In this blog post, I will outline my academic efforts, school activities, examples of consideration and cooperation, and career exploration experiences from high school to support my application to the Acting (Musical Theater) program in the Department of Performing Arts at Kookmin University.
Writing About Academic Experiences and Reflections
Upon graduating from middle school, attending an arts high school was a clear goal for me. To make my dream of becoming an actor a reality, I prepared for the college entrance exams by staging a one-act musical. As a result, I was admitted to the Department of Acting at Seoul Performing Arts High School, where I studied not only musical theater but also stage and film acting. The satisfaction of learning exactly what I wanted to learn fueled my enthusiasm throughout my high school years.
First, through traditional acting classes, I laid the foundation for emotional acting and script interpretation as demonstrated in theater performances. Believing that acting talent alone has its limits, I made a concerted effort to thoroughly master the theoretical aspects of my major and apply them in practical exercises. My major coursework included intensive study of Understanding Theater, Theater Production Practicum, Acting, Stage Technology, and Theater Appreciation and Criticism.
Starting in my sophomore year, I delved deeper into the various genres of acting, singing, and dancing required for theater, musicals, film, and television dramas, and through repeated training, I mastered the comprehensive art of acting. As I advanced to my upperclassman years, I gained experience in group rehearsals and performance preparations with fellow students in my major, and my skills improved significantly as I took part in actual stage productions. Although preparing for festivals and performances could have led to neglecting my general academic coursework, I made an effort to balance both by juggling major-specific practice with my regular classes to ensure I excelled in both my grades and practical skills. If I were to assign a weight of 100 to general academics, I would allocate a relative weight of 80 to my major to maintain that balance.
Description of Major On-Campus Activities and Reflections
Our school was active in holding regular end-of-semester performances and inter-departmental competitions. Since winning these competitions resulted in funding and awards for the department, enthusiasm for participation was very high; moreover, because the school’s chairman served on the judging panel, winning an award directly reflected on the department’s honor. As the department representative during my sophomore year, I felt a strong sense of responsibility for the graduation performance, and in the process of preparing alongside the freshmen, I had many opportunities to lead them as a senior.
During the preparation for the performance, we held meetings to decide on casting, stage design, direction, acting, the script, and staff assignments. We selected talented students based on their applications, regardless of grade level, and while we formed a passionate team of both actors and staff, we lacked students willing to participate in scriptwriting. Therefore, I decided to structure the story and write the script myself.
I had always been interested in the structure of drama scripts, and my experience honing my playwriting skills and theory through the “Drama TruGi” club gave me the confidence to take on this task. To create a script that would appeal to my classmates—who are all excellent actors—I gathered their opinions through a survey and incorporated their feedback to complete the work. Centered on a story that blended everyday life with the process of preparing for a performance at an arts high school, we crafted a repertoire that made the audience both laugh and cry by skillfully mixing humorous scenes, philosophical dialogue, and comedic elements.
Writing About Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections
The district office where I live frequently hosted film festivals and cultural events for children, which is how I learned about the opportunity to perform on a local stage. I personally recruited actors to form a team and planned an English-language musical with educational content. Since the primary audience was elementary school students and younger, I crafted an educational and moral story centered on family love, and I was able to handle storyboarding and directing without any pressure.
Since writing the English script was challenging, I worked with friends on the team who were strong in English to handle translation and pronunciation practice simultaneously.
Several of us took turns writing the script in a relay-style process, and a friend with excellent pronunciation took charge of pronunciation coaching; with everyone participating passionately, we successfully completed the production. Through this process, I realized how crucial cooperation is—leveraging each person’s strengths to divide roles and compensate for one another’s weaknesses.
Starting with the performance at the district office, this program led to requests from other district offices and outdoor venues; it became a rewarding experience that continued to garner interest and even earned us awards. The sense of accomplishment gained from preparing and presenting the performance together with the local community was not merely personal growth but an artistic contribution to the community, and it solidified my resolve to continue this kind of sharing and collaboration in the future.
Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans
Since high school, I have been preparing to become a “future-oriented talent” in the performing arts field. Here, “future-oriented talent” refers to the next generation of experts who will lead the development of the performing arts sector. I have strived not only for success as an actor but also to deepen my understanding and experience in related fields, such as musical scriptwriting, screenplay development, storyboard creation, stage direction, and production planning.
While faithfully completing the curriculum provided by my school, I did not wait for opportunities to be handed to me but actively sought out my own stages; I also produced and presented my own screenplays and programs outside of school. As a result, I was awarded scholarships sponsored by a local broadcast station and a major hospital, which covered a significant portion of my tuition, allowing me to continue my studies.
Moving forward, I aim to become a creator with a comprehensive understanding of the performing arts by honing my skills as an actor while simultaneously developing my abilities in scriptwriting, directing, and production planning in a balanced manner. The diverse hands-on experiences I gained in high school and my participation in external projects have laid the foundation for this goal, and I intend to further solidify my career path by learning more specialized theory and practical skills through my college studies.
