few hours together, the schedule of spending continuous time together required attention to many details and felt like a significant burden.
While preparing for the camp, I made sure to stay by their side so they wouldn’t get lost, took care to ensure they didn’t cause any inconvenience to others, and worked hard to prevent injuries or accidents at the lodging. At first, I viewed this activity solely from the perspective of “volunteering” as labor, and the sense of responsibility made it feel like a heavy burden.
However, as the camp progressed, my perspective changed. Volunteering was not merely labor; it was about communicating, cooperating, and sharing our hearts with people with intellectual disabilities. I let go of my burdens and made an effort to talk with them more, striving to understand and empathize with every single action they displayed.
As a result, the camp participants adapted more quickly and often appeared to be enjoying themselves while we were together. Through this experience, I deeply realized that volunteering is not a one-sided act of “me helping them,” but a noble practice of upholding human dignity and rights through sharing and communication.

Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans

Since high school, I have had a stronger desire for academic depth than for competition based on grades. Because of this, I was sometimes called an oddball by those around me, but I found joy in studying through the process of independently gathering and analyzing data on urban administration and urban design.
The portfolio I created in high school has become an asset as valuable to me as my diploma, and if I become a member of the Department of Urban Administration at the University of Seoul, I intend to build my capabilities through even more self-directed and systematic learning. I will continue to strive to acquire expertise through my major studies and to understand and analyze urban and social phenomena from diverse perspectives.
Specifically, I plan to build my logical reasoning through discussions with peers based on the major-specific knowledge I learn from professors, while also examining not only domestic cases but also global examples and cultural diversity. My goal is to grow into an expert in urban administration by independently seeking out and analyzing not only major-specific knowledge but also social, cultural, and trend-related information, as well as literature and international case studies.
Ultimately, through my major studies, I aim to cultivate a broad perspective and analytical skills, and to become a person equipped with the practical ability to solve urban and social problems through self-directed research.