In this blog post, we’ll introduce examples of a student preparing for Family Welfare Studies, including their motivation for applying and academic plan, and share writing tips.
Motivation for Applying: Why You Chose This Major
During my school years, I regularly participated in volunteer activities. It was a time to meet diverse people, and those encounters had a profound impact on my life. Children abandoned by their parents due to disabilities, teenagers living in shelters because of family problems, elderly people living alone, shunned by their own children…
Meeting them made me wonder, “Why must they live like this, even though they have family?”
I began to ponder where their alienation came from and what the root cause might be, naturally drawing my attention to the community called ‘family’. Stories occasionally encountered on broadcasts, depicting families disintegrating due to deep inner wounds, only deepened these concerns.
Questions began taking root in my heart: “If they had received proper counseling and support, wouldn’t their families have been a little more peaceful?” “If families were healthy, wouldn’t the marginalized groups in society also decrease?”
After much contemplation, I resolved to study ‘Family Welfare Studies’. I believed someone must protect the ‘family’, the most fundamental community in our society. And I became convinced that this role would be the path to practicing ‘a life shared together’ and the most valuable work for me.
When families break down, the repercussions extend beyond individuals to impact society as a whole. Conversely, healthy families can contribute to social stability and welfare. Through family welfare studies, I aspire to grow into a professional who understands the diverse problems families face and can provide practical support.
As my first step, I am applying to your university’s Department of Family Welfare. I aim to develop into a talent equipped with both academic knowledge and practical capabilities, becoming a healthy link between families and society. I sincerely hope your university will be the starting point for my dream.
Academic Plan and Goals
I dream of becoming a specialist counselor for family issues. To achieve this goal, I plan to center my academic direction around ‘family’ and study intensively accordingly. Specifically, I intend to systematically learn about the roles, interrelationships, and psychological characteristics of family members, and to research the elements necessary for building a happy family from multiple angles.
Furthermore, I believe family counseling must go beyond mere verbal comfort to provide realistic and practical assistance. Therefore, I plan to study not only counseling theories but also various social welfare systems in depth. No matter how good the counseling, problem-solving becomes significantly easier when accompanied by practical institutional support.
Beyond my major studies, I intend to broaden my knowledge and deepen my thinking by studying diverse fields. Through adjacent disciplines like philosophy, psychology, and sociology, I aim to broaden my integrated understanding of humans and society. This will help me refine my perception of the small society that is the family. I believe encountering diverse perspectives will greatly aid in comprehending and resolving complex, varied family issues more holistically.
Furthermore, I will improve my foreign language skills to access international counseling theories and case studies, and to understand advanced counseling cultures. I plan to focus on developing my English language skills to freely read and utilize relevant literature. Furthermore, if given the opportunity, I wish to experience and learn directly from counseling settings abroad through overseas training or exchange student programs.
Family issues are complex subjects closely intertwined not only with the individual but also with society as a whole. I am steadily preparing every day to become a counselor who can view these issues with a professional and warm perspective, capable of creating tangible change. My journey to achieve this dream continues from this very moment.
Post-Graduation Plans
After graduation, I plan to volunteer at counseling-related facilities to gain field experience. I believe this will be a valuable opportunity to practically apply the counseling theories I’ve learned and develop my capabilities as a counselor in real-life situations. I also want to cultivate an altruistic approach to counseling while putting my academic knowledge into practice through sharing.
In particular, I wish to experience applying theoretical concepts through counseling diverse individuals. This practical training will significantly strengthen my foundational skills as a counselor. Subsequently, I intend to seek opportunities to directly experience counseling cultures in advanced countries to broaden my perspective. Even if not through formal study abroad, I aim to learn their counseling approaches, cultures, and systems through overseas counseling institutions or related programs.
While counseling has yet to become widely established domestically, I understand it is already actively integrated into daily life overseas. By visiting advanced nations that have already navigated social issues like family breakdown before us, I expect to anticipate and prepare for the trajectory of family issues Korean society will face in the future. I want to gain insights into how we can apply what we learn and what we must be cautious about to the domestic counseling reality.
Once I feel I have sufficiently developed the qualities of a professional counselor through these diverse experiences and continuous efforts, I would like to operate my own counseling center in the future. My goal is to research counseling approaches that can wisely resolve increasingly complex family issues like divorce and family breakdown, and above all, to focus on preventive counseling to ensure precious families do not easily crumble.
Moving forward, I will continue to listen attentively to each person’s story and dedicate my wholehearted efforts to improving someone’s life, even just a little, through counseling. I hope my steps, though small, mark the beginning of meaningful change.
Self-Introduction (Life Philosophy and Values)
Both my parents are teachers. They always emphasized to me the importance of etiquette and the value of living a life of mutual support. Thanks to their teachings, I have strived to hold respect and affection for elders and have cherished warm relationships with friends, sharing both joys and sorrows.
I often naturally became a confidant for friends, helping those facing difficulties or mediating between friends who had quarreled. This was recognized at school, and I even received a Friendship Award.
When I listened sincerely to my friends’ stories, they often opened up about deep concerns stemming from home life—not just academic struggles, but also issues like parental divorce or conflicts with siblings. Each time, I felt even more deeply how grateful I should be for my own family environment. I came to believe that the “life of sharing” my parents taught me was an effort to find a path to happiness for everyone.
I understand that childhood and adolescence are crucial periods in a person’s growth, forming the roots of their life. Through various experiences, I also learned that wounds received during this time can linger in the heart for a long time and influence one’s entire life. That’s why I want to be someone who can recognize children hurt by difficulties in family, friendships, or school life early on, and reach out warmly to help them before their wounds deepen.
I want to contribute, even in a small way, to building a world where everyone can live together smiling. That is the meaning of my life and the most important value I wish to uphold going forward.
