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

Academic Experiences and Reflections

I approached my high school studies with the belief that “it is not the effort itself that matters, but ‘how’ one exerts that effort.”
I believe that the attitude of striving is itself a form of ability. Since a person’s effort and time are limited, those who achieve outstanding results within those constraints are clearly making a differentiated effort in some way. That is why, even before becoming a high school student, I observed seniors who excelled in their studies and tried hard to learn their secrets.
I set the direction for my high school studies by referring to my seniors’ study methods and the workbooks they used. Through this process, I came to truly understand “how” to study. In high school, constant repetition was key, and through repetition, the breadth and depth of my understanding expanded. Furthermore, thoroughly organizing concepts made a significant difference in my ability to solve application problems.
I also developed strategies for each subject. For the language section, I focused on mastering the fundamentals, while for the science inquiry section, I prioritized application. In English, I concluded that reading the same sentences multiple times to familiarize myself with the structure was more effective than simply solving a large number of problems.
Based on the study methods I had identified in advance, I created and implemented a yearly plan, which resulted in excellent outcomes. Through this experience, I learned how to study smartly by accurately assessing my current situation and my goals.

Description of Major School Activities and Reflections

With the goal of “surprising the school by starting a new club,” I decided to use the high school laboratories to create an experimental science club. It seemed a shame that the spacious, well-equipped science labs were just sitting idle, and I believed that creating something new through experiments in the club would benefit both the school and myself.
When I announced the club’s establishment, there was significant opposition regarding safety concerns, budget issues, and other matters. It was pointed out that since experiments often involve fire or handling toxic chemicals, it would be difficult to grant permission without a safety supervisor, and the cost of continuously procuring necessary chemicals and materials was also raised as an issue.
I did not avoid these problems but sought to resolve them. First, I completed safety training every weekend to qualify to conduct experiments, and regarding the budget issue, I explained our purpose to the board of directors and the school-wide assembly to request support. Once I clearly demonstrated my determination, the opposition gradually subsided, and eventually, the club was approved. It has continued to operate and accept new members even after I graduated.
“Leading people—that great sense of responsibility and joy” was also something I learned along the way. As I established the club’s structure and, as president, recruited members and planned projects, I realized that coordinating the differences in individual abilities was no easy task. There was a wide range of differences among the members: some had leadership potential but lacked self-confidence, while others were quick with calculations but didn’t want to be leaders.
Bringing the team members together and helping each of them realize their potential was a major challenge for me. Through various conversations and attempts at compromise, I learned that while leading people involves responsibility and hardship, the joy felt when achieving a common goal makes up for it all.

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

When I first started the club, there were no upperclassmen to guide me, so I went through a lot of trial and error. Especially when preparing for festivals or club fairs, the lack of help from upperclassmen with tradition and experience led to various conflicts, and arguments actually broke out.
As president, I struggled with how to intervene. I judged that unconditionally shielding the team could undermine the organization’s structure, so I chose instead to clearly expose and address the problems. I clearly pointed out mistakes to members who had erred, and when conflicts arose, I actively expressed my opinions and sometimes resolved issues through heated debates.
In the process, I realized I had overlooked one thing: I had underestimated the maturity of the club members. Despite my somewhat harsh words, my friends understood my sincerity, and I saw our relationships grow stronger through sudden clashes and reconciliations.
Through this experience, I learned that relationships between people are not restored simply by soothing or avoiding conflict; rather, they become more resilient through the process of clashing and healing. By directly experiencing conflict management and the process of recovery, I gained a sense of responsibility as a leader and insights into human relationships.

Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans

“I am someone who ‘tries’ anything” is the phrase that best describes me. I constantly crave new experiences and actually put them into action. This trait was clearly evident in my club activities as well.
At a humanities-focused high school that prioritized tradition and academic grades, starting a new club meant facing significant opposition. Although I sometimes clashed with teachers and was even ignored, I did not give up and kept trying. Rather than simply being stubborn, I approached the situation by carefully listening to and noting down the reasons for their opposition, then devising solutions to address those concerns before attempting to persuade them again.
Thanks to these efforts, I was able to establish the laboratory-based club the school had been seeking and conduct various experiments as part of our activities. Rather than repeating what I had already done, I continued to pursue new endeavors, and even when faced with difficult experiments, I overcame the challenges by sourcing the necessary materials and seeking advice from teachers and professors.
I do not consider myself a person with any special innate talent or genius. However, I am someone who takes initiative, and I grow through that initiative. If I am admitted to the Department of Biological Sciences at Pohang University of Science and Technology, I will lay the foundation to become a new leader by nurturing my academic passion and capabilities through endless experimentation and practice.