In this blog post, I’ll outline my academic achievements, extracurricular activities, leadership experiences, and career plans based on a sample personal statement for applying to the Journalism and Broadcasting major at Kwangwoon University.
Academic Efforts and Learning Experiences
I have set a goal to become a journalist in the future and have been steadily preparing for it. In high school, I focused primarily on the regular curriculum, studying Korean and English in particular with a direct link to my career goals. Unlike many of my friends who were preparing for the TOEIC, I placed greater emphasis on strengthening my foundational skills in Korean. While some aspects of Korean—such as reading, grammar, speech, and writing—were not directly linked to the elective subjects on the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), I believed that studying reading and grammar was essential for building fundamental language proficiency. Believing that extensive exposure to non-literary passages would help me tackle non-literary questions on the CSAT, I focused on the “Reading for Specific Purposes” and “Reading by Topic” units to practice non-literary reading comprehension.
In the “Reading for Specific Purposes” section, I concentrated on expository and argumentative texts aimed at conveying information or persuasion. Since literary passages primarily deal with emotional expression or interpersonal interaction, I considered expository and argumentative texts to be more important for non-literary study. In my topic-based study, I gained exposure to a balanced mix of four subject areas—humanities, social sciences, science, and the arts—to familiarize myself with the characteristics of passages in each field. When reading, I checked grammatical elements, grasped the overall structure, and summarized the main points of each paragraph. Repeatedly practicing identifying the main theme, pinpointing key sentences, and analyzing grammatical elements within sentences proved very helpful when solving actual exam questions.
Extracurricular Activities: Responsible for education section articles on the school newspaper editorial board
While in high school, I was active on the school newspaper editorial board, where I reported on school and social issues. The editorial board had the advantage of going beyond simply conveying school news to cover issues across various sectors of society, and I was able to learn the basics of writing articles while covering the education section. Working in an organization led by an editor-in-chief and deputy editor, I experienced a systematic division of roles and the article production process, which allowed me to gain practical insight into the attitude and skills required of a journalist.
When choosing a section, I selected the education news desk. I had always been interested in South Korea’s education system and wanted to write articles focusing on changes and areas for improvement in college admissions and education policy. While preparing articles for the education section, I participated in planning meetings, searched for press releases and statistical data to gather information, and coordinated the division of labor. I realized that completing a single article requires clear figures and reliable evidence, and I came to understand firsthand that the ability to gather information is of the utmost importance.
While preparing a special feature on changes to the new college admissions system, I was tasked with summarizing the characteristics of the existing system and researching the background behind the reforms. Although I was not responsible for writing the final draft, through the process of gathering and verifying data, I learned that a journalist’s job is not merely about expressing one’s own opinions, but involves verifying facts and reviewing them multiple times. This experience actually made me even more interested in the profession of journalism.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, Cooperation, and Conflict Management
During my sophomore year, I served as the head of the Education News Department, where I led planning meetings and was responsible for passing on what I had learned to my juniors. While I had simply fulfilled my assigned duties as a freshman, becoming the head meant taking on greater responsibilities, such as gathering ideas, assigning tasks, and managing deadlines. It wasn’t easy to lead meetings and encourage team members to voluntarily share their opinions, and there were often instances where assigned materials were not submitted on time or lacked reliability. Therefore, while respecting each member’s research findings, I took on the role of securing and verifying backup materials to prevent problems from arising.
On one occasion, I felt a great sense of responsibility when an error was discovered only after printing had been completed. I was in charge of the final editing before handing it over to the editor-in-chief, but the printed copy contained incorrect figures and typos. Since it had already been distributed, the problem was serious, so I convened a general meeting and proposed a plan to correct the errors in the next issue and apologize to our readers. Through that process, I deeply realized the importance of close collaboration among team members and meticulous verification, and I learned how to take responsibility as a leader and correct problems.
Reasons for Applying, Plans After Enrollment, and Future Career Path
My motivation for applying to the Department of Journalism and Broadcasting stems from the fact that I have aimed to become a journalist since high school and have been gaining relevant experience. Through my activities on the school newspaper editorial board, I learned the basics of writing articles and conducting interviews, and as editor-in-chief, I also experienced the challenges of leadership and organizational management.
My technical skills improved through writing numerous articles, and realizing I still have much to learn, I became determined to further my education at the university.
In particular, I recognize the need for education-specialized reporters and am planning my career path accordingly. Believing that deep knowledge of a specific field is essential to becoming a competitive journalist, I plan to combine practical training in print and broadcast media with the study of educational systems and policies during my time at the university. I will maintain a consistent reading habit—including books and newspapers—and gain hands-on experience by covering education policy announcements firsthand. In my upper-division years, I plan to pursue an internship at the Ministry of Education to broaden my practical experience, and my ultimate goal is to work as an education reporter for a major media outlet.
