In this blog post, I will outline my motivation for applying to the Department of History at Kyung Hee University, as well as what I learned and how I prepared, focusing on my academic performance, school activities, and leadership experiences during high school.
Academic and Extracurricular Experience
Academic Efforts
As someone with a deep interest in Korean history, I was a student who eagerly looked forward to every Korean history class. I actively led the class by asking various questions during every Korean history lesson and deepened my understanding of the subject through active participation in class activities. As I decided to pursue a degree in history, I spent a great deal of time reflecting on the question, “What is history?” After much contemplation, I resolved to cultivate an attitude of researching and studying the essence of any event, recognizing that history can be studied in diverse ways by historians and interpreted differently by each individual. Consequently, throughout my school years, I focused on understanding diverse historical perspectives and events, and I concentrated on activities where I sought out books to compare and analyze viewpoints that contradicted what I had learned.
For any content I didn’t fully grasp in class, I jotted down notes in a separate notebook to analyze the causes and consequences of events. I also built up my historical knowledge by reading various history-related books, such as *Battleship Island*, *The Unfinished War*, *Stories of Independence Activists*, and *A Biography of Yeo Un-hyeong*. Whenever I struggled to grasp the flow of a topic while studying, I would create my own timelines and blank maps, writing down my personal understanding of history in my notebook. As I encountered the numerous historical records supporting a single event and the various ways they could be interpreted, I became deeply fascinated by history and immersed myself even further in my studies. The history notebook I created was another work of art containing my own unique understanding of history, and as a result of those efforts, I received the Grand Prize in the Korean History category at the school’s Humanities and Social Sciences Critical Thinking Competition.
Believing this study method would be even more effective for social studies, I introduced it to my mentee, and together we improved our academic performance and achieved excellent results. Furthermore, as this study method received a positive response, I was featured in a newspaper article as a school representative, which gave me a great opportunity to introduce my unique study method to many students. Through this experience, I realized the joy of learning and sharing, and I developed a historical perspective through a deep understanding of history.
School Activities
The “Regular Wednesday Rally for Comfort Women” served as a catalyst for me to feel the tragedy of history and the reality of grossly inadequate compensation. During Korean history class, I once volunteered to prepare a presentation criticizing Japan’s distortion of history, including the Imna Japanese Province theory and the colonial historiography. While preparing this presentation, I focused on finding rational historical evidence and seeking fundamental solutions rather than approaching historical issues emotionally.
As the club president, I planned and led the club’s Wednesday rallies to raise awareness among more people about the severity of the comfort women issue and to urge Japan to offer a genuine apology. At the time, to foster a sense of historical awareness among club members, I organized an essay contest for my schoolmates under the theme “What if it were me?” Following the Wednesday rallies, I sold bracelets to support the comfort women survivors, hosted a Dokdo flash mob, and organized a “History Golden Bell” quiz, taking it upon myself to serve as a historical ambassador for the school. I also displayed history-related articles I had collected online on the bulletin board to help spread awareness of Korean history.
Friends who read the articles thanked me for sharing facts they hadn’t known before, and I felt a sense of pride seeing them engage in even brief conversations about historical issues. Through this experience, I began to reflect on what it means to be a history teacher—my dream—and took the time to consider what kinds of activities could help students feel more connected to history, rather than simply learning it from textbooks.
Newspaper Clipping Discussion Activity
Through my independent club activities, I was able to cultivate a broad perspective on the world. Believing that anyone studying history must embrace diverse viewpoints, I began clipping editorials from the Chosun Ilbo and the Hankyoreh to compare their differing perspectives. However, I realized that simply clipping articles wasn’t enough for in-depth learning, so I created the independent club “Agora” to share diverse opinions with my friends.
Every week, after clipping newspaper articles, we presented our views and engaged in free-flowing discussions, which helped us cultivate an attitude of understanding others’ values. In particular, while attending a lecture on refugees, we compared the perceptions of the United States and European nations regarding international issues, and club members took turns representing the positions of various countries during our discussions. Through this, I gained insight into the historical issues and interests of various nations entangled in international issues, and by engaging with diverse current affairs, I developed a broader perspective on the world.
Based on these experiences, I will not neglect the acquisition of historical knowledge as a future history major at Chung-Ang University. I will study and research history under the guidance of an excellent faculty and strive to develop the qualities necessary to become a history teacher.
Empathy and Leadership
In my sophomore year, I was elected class president on a friend’s recommendation, but less than a month later, our homeroom teacher left the school. With communication with the teacher cut off, my classmates began exhibiting irresponsible behavior—such as skipping evening study sessions, causing disturbances during self-study periods, and arriving late—and the class atmosphere deteriorated, leading to frequent conflicts. As the class president, I reminded myself of my responsibilities to maintain a focused learning environment despite the teacher’s absence. I convened a class meeting to explore solutions.
We wrote down areas for improvement on slips of paper, placed them in a box, and took turns drawing five slips each week to discuss and gather feedback. Through this process, I learned to listen to my classmates’ opinions and developed an attitude of compromise and acceptance. Rather than immediately reprimanding noisy classmates, I sought ways to change the class atmosphere without offending them, leading me to create and implement a “One Student, One Role” system. This activity was designed to instill a sense of responsibility by assigning each class member a small role.
As a result, we were able to create a more positive learning environment than before, and when a new homeroom teacher was assigned, we were praised for our exemplary behavior. Watching my classmates change, I felt a sense of responsibility as a leader and the satisfaction of guiding change in the right direction. I learned that a true leader is someone who leads collective development by setting an example, and that cooperation is the most important aspect of organizational life.
Motivation for Application and Preparation Process
The Department of History at Kyung Hee University was an attractive option for me, as I wanted to learn accurate history and share it with more people. Since the department’s establishment, it has been actively engaged in historical education and research, and I felt there would be much to learn from its outstanding faculty. I was drawn to the substantive education offered by the Department of History at Kyung Hee University because I wanted to conduct historical research at a broader and more specialized educational institution.
I grew up reading biographies of world figures and books on Korean history, and I never neglected my studies, believing that history is our very roots. I harbored a dream of becoming a history teacher one day and contributing to the development of Korea, and my parents nurtured this dream by taking me to historical sites such as the Independence Hall of Korea and various museums. Building on this foundation, I poured my passion into history during school classes, acquiring diverse knowledge through active questioning.
In particular, serving as the president of the history club was a memorable experience. I joined the club to compare and analyze various historical sources and gain deeper historical knowledge, and I carried out various activities such as producing a history newspaper and researching and presenting on independence activists. I oversaw the editing and planning of a history newspaper covering the April 19 Revolution and the Jeju April 3 Incident. I also read the book *1,129 Days of the Korean War* and wrote about my reflections after participating in events such as writing letters to invited speakers and submitting book reports.
In Korean history class, I was nicknamed the “Question King” for constantly asking questions and discussing them with friends, which helped broaden my historical perspective. In the Goryeo Foreign Relations class, I experienced the perspectives of various nations through role-playing and put in significant effort to understand and summarize the causes and consequences of historical events. When studying the opening of the country and modern reforms, I developed an attitude of embracing diverse historical viewpoints by logically presenting evidence-based arguments from multiple perspectives.
I took a keen interest in late Joseon diplomatic relations by documenting and analyzing Heungseon Daewongun’s isolationist policy and its aftermath, and by asking questions of my teacher. I believe that the historical knowledge and passion I have accumulated thus far will serve as a solid foundation for further growth as a student in the Department of History at Kyung Hee University.
