In this blog post, I will summarize the key points for the academic efforts, extracurricular activities, and examples of consideration and collaboration sections of the Keimyung University personal statement.
Academic Efforts and Learning Experiences
Let’s Study Systematically by Creating Annual, Monthly, and Weekly Schedules
I wasn’t particularly interested in studying at first. However, once I found my dream, I decided I needed to study diligently. But when I suddenly tried to study, I couldn’t seem to get into it properly. I had clearly intended to spend one hour each on the Verbal, Math, and Foreign Language sections during the three-hour evening self-study session, but often, the three hours would fly by just working on the Verbal section. Then, once I got home, I’d be so tired and sleepy that I’d rush through the Math section and fall asleep without even touching the Foreign Language section. I’d fall asleep in a daze, and every morning when I woke up, I’d be disappointed in myself and wonder why I lacked such perseverance and passion. Then, during a chance consultation with my homeroom teacher, I realized that this was happening because I had a fundamental misunderstanding of how to make a study plan. The moment I saw the study schedules of the seniors who did well, I couldn’t help but be amazed. Instead of planning for a single month, they were setting their final goals for the entire year and working toward them. These seniors, who had laid out a broad annual plan, placed their weakest subjects at the end of their overarching goals. They then broke down their progress month by month and assigned daily study loads that were challenging enough to require hard work but not overwhelming. By focusing solely on moving forward, they ensured they would achieve their target grades according to their plan. I was truly amazed after seeing how these seniors studied. I decided I needed to do the same. So, I set new goals. I established targets for language, math, and foreign languages to be achieved by the end of my third year, setting realistic benchmarks based on my current abilities. Then, after assessing exactly what I needed to study to reach those goals, I created a monthly plan accordingly. As a result, I no longer felt overwhelmed by the volume of work, and I stopped losing sleep over the fear that I wasn’t actually studying. By calmly following that plan, I achieved my goals for the first time in my life by the end of my sophomore year.
Extracurricular Activities
The Electromagnetic Development Club: An Activity That Planted Dreams and Hope!
I didn’t have any dreams. I wasn’t a good student, but my mother insisted I had to go into the humanities track, so I ended up there by default. Within that environment, I felt like I was being treated like a criminal for not being able to study well, so I always lived in fear. The reason I couldn’t even bring myself to think about doing well in school was that my grades were so low, and when I saw my hardworking classmates, I was always struck by how much effort they put in—far more than I could ever muster. Those were days when I wasn’t envious of how well they studied, but rather of how hard they worked. It was club activities that ignited my passion. The Electromechanical Invention Club. The very concept of this club seemed unimaginable to me. How could people like us possibly invent electromechanical devices? Isn’t that something only Einstein would do? That’s what I used to think. But as the saying goes, “If your friends go to Gangnam, you go too”—once I joined the club and saw the machines we were working on, I realized their appeal was far greater than I had expected. We weren’t inventing machines from scratch; instead, we created new machines by utilizing simple moving parts or principles from existing ones. For example, we took the heating element from a coffee machine to build a portable heater, and we repurposed parts from a humidifier to construct stage props. It wasn’t about inventing completely new machines, but rather creating something new based on existing ones. That concept held a significant appeal for me.
The family-like atmosphere within the club, along with the inspiring sight of upperclassmen staying up all night in the club room doing things other than studying, also played a key role in drawing me into this club. That’s why I decided to join and start participating. As a freshman, I balance my time 50% on studying and 50% on club activities. Since there’s a lot to study, I’ll focus on building my knowledge through mechanical engineering study groups. At the same time, I’ll learn how to work with machinery by assisting the upperclassmen with their projects. Since many parts require safety measures, I’ll observe and learn these procedures by working alongside them. After that, starting in my sophomore year, we formed teams to submit invention proposals and began discovering, one by one, the ideas that had previously existed only in my mind. While giving presentations and engaging in heated debates and arguments with other teams, we always maintained a family-like atmosphere after the discussions ended, helping each other with our inventions and maintaining the machinery. What I felt while working on these various inventions was “fun.” Before I knew it, I saw myself enjoying these activities. And before I knew it, I found myself staying up all night working on them. I used to wonder, “How can anyone stay up all night studying?” but it began to feel natural to me, and I was pouring all my passion into it for the sole reason of seeing it through to completion. That’s why, quite naturally and without a second thought, I set my sights on majoring in electrical engineering.
Examples of Consideration and Cooperation
What I Learned While Helping a Friend Who Was Sick
There is a friend of mine. We had only known each other by name before, but we ended up in the same class and became deskmates by chance. To be honest, I had prejudices against this friend. Since they always seemed to have no friends and appeared listless, I used to wonder, “Why is this person so gloomy?” Then, one day, we happened to share our inner thoughts, and I learned that this friend had juvenile diabetes. The most significant symptom of juvenile diabetes is that, on the surface, the person looks perfectly fine and healthy—and doesn’t even seem to be in pain—yet they’re always listless and weak. It’s a condition that makes them vulnerable to stress, to the point where they could go into shock if stressed, but it’s a condition that’s hard to explain. Because of this, when they get stressed, they become incredibly lethargic, but since others have no way of knowing this, their friends naturally drifted away, leaving them alone. I decided I had to help that friend. So, I started by telling my own friends about him and introducing him to them. Whenever I met friends and heard them gossiping about him, I stepped in to protect him, explaining his condition and speaking up on his behalf. As a result, more and more people came to understand his situation, and as the number of people who understood his struggles grew, people gradually began to gather around him. Starting with me, true friends began to form around him. And what I felt while helping my friend with his illness was “understanding.” When there is mutual understanding between people, there are actually many things we can overlook. Even if someone seems listless or gloomy, once you learn their circumstances, your capacity for understanding broadens, and you can overlook even unusual behavior. That’s why I realized the importance of explaining things. And I realized I must make an effort to understand. Since then, whenever I meet people, even if they occasionally act strangely, I’ve become someone who listens to their story and strives to understand them.
