In this blog post, I’ll share the academic experiences I gained through the chemistry lab club and study groups during high school, my participation in school activities, my practice of caring for others and giving back, and my self-directed preparation process.

Academic Experiences and Reflections

When I joined the chemistry lab club during my sophomore year of high school, I became deeply captivated by the appeal of scientific experiments. Since experiments played a significant role in both physics and chemistry classes—alongside theory—I felt it was difficult to fully understand scientific inquiry without hands-on experimentation.
Consequently, I organized a study group to explore various experimental scenarios for Physics I and Chemistry I, which were my elective subjects for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). A total of five of us, including friends from other classes, reserved a study room on campus and met regularly.
Since all the study group members had chosen the same elective subjects and were clubmates who enjoyed experiments, we got along very well. Rather than focusing solely on the college entrance exam like third-year students, we decided to prioritize cultivating our curiosity by focusing on experimental questions.
We selected questions primarily by referring to CSAT and mock exam problems, as well as the inquiry activities in our textbooks. Each study session lasted two hours: during the first half, we analyzed the background theory and related knowledge based on the selected questions, and during the second half, we went to the science lab to conduct the experiments ourselves.
The experiments we performed over several sessions included elemental analysis, dry ice experiments, and gas mixture experiments. We secured the necessary materials and tools in advance for the experiments, and to save time, we sometimes conducted about three experiments we had already mastered all at once.
At first, we followed the standard procedures and exact measurements presented in the textbook exactly; then, we recreated situations involving incorrect measurements or omitted steps—the kinds of scenarios that appear as incorrect answer choices on exams. By conducting experiments using these incorrect procedures, I could see firsthand how the results differed from those of the standard procedures. This made solving exam questions much more vivid and was extremely helpful in identifying the causes of incorrect answers.

Writing About Major School Activities and Reflections

I have been active in the chemistry lab club since my freshman year of high school, and I enjoyed the process of setting research questions, securing the necessary conditions and materials, and then conducting experiments either individually or in teams. The process of coming up with new ideas and obtaining results by following the planned procedure was fascinating in itself.
Excluding time set aside for academic preparation, I spent most of my free time in the club lab preparing for experiments. Among these, the three experiments that stand out most in my memory were making a hand warmer, creating a baking soda volcano, and making plastic from milk.
In the hand warmer experiment, we used sodium acetate. We placed it in a zip-top bag with water, sealed the opening, boiled it until the solution dissolved completely and became transparent, let it cool, and then used a hand-clicking device to solidify the supersaturated solution. At first, we faced repeated failures—such as forgetting to use the hand-clicking device or letting too much air into the bag during sealing, which prevented friction—but after three rounds of trial and error, we successfully solidified the supersaturated solution.
Since the baking soda volcano experiment involved certain risks, we conducted it as a team. Going beyond simply observing the carbonation reaction between baking soda and acetic acid, we decided to build a massive volcano large enough to fill the entire table. We filled a large tray with sand, embedded a bowl in it to form the mountain’s shape, and mixed a much larger quantity of baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring than the standard recipe called for. We then filmed the eruption and shared the video in our club’s resource library. It was also impressive how we mixed red and black colors to capture the realistic look of a volcano.
The experiment to make plastic out of milk was a project I set for myself, utilizing the principle of neutralization between acids and bases. After heating the milk and adding vinegar to create curds, I followed the exact measurements to make a dough, resulting in a pliable mass that could be molded by hand.

I felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment when I achieved the expected results on the first try in an experiment I had planned myself.

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

Our chemistry experiment club was recognized for being systematically run within the school, and nearby schools often referred to our club proposals and educational programs. A nearby elementary school requested a chemistry lab session from our club, so we selected students to volunteer as instructors and carried out the program.
I participated in this volunteer teaching opportunity and taught the children the “Making Plastic from Milk” experiment, which I had researched and prepared for. The elementary school had already set up everything needed for the experiment, and I took on the role of a facilitator to assist with group learning. After reviewing the experimental process one more time, I began the lesson.
Some unexpected issues arose during the class. In some cases, even after heating the milk and adding vinegar, the granules didn’t form properly. I used a cloth to strain out the granules, squeezed out the excess moisture to form a lump, and then helped the children mold it with their hands until it hardened. When requested, I also let them add food coloring to create beautifully colored dough.
Watching the children marvel and enjoy themselves as they shaped the dough into hearts and stars, I felt a deep sense of fulfillment in being able to share my modest knowledge with the local community and through education. Through this experience, I learned that imparting knowledge goes beyond mere transmission; it is a process of caring for others and collaborating with them.

Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans

UNIST’s ideal student profile includes individuals who plan and carry out their learning in a self-directed manner. As an example of an activity I planned and executed on my own that aligns with this ideal, I would like to introduce my experiment to create a safe bouncy ball for my younger sibling.
Since I have a younger sibling at home, I was concerned for their safety when I saw them playing with a bouncy ball in their mouth, which led me to wonder if I could make a safe bouncy ball using natural materials. Although my club friends said it would be difficult in practice, based on my experience making plastic from milk, I hypothesized that I could create a solid elastic material using chicken eggs or quail eggs.
For the experiment, I prepared chicken eggs and quail eggs and designed an experiment where I soaked them in a beaker filled with vinegar for five days. Over time, the calcareous shells of both types dissolved, leaving only the inner membranes, and I also observed that the volume of the chicken eggs increased due to osmosis. As a result, the shell-free eggs became elastic and suitable for use as toys, and within a week, I was able to make a relatively safe bouncy ball for my younger sibling.
This process went beyond simple curiosity; it was a prime example of self-directed learning—starting with problem identification, formulating a hypothesis, designing and conducting an experiment, and obtaining results. Through this experience, I was able to cultivate experimental thinking and a sense of responsibility, and I felt that my attitude toward solving everyday problems using safe and eco-friendly materials aligns with the career path I aspire to pursue.