In this blog post, I will summarize the academic efforts I made during high school, my extracurricular activities, examples of my consideration and cooperation, as well as my motivation for applying and my career preparation process.
Academic Experience and Reflections
Throughout high school, I adhered to the principle of “focusing when studying and having fun when resting,” and put a great deal of effort into building a solid academic foundation. The academic improvement program run by the school consisted of three levels, and I participated in the “Start” level to address my below-average grades. Although I had been in the top tier in middle school, I fell into the lower tier after entering a foreign language high school due to the academic gap, and I resolved to turn that situation around on my own.
My parents suggested I enroll in a private tutoring center, but I wanted to solidify my foundation through the school’s program. I attended every after-school class without fail and participated in Saturday remedial sessions to catch up on missed coursework and get ahead in my studies. During after-school classes, I kept up with the curriculum and reinforced key concepts, while Saturday remedial sessions focused intensively on solving college entrance exam problems and preparing for mock exams.
The Saturday remedial sessions, in particular, were crucial. The “Startup Class” was run as a small, elite group, allowing for tutoring-style Q&A sessions, and the instructors were always on-site to provide meticulous guidance to each student. When we worked on problem-solving in small groups, discussions would sometimes run long, and on days when class ended late, the teachers would organize a get-together with refreshments, creating an atmosphere where I could study while maintaining a balance between academics and leisure.
Through this process, I refined my study habits and methods, which ultimately led to a significant improvement in my grades. Watching many students leap into the top or middle tiers taught me that consistent study and small achievements, when accumulated, can bring about real change. Above all, I realized that learning in a systematic and sustainable environment is more effective than “studying on my own by sheer willpower.”
Description of Major Extracurricular Activities and Reflections
During high school, I actively participated in the various programs offered by my school. The activities I found particularly meaningful were the Academic Achievement Program, the Critical Thinking Program, and the In-Depth Career Study Group. Although each program had a different purpose, they all yielded significant results through systematic guidance and interaction with peers.
The Critical Thinking Program was a course focused on developing essay-writing skills. Having felt that I was not a strong writer, I learned through this program how to develop writing habits and build background knowledge. Under the close guidance of my instructor, I wrote essays addressing social issues and developed the habit of reading the newspaper daily, practicing how to view problems comprehensively from various perspectives—such as politics, labor, economics, and education.
In class, the focus was on logical structure and the presentation of evidence rather than formal requirements. In the beginning, I often wrote in the “conclusion-last” style, and my arguments tended to be weak due to a lack of background knowledge. To correct this, I practiced the “conclusion-first” style, presenting my argument upfront, and supplemented my knowledge by writing clearly only about what I knew, while jotting down what I didn’t know separately and looking up relevant books to read. I read the required books provided by the school and, through my instructor’s meticulous feedback, my writing skills gradually improved.
The essay practice involved submitting a piece every month and revising it until it was approved. By repeatedly submitting revised versions—addressing weaknesses and correcting formal errors—I eventually became able to write essays that were accepted on the first try. We also compiled our essays into a booklet; reading my classmates’ work allowed me to reflect on my own writing, and it was meaningful to see the tangible results of our collaborative efforts.
The career exploration program was designed to facilitate both exploration and in-depth study simultaneously. The school categorized students into broad fields—such as economics, politics, journalism, and the humanities—to identify their interests. As a member of the humanities track, I was able to refine my interest in German language and literature through career counseling and study groups. The study groups, composed of students with similar interests, served as a platform for deeper learning and the exchange of information.
The greatest benefit I gained from these school activities was the “structure of setting my own study plan, carrying it out with peers, and receiving feedback.” I realized firsthand that actively utilizing school programs can help address areas that are difficult to tackle alone, and this has become a learning attitude I continue to practice in college.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Collaboration, and My Reflections
Throughout my school years, I experienced firsthand on numerous occasions just how significantly collaboration and consideration impact academic performance. In the small, elite Saturday remedial classes, we frequently worked in groups to solve problems by asking questions and discussing areas we didn’t understand. When someone asked a question, other classmates would supplement the answer, and the teacher would also join the discussion to provide a more in-depth explanation.
During the refreshment breaks or social gatherings held after class, we naturally shared our concerns with one another while unwinding from the stress of studying. Through these conversations, a culture developed where we shared study methods and worked together to solve difficult problems; within this environment, I learned how to accept others’ perspectives and articulate my own thoughts coherently.
Cooperation was also key in the in-depth career study group. The study team drafted plans through meetings and shared materials and activity reports on our group chat. We checked each other’s progress and exchanged feedback through the publicly shared reports, and our advisor evaluated our diligence based on these reports while offering appropriate advice. Sharing challenges with friends who shared the same interests made choosing and preparing for my career path much easier than if I had been struggling on my own.
Through these experiences, I realized the value of the “process of solving problems together.” I learned that even in a competitive environment, friendly competition and mutual support are possible, and that sometimes my small acts of consideration can serve as a catalyst for others’ growth.
Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans
The decisive factor in my decision to apply to the German Language and Literature Department at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies was my major-related experience in high school. While majoring in German at a foreign language high school, I systematically studied reading comprehension, listening, speaking, and grammar, and my interest in German literature grew as I participated in in-depth reading study groups with my peers. Encountering classics such as Goethe’s ‘Faust’ sparked a career aspiration to study German literature in greater depth.
In college, I plan to study German language and German literature systematically as separate disciplines. During my freshman year, I will lay a solid foundation in my major to improve my German language skills while simultaneously preparing for certified language proficiency exams. I believe that reading a wide variety of works is essential for literary research. I plan to read extensively, including the complete works of authors such as Hermann Hesse and Rilke—whom I did not have the opportunity to read thoroughly in high school—in addition to Goethe.
After establishing a solid foundation through reading, I will cultivate a critical perspective by reading literary essays and critiques. Starting in my third year, I plan to develop my research capabilities by selecting my own topics, writing short papers, and receiving feedback from my academic advisor. Through the experience of writing not only my thesis but also several papers throughout my studies, I aim to develop the ability to construct logical arguments and refine my research topics.
Once I have developed both my language skills and research capabilities, my goal is to graduate as a humanities scholar who is fluent in German. Building on this foundation, I hope to apply my expertise in various fields, including academia both in Korea and abroad, as well as in culture, publishing, and translation. I am confident that the systematic learning I experienced in high school, along with the culture of feedback from peers and teachers, will serve as a solid foundation for my academic and career preparation in college.
