In this blog post, I’ll summarize my reflections, focusing on the academic efforts I made, my participation in school activities, and my experiences with consideration and cooperation during my time in high school.

Academic Experiences and Reflections

Make the Most of Your Time — During high school, I learned the hard way that the most important aspect of my academic life was “concentration.” Although I was a diligent student, I often felt frustrated because my grades didn’t reflect the time I invested; my teachers even went so far as to say, “I wish your grades matched the effort you put in.”
I wondered why there was a difference in results compared to friends who studied for the same amount of time, and after observing them closely, I realized the difference lay in the “quality of concentration.” In the same hour, there were times when I could memorize 15 pages, while my friends who did well in school could memorize 30 to 40 pages in the same amount of time. It wasn’t that they had any special memorization techniques; rather, whether they could consistently focus without letting their minds wander or checking their phones determined how much they could memorize.
After realizing this, I decided to use my time more wisely and adopted a method of breaking down even a single hour into segments. For language study, I divided my time into three segments—10 minutes, 30 minutes, and 20 minutes—and strictly adhered to them: 10 minutes for memorizing idioms and vocabulary, 30 minutes for solving practice problems, and 20 minutes for grammar exercises and memorization. I consciously created an environment conducive to concentration so I wouldn’t let an hour slip away aimlessly like before.
As a result, my grades began to improve, and I found greater satisfaction in the study process itself. Seeing tangible results gave me a sense of accomplishment, and the fact that I was using my time more efficiently brought me great satisfaction, motivating me to work even harder. I gained confidence that I had found a study method that suited me, and I gained the courage to believe that I can succeed no matter what academic challenges I face in the future.

Major School Activities and Reflections

Building Confidence Through the Chinese Drama Club — Thanks to my Chinese uncle, I was naturally exposed to Chinese from a young age and developed a strong interest in Chinese culture. Building on that interest, I joined the Chinese drama club when I entered high school. At first, I joined simply hoping for an opportunity to use Chinese, and I thought of theater as something I would just watch or support from behind the scenes.
However, once I actually started participating, I realized that the plays had to be performed entirely in Chinese, and the fact that I would have to speak directly in front of an audience felt like a burden. I was afraid of being in front of people and hesitated to participate because I was worried about making mistakes. But as I actually stood on stage and engaged in promotional activities, my fear gradually diminished.
My fear of making mistakes was shattered through the performances. Even when I made mistakes on stage, the audience didn’t really mind, and I was rarely criticized for them. On the contrary, making those mistakes actually encouraged me to take bolder risks, which in turn helped me reduce the number of mistakes I made. Through this experience, I became more resilient in the face of mistakes and gained a great deal of confidence in standing in front of an audience.
I also learned a sense of responsibility throughout the entire process of preparing for the performance. From translating the play and holding script readings to casting, rehearsals, directing, set design, and promotion—students had to take the lead in everything. Since failing to fulfill my assigned role could have rendered the entire team’s efforts futile, my sense of responsibility naturally grew stronger.
In particular, when I served as club president and was responsible for managing the club and overseeing the entire production, it was extremely difficult to balance this with my academic work. However, the sense of accomplishment I felt after overcoming all the challenges and successfully completing the performance was indescribable. Through this experience, I learned the importance of persevering to the end no matter how difficult things get, giving my best even when no one notices, caring for others, and maintaining a passion for theater.

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

Setting Aside Selfishness to Mediate Conflicts — Whenever we prepared for the festival, conflicts frequently arose because each class and club wanted their booths or events to receive the most attention. Arguments broke out due to everyone’s desire to dominate their own space, and sometimes even close friends ended up hurting each other’s feelings. It pained me to witness this, and I believed that if we could compromise and cooperate, we could create an even better festival.
So, I made an effort to serve as club president by setting aside my own self-interest and taking on the role of a mediator. Since we were a theater club, we focused more on our evening performance at the festival and didn’t feel the need to secure a prime spot for our daytime booth. Rather than trying to secure more budget or better locations, we chose to give way to clubs that needed them.
Surprisingly, the clubs we gave way to began helping us in return. Originally, the atmosphere was highly competitive, and a culture of mutual support hadn’t really taken root, but once I took the initiative to show consideration, the atmosphere gradually changed. Members of the embroidery club made our performance costumes, and members of the calligraphy club helped with the stage decorations.
Thanks to their help, we were able to put on our most spectacular play yet. Through this experience, I personally felt that “kindness and consideration come full circle,” and I realized that being considerate does not necessarily lead to a loss. Learning that a willingness to help others ultimately leads to greater cooperation and achievements was deeply meaningful to me.