In this blog post, I’ll summarize what I learned—focusing on the critical thinking and essay writing class I took in high school, my involvement in the school cooperative, and examples of how I practiced consideration and cooperation—as well as my future career plans.
Reflections on My Academic Experience
The critical thinking and essay writing class I took at school was distinctly different from the general essay writing classes I had experienced before. The original class was conducted as a one-way lecture by an outside vendor, primarily focused on cramming background knowledge into students’ heads and memorization; student complaints were frequent, leading to a change in vendors. In contrast, the new instructor—brought in after we requested improvements—conducted classes tailored to the students’ preferred learning style, focusing on the process of thinking.
Critical thinking essay writing did not stop at teaching simple writing techniques; instead, it treated the “thinking” that precedes writing as a crucial starting point. In class, rather than memorizing the contents of books from various fields—such as the humanities and fiction—we spent time freely exchanging ideas with classmates based on what we had read. Naturally, I ended up quoting some of the material necessary to support my arguments, and these became part of my background knowledge.
Through presentations, I learned how to convey my thoughts logically, and the essay instructor’s consistent praise and feedback were a great help. My writing skills improved as I learned various logical expressions and how to avoid errors; thanks to studying examples like the fallacy of generalization, I was able to develop to the point where I could objectively evaluate my own writing and edit it myself.
Major School Activities and Reflections
Participating in the school cooperative was one of the most meaningful school activities I engaged in. The school cooperative is structured so that students, parents, teachers, and the local community serve as members—acting as owners, operators, and users—and it takes responsibility for managing various school operations, such as the school store, school uniforms, school meals, and after-school programs, as the contracting party with the school foundation. Our school introduced the cooperative on a pilot basis to resolve issues that had arisen from the previous outsourced management model.
I joined the cooperative because I’ve always been interested in consumer rights and economic activities. The board of directors for the social cooperative consisted of 20 members in total, including 10 students, 5 parents, and 5 teachers. At first, there was some awkwardness as everyone tried to speak on an equal footing, but as we held meetings, we gradually became accustomed to the democratic decision-making process, and it became a valuable opportunity for me, as a student, to learn about the social economy firsthand.
The first achievement of the cooperative’s activities was the renovation of the school store. With support from the local government, we refurbished the store’s interior. Students, parents, and teachers each contributed capital, and approximately 500 members raised the funds to open a store that we operated directly. Subsequently, through board meetings, we decided on store operating policies, menus, and prices by incorporating students’ opinions.
We also visited production facilities run by consumer cooperatives and agricultural cooperatives to observe the production processes of eco-friendly food firsthand. We improved operational issues by drawing on international examples; in particular, the case of a school cooperative in Malaysia with a 50-year tradition left a deep impression on me due to its educational value in allowing students to experience running a business from a young age. Through this process, I learned a great deal by experiencing real-world economic activities from the perspective of both a student and a consumer.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections
The most contentious issue at the cooperative board meetings was “What should we sell at the school store?” To reflect the opinions of the students—the users—as much as possible, we decided to plan and conduct a survey of the entire student body ourselves. We surveyed the items previously sold at the school store and created a questionnaire by referencing operational examples from other schools.
The survey was conducted as a “smart survey” using an online platform (a school-wide survey via KakaoTalk), and many students participated actively. Some students even visited snack bars at nearby schools in person to collect photos and data to share with us. We carefully reviewed each piece of information gathered in this way and incorporated it into the snack bar’s operations.
Based on the survey results, a wide range of items—including healthy beverages, bread, tofu snacks, and grain-based snacks—were selected, and we held student-centered tasting sessions to gauge actual reactions. While eco-friendly snacks received positive feedback for their taste and quality, some eco-friendly bread items were evaluated as needing improvement; after reevaluation, we supplemented them with other products. Through this process, the experience of creating a consumer space where students’ opinions are directly reflected helped me truly appreciate the importance of cooperation and consideration.
Through my activities as a cooperative member, I learned not only to generate ideas but also to find fulfillment and a sense of responsibility in the process of gathering and coordinating others’ opinions. In particular, the realization that better results come when students participate proactively has become a guiding principle for future collaboration within the community.
Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans
Through my cooperative activities, I came to understand the importance of consumer analysis and smart consumption education, and this experience greatly influenced my career choice. I came to believe that we must make choices with a sense of agency even in everyday consumption situations, such as at the school store or during school meals, and as a result, I decided I wanted to study consumer studies in greater depth.
As a student member, I gained practical experience related to consumer analysis—including designing surveys, planning tasting events, and visiting production sites—which helped me identify the specific skills I need to develop. I have come to realize the need for specialized knowledge of markets and products, data analysis skills, and product development and planning capabilities, and I intend to prepare myself accordingly.
My long-term goal is to become a professional equipped with the expertise to assist consumers in areas such as consumer policy, consumer information provision, consumer education, and consumer redress and counseling. My experience with the cooperative during high school went beyond mere participation in activities; it served as a valuable foundation that guided the direction of my future academic and practical preparation.
