In this blog post, I’ll summarize examples for each section of a personal statement for admission to Dankook University’s Department of Mathematics Education, covering my academic efforts, school activities, examples of consideration and cooperation, and my motivation for choosing this major during high school.
Academic Efforts and Learning Experiences
Since both of my parents are high school math teachers, the atmosphere at home naturally put pressure on me to excel in math. I worked hard to live up to my parents’ expectations, but my grades actually dropped during my sophomore year, and there were times when I even received a grade of 3 or lower. Personally, I had a goal of following in my parents’ footsteps and becoming a math teacher, but when my grades didn’t meet my expectations, my confidence plummeted. My parents advised me not to get too anxious and to calmly find my own study method. Based on that advice, I launched my own “Project: Perfect Score in Math,” setting a goal to stabilize my inconsistent grades at a Grade 1. To reduce frequent mistakes, I cultivated meticulousness and resolved to eliminate instances where I got questions wrong even though I knew the material. Even though I had a decent grasp of the material, I frequently made mistakes on simple formulas or during application problems. To correct this, I went back to the basics, reviewed my middle school textbooks to confirm key concepts and formulas, and organized the concepts—including first-year high school material—in my notebook. I always wrote example problems next to each concept to facilitate quicker understanding when reviewing, and by studying the solutions in advanced problem books and repeatedly writing out the solution processes, I categorized application problems by type. As I went through this process, my mistakes gradually decreased and my grades began to stabilize.
Extracurricular Activities: Experience in the Math Research Club
In my freshman year of high school, I joined the Math Research Club to improve my math skills and was selected as a member after passing a written exam and an interview. Our club was characterized by students—regardless of grade level—who were passionate about math voluntarily coming together to solve problems and engage in discussions. We met twice a week to solve problems individually, write out our solution processes on the blackboard, and present them before discussing various solution methods and the intent behind the problems with other members. Sharing solution processes with others led to a faster and deeper understanding than when solving problems alone. We also held math discussions based on books we had read over the week; the book we used at the time was ‘Fermat’s Last Theorem’, which provided an overview of the history of mathematics from ancient times to the present. We also engaged in activities that applied mathematical analysis to everyday topics. For example, we mathematically analyzed taxi fares in Seoul to calculate revenue by considering the fare structure, average distance traveled, and fuel costs. I also led a discussion on the topic of the optimal price for cigarettes to reduce smoking rates. The club even produced and distributed advanced textbooks for middle school students, as well as problem sets and solution manuals for high school students. During summer break, I participated in a math camp at Sungkyunkwan University’s Natural Sciences Campus, where I attended lectures by professors and upperclassmen, which helped me develop creative thinking. Through these club activities and external lectures, I realized that math is not something distant and learned how to apply mathematical thinking in everyday life.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Collaboration: Organizing the Math Experience Festival
At the school-sponsored Math Experience Festival, our math club was selected to run a booth as representatives. The event was organized in collaboration with several local schools, and we planned the program under the motto, “See, Touch, and Think About Math.” Through club meetings, we brainstormed new hands-on activities that wouldn’t overlap with those of other schools, and by reviewing the plans submitted in advance by other schools, we identified areas where our activities could complement theirs. During the event, I went around each booth taking photos and keeping records. I put inter-school cooperation into practice by providing materials to booths that were running low and offering assistance when operational difficulties arose. As the host school, we were able to run three booths, where we conducted activities such as making Magic Cubes, creating Fibonacci flower petals, and building trees using Sierpinski pyramids. During the preparation process, we sourced and crafted the activity materials ourselves and devised an operational plan to ensure they could be recycled. On the day of the event, I felt a great sense of fulfillment seeing so many curious participants visit our booths, and we successfully concluded the festival through sharing and cooperation by tidying up and cleaning the booths afterward.
Motivation for Choosing My Major and Career Exploration
From a young age, my parents’ influence naturally fostered my interest in and love for mathematics. They frequently showed me math teaching aids and examples found in everyday life, and thanks to this, my math grades remained relatively consistent throughout my school years. When I entered high school, I struggled as the difficulty of the textbooks increased, but I did not give up; instead, I refined my study methods and achieved the results I sought. Through my participation in a mathematics research club, I gained diverse experiences—such as solving Olympiad problems, reading and discussing, attending camps, and organizing festivals—which significantly broadened my perspective on mathematics and enhanced my critical thinking skills. In particular, the experience of mentoring and guiding other students at the festival fostered my interest in mathematics education. With the goal of following in my parents’ footsteps and becoming a math teacher, I applied to the Department of Mathematics Education at Dankook University. I hope to continue studying mathematics in college while formally learning teaching methodologies and educational research. I aspire to be more than just a teacher who imparts knowledge; I want to be a teacher who develops and applies creative teaching methods to spark students’ interest. To this end, I aim to grow as an educator who proposes innovative approaches to math education through various activities, such as educational research, academic discussions, and planning hands-on events.
