In this blog post, I will summarize my academic efforts during high school, school activities, examples of consideration and cooperation, and my background—all from an experiential perspective—in preparation for applying to the Department of Korean Language Education at Daegu National University of Education.

Academic Efforts and Learning Experiences

I enjoy reading and writing, so I worked hard to improve my grades in language and foreign language courses. However, even though I performed well on practice exams, my scores on regular exams remained at Grade 2, which was a source of concern for me. To address this issue, I created a notebook to analyze my wrong answers and discovered that there were specific types of questions I frequently got wrong. Afterward, I decided to study language and foreign language subjects in conjunction with one another.
I chose to organize the theory and grammar of both subjects in a single notebook because I believed they share the common principle of “language.” After thoroughly mastering sentence structure and grammatical systems with a focus on English, I added Korean grammar to compare the grammatical and structural differences between the two languages. For example, using the English sentence “I LOVE YOU” as a reference, I categorized the parts of speech into subject, verb, and object. I then studied how the Korean sentence “I love you” has different part-of-speech placements, resulting in a different interpretation and sentence structure despite both being in the same three-part sentence pattern.
By organizing and comparing the material in this way, my knowledge of each language and their sentence structures became interconnected rather than isolated, creating a cohesive framework for understanding. As a result, I gained confidence when solving grammar problems and no longer struggled to distinguish parts of speech or analyze sentence structures.

Meaningful Extracurricular Activities

Starting in my freshman year, I consistently read newspapers and news reports, developing an interest in current events and issues, and I cultivated the habit of reading articles in the order taught during NIE (Newspaper in Education) classes. The NIE club, formed by students with shared interests, gradually evolved into a current affairs debate club and expanded its scope of activities as a student-run club with an 18-year tradition.
After joining the club, I participated in current affairs debates and wrote columns. While I was accustomed to presenting opinions backed by various pieces of evidence during debates, writing columns centered on my own thoughts felt unfamiliar and daunting. I came to realize that a column must go beyond mere criticism and carefully construct arguments based on diverse experiences and evidence.
In my sophomore year, as the club’s activities expanded, we launched a campaign at a subway station on the topic of “The Dangers of Endocrine Disruptors.” I made promotional signs and sticker sheets myself and encouraged citizens to participate in surveys and polls, which allowed me to gather a wide range of opinions. This hands-on experience provided practical evidence and examples for my columns and articles, enhancing their persuasiveness.
When I had the opportunity to write for the club newsletter, I wrote an article summarizing the surrogacy debate after watching “The Ultimate Debate,” as well as a feature article compiling campaign photos and survey results. Through the process of reporting and writing articles, I learned how to go beyond mere reporting to incorporate my own perspective and arguments, which helped me develop both insight and communication skills.

Examples of Practicing Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation

Alongside my activities in the current affairs debate club, I participated as a founding member of the club newsletter, selecting and writing articles each month. Since consistently producing new articles within the limited space available on campus was no easy task, I also paid close attention to school events and other club activities.
In particular, as editor-in-chief, I took responsibility for spearheading a feature story titled “Saving the Environment: Let’s Start Close to Home.” The special feature addressed the current state of recycling on campus and the issue of food waste, while the feature story involved exclusive coverage of the environmental club president’s plan to revitalize the flower beds.

I interviewed the organizers and systematically organized the content, while my junior members provided photographs and shared their experiences participating in the flower bed maintenance.
Rather than simply listing schedules and proceedings, I strove to vividly convey what I had seen, heard, and experienced firsthand; as a result, the article attracted students’ interest and led to high levels of participation. Receiving a thank-you note from the environmental club, I felt a great sense of fulfillment from the experience of achieving meaningful results through division of labor and collaboration.

Strengths in Personal Development and Teaching Practice

Through my involvement in the current affairs debate club and reporting for the school newsletter, I have accumulated a broad base of social and cultural knowledge. I believe that teaching requires not only a broad background of knowledge but also the ability to connect and explain that knowledge effectively. Therefore, I am confident that the knowledge and reporting experience gained from these club activities have helped lay the foundation for my career as an educator.
Furthermore, driven by my interest in language subjects, I have strived to understand the fundamentals of the Korean language and writing. Through the book ‘Oral Language, Writing, and Literary Culture’, I reflected on the essence of communication—encompassing oral tradition, written language, and even digital media—and came to realize the importance of communication skills. I believe that Korean language education should contribute to facilitating social communication by laying the groundwork for literacy and communication.
Therefore, drawing on the experience I have accumulated in reporting, debate, and writing, as well as my empathy and communication skills, I aim to further develop my competence in Korean language education through university studies and become an educator who teaches “communication and empathy through the Korean language.”