In this blog post, I will outline my preparations for becoming a veterinarian and my future plans, based on my academic and extracurricular experiences during high school.
Attitude Toward Studying
I believed there was no shortcut to studying. I knew that the institution I aimed for was one that admitted the top 1% of students and produced experts, so it naturally selected students with excellent grades. However, that didn’t mean I wanted to rely on cram school tutoring or use shortcuts like “tricks” to solve problems. Therefore, my approach was to follow the “right path.” First and foremost, I was very diligent in class. I thoroughly prepared for and reviewed each class, treating every moment of class time as precious as gold and listening with maximum concentration and dedication. Even when I was sleepy, I never dozed off. In three years, I never once fell asleep during class. I was always alert and engaged, looking forward to what I would learn and enjoying the experience. Naturally, I actively participated in class, always listening intently and answering questions. As a result, I could sense that my teachers wanted to give me more. They offered me tips on how to study effectively, how to plan my future career path, and which study methods suited my learning style. I absorbed these insights and grew as a result. Additionally, I always stuck to the basics when studying. Once a week, I set a specific time and date to take a practice exam. After taking the exam under timed conditions, I reviewed my mistakes and always pondered why I had gotten a particular question wrong. Through this reflection, I identified weak areas and reinforced my foundational knowledge. I spent my weekends productively: one day at the library taking a practice exam, and another day reviewing it and focusing on the sections I felt were weak. I always prioritized exams above all else and reviewed my mistakes more thoroughly than anyone else, striving never to get a question wrong twice. In this way, rather than taking shortcuts, I returned to the basics and studied diligently.
Volunteer Work
The activities I was most dedicated to were volunteering at an animal shelter and participating in related campaigns. As a member of my school’s animal shelter club, I took part in various activities both on and off campus. Through this work, I felt a deep sense of mission. This is because the reason those cute, innocent animals are injured or sick stems from nothing other than human greed and fickleness. People bring them home because they’re cute at first, but as soon as they become a bit of a hassle or they can’t afford to care for them anymore, they abandon them. Because of such people, these dogs end up wandering the streets, starving, and becoming outcasts who are scolded by others. If they fall into the wrong hands, they may be abused until there isn’t a single part of their body—from their eyes to their paws—that remains unharmed. These suffering animals are rescued and brought to animal shelters. But what’s remarkable is that when treated kindly again, they trust and follow people. Even though humans were the ones who caused their wounds and abused them, seeing them trust and follow those very people again often brought tears to my eyes without me even realizing it. That’s why I became even more determined to pursue my dream of becoming a veterinarian. I felt a strong desire to become a veterinarian so that I could rescue and treat these animals through a more professional system. Additionally, preparing and executing campaigns to change public perception was a valuable experience for me. It was an opportunity to understand people’s perceptions and to realize just how difficult it is to change them. First, we held many internal discussions to prepare for the campaign. After setting the campaign period, we brainstormed together about what to do within that timeframe. Over the course of three weeks of discussions, we started with public perception and debated what efforts we should make based on that understanding. People’s perceptions varied widely. The general consensus was that while animal lovers would easily agree with our views, those who didn’t care for animals would likely turn a blind eye. So, to approach people in a more accessible and fun way, we decided to kick off the campaign by taking the stray dogs we were fostering for walks while holding signs. We worked hard to prepare for the campaign we had planned over the course of a week. We started the first day with a march holding signs, held a photo exhibition on the second day, and by the fourth day, we had taken down the exhibition and began focusing on collecting signatures to establish a shelter for stray dogs. Through this, I met a wide variety of people and heard the opinions of many, ranging from those in favor to those opposed. While I recognized that both sides had valid points, I decided I needed to take a stand and act on behalf of these vulnerable animals. So, I worked even harder, and together with my juniors and seniors, we have continued to hold this campaign every six months and engage in ongoing volunteer work.
Consideration and Cooperation
Personally, I like math and am quite good at it. I think it’s true that I became good at it because I enjoy it. In fact, when I look at friends who struggle with math, I’ve noticed that quite a few of them simply dislike the subject. I realized this clearly after starting a study group. I believe that what’s needed to excel in math is a solid grasp of basic concepts, constant problem-solving, and the determination to keep repeating the process. In fact, there is no other way. Some friends seem to think that you have to be naturally gifted to be good at math, but that is also incorrect. Of course, depending on each person’s IQ or talent, the starting point may differ when first beginning. However, that is not something that cannot be overcome through effort. Even friends who are truly struggling can become proficient if they just show a little more interest. That is one of the reasons I started the study group. It broke my heart to see students who struggled with math paying nearly a million won a month to strange tutors who weren’t even competent, yet their grades didn’t improve. I knew that they didn’t need those tutors at all; anyone could improve their grades if they just took a little more interest, put in the effort, and stayed consistent. So, I started a study group with friends who were worried about math and we studied together. We typically spent two hours together on math, and I answered questions and helped solve problems for those who didn’t understand. For friends who were worried about how to study, I offered counseling and explained study methods in detail. As we did this, although there were slight variations among us, some friends began to see their grades improve. What I felt at that time was the joy of helping others and being together. I felt a great sense of pride in helping others, and I also received a lot of energy from studying together. It gave me energy and motivated me. I felt the joy of being together.
College and Career Path
After entering college, I will completely shift my mindset from that of a student to that of a professional. I will make a complete mental shift and approach my classes with the mindset that “I am thoroughly preparing to become a professional.” I will not take things lightly or study half-heartedly just because I am a student; instead, I will study thoroughly and strive with the mindset that what I learn now will become an integral part of who I am. Therefore, to lay the foundation for growing into a professional, I aim to study and work harder during my college years than at any other time in my life. However, I realized that focusing solely on studying might cause me to neglect extracurricular activities, so I plan to join clubs and societies and become someone who balances both study and activities on weekends. Fieldwork. I consider the animal shelter to be my primary field of practice. I believe that if I were to become detached from the field, I would inevitably lose my instincts, and I would struggle to stay motivated about what I need to do. Therefore, I intend to be a college student who studies hard and works part-time during the week, and on weekends, goes out into the field to volunteer more professionally and care for the animals based on the knowledge I have acquired. I want to live my life with more intensity than anyone else.
As for my future career plans, I hope to major in both veterinary medicine and business administration so that I can become a veterinarian who also leads a shelter. First, I will become a veterinarian. Then, as someone with a background in veterinary medicine, I want to be the one to secure the essential facilities and staff. While gaining experience, I will eventually establish a shelter. My greater goal is to establish a center that operates more reliably, systematically, and professionally than existing ones, as someone who has fully studied business administration. Naturally, this center will be dedicated to stray dogs. My ultimate dream is to establish and operate a place where animals abandoned by humans can live and heal—a center that is the most active in South Korea and provides a comfortable environment for their recovery.
