In this blog post, I will summarize my academic experiences, school activities, and examples of compassion, sharing, and cooperation during my time in high school, as well as my motivation for applying and my career preparation process.

Academic Experiences and Reflections

After my first year of high school ended, I suddenly felt as if I had hit a wall in my studies. I was the type of person who would set my own plans and work toward a target score, but because of my own ambition, I had imposed an excessive number of plans and tasks on myself, leading to mounting stress until I reached a point where I could no longer continue studying.
With so much to do, but hating studying and suffering from headaches, I put everything aside and started hiking in the middle of winter. Through hiking, I realized the principle of “selecting and focusing.” No matter how difficult the hike, taking that next step was ultimately what mattered, and by walking steadily like that, I was able to reach the summit.
Having built up my stamina through hiking during winter break and grasped this principle, I changed my study approach. Rather than trying to force myself to cover various subjects haphazardly, I decided to focus first on the most fundamental subjects. I started with Korean.
While other students weren’t studying Korean much, I realized that mastering Korean would improve my comprehension of problems and have a positive impact on other subjects. So, I spent time systematically reinforcing my grammar and carefully reading non-fiction texts—an area where I was particularly weak—to enhance my contextual understanding. Setting realistic daily study goals that allowed me to frequently experience a sense of accomplishment was also a huge help.
As a result, I earned a top grade in Korean, and my English grades naturally improved as well. Thanks to that sense of accomplishment, studying became fun, and I’ve become a student who studies for enjoyment rather than out of obligation.

Write about major school activities and reflections

When I entered high school, the time came to choose a club. While my friends generally tried to choose activities that would be advantageous for college admissions, I wanted to participate in an activity that would help me cultivate a spirit of challenge in a way different from studying. So, I joined “Playground,” the school’s only sports club.
At first, I was encouraged to join essay writing, volunteer, or reading clubs, but I didn’t change my mind. I was very active in “Playground.” I experienced both the difficulties and joys of group life, and I felt my body and mind becoming stronger through regular basic physical training.
We would gather on the playground a little before lunchtime for physical training, and at first, I felt resentful, thinking it was taking away from my study time. Although there were times when it was physically demanding, participating in group activities provided me with motivation and encouragement that would have been difficult to gain on my own. As we encouraged one another and worked together, we developed deep bonds, and it was because we were together that I was able to keep going.
As a result, I formed deep friendships within the club. The sincere conversations we shared while trying new sports after school or during vacations were a great source of strength for each other, and the trust and camaraderie built outside of study time were truly special.
The club also helped me cultivate a spirit of adventure. As a freshman, I participated diligently and made hiking a core activity; that experience gave me the confidence that I could climb any mountain. Later, as a key member of the club, I took on the role of proposing new activities and leading others.
One particularly memorable activity was scuba diving. Although there were financial concerns and a fear of being underwater, the sense of accomplishment when we all succeeded after encouraging one another greatly boosted my spirit of challenge. Through this club, I gained a strong mindset to overcome the pressures of studying and made reliable friends.

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

While preparing for the sports festival, our class became so absorbed in practice that our classroom behavior suffered. In particular, the friends I met in my second year had experience performing well in the previous year’s competition, so expectations were high. As a result, teachers imposed a “ban on sports festival practice,” and while other classes practiced, our class had to stay behind to do homework and attend evening self-study sessions.
At first, the students clashed with our homeroom teacher, and their dissatisfaction grew. As vice-class president, I decided to soothe my classmates’ feelings and resolve the situation. I persuaded them that, since we were still young, it was right to compromise, and I secured a promise that we would demonstrate good behavior for a week to regain the teachers’ trust.
As a concrete action, I had everyone create a chart to track their time each morning. I compiled the results and presented them as a graph to help visually improve the issue of tardiness. I reached out to students who were struggling with homework to offer assistance, and I focused on helping all 35 students in the class improve their classroom behavior.
As a result, the class’s attitude improved noticeably, and the teachers recognized our efforts by lifting the ban on practice. We became a class that excelled not only in sports but also in academics. Through this experience, I learned that compromise, cooperation, and action are key to resolving conflicts.

Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation and Career Plans

Until middle school, I grew up in a small neighborhood community, building close bonds with my neighbors. When I entered high school, I transferred to Seoul, where the atmosphere was much more individualistic and marked by a strong sense of distrust toward one another. At first, this environment came as a great shock to me, and I realized, “I cannot continue living like this.”
I felt that while academics are important, interpersonal relationships should be prioritized even more, so I chose a slightly different path in my school life. Joining a sports club was an extension of that mindset, and to broaden my perspective, I read the newspaper regularly and began to take an interest in broader social issues and educational problems.
This interest ultimately led to my choice of major. I decided to major in Sociology—a field that many people do not readily choose—because I wanted to understand the current state and direction of our society through theory and case studies, and to find clues for solving its problems. Through sociology, I aim to contribute to analyzing and improving social structures and issues.
Furthermore, I hope to broaden my horizons through various activities within the school’s community-oriented atmosphere. Although we live in a society centered on competition and academic pedigree, I believe there are definitely ways to break through, and that these breakthroughs will come from things I have yet to learn. I aspire to learn more and grow here, so that I can become someone who contributes to building a better society.