In this blog post, I will provide a detailed summary of the academic efforts and learning experiences I undertook during high school, my activities in the literature club and examples of collaboration, as well as my motivation for applying to the Department of Korean Language and Literature and my career exploration process.

Academic Efforts and Learning Experiences During High School

I believed that writing required a great deal of time. After reading about the “10,000-Hour Rule” in Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘Outliers’, I deeply resonated with the concept and resolved to practice as much as possible during high school to pursue my dream of a career in writing. Rather than simply filling time, I aimed for consistent practice, striving to write at least one piece a day while working to improve both quantity and quality simultaneously.
When writing, I did not limit myself to any particular genre or format but wrote freely based on whatever topics came to mind that day. I felt that while sticking to a set framework made writing easier, it slowed my progress, so I tried various formats to broaden my range of expression. I immediately jotted down any ideas that came to mind in my notebook, and when conceptualizing a novel, I constantly pondered character relationships and conflicts, taking notes—even staying up all night—whenever an idea struck.
I shared my completed poems, short stories, and essays with friends to receive feedback and revise them. While my own impressions were important, I believed it was even more crucial to confirm their literary value by eliciting empathy from others. Essays, in particular, have fewer formal constraints, so I frequently recorded the emotions I felt in daily life; through writing, I relieved the stress from my studies and interpersonal relationships while refining my work.

School Activities: Creative Experiences and Learning Through the Literature Club

Driven by my love of literature, I joined the literature club and participated alongside friends who shared my goal of becoming a freelance writer. In the club, we experimented with writing in various genres, received guidance from our literature teacher, and set aside time to share our critical reviews. Exchanging opinions and information with friends who shared the same interests broadened our horizons.
The most regular activity in the club was “essay sharing.” We had a tradition of submitting at least one piece of writing at each regular meeting, passing them around to read and critiquing each other’s work. Since I frequently wrote essays anyway, I was able to contribute without feeling pressured by assignments, and I was both inspired and educated by the diverse writing styles and expressions of my peers.
Through this process, I came to realize that my writing was gradually evolving into pieces that resonated with readers, and I developed the ability to view my work objectively. Evaluating my friends’ work helped me establish evaluation criteria, and with my teacher’s advice, I was able to improve the quality of my writing by addressing structural issues. The exchange of opinions was a valuable learning experience, and I am deeply grateful for it.

Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Collaboration During School Life: Podcast Video Production

During my sophomore year, my club planned to upload a podcast-style video. This project, initiated at our teacher’s suggestion, aimed to showcase the improved creative skills of our club members to the outside world. We worked together as a team to produce content while learning video filming and editing techniques.
Together with two friends, I was in charge of editing. I trimmed the filmed footage to fit the desired length, added subtitles to parts where the audio was faint, and applied visual effects to areas where the video was unclear. When introducing our works, I arranged the footage so that each piece was clearly visible in sequence, ensuring our creations were properly conveyed. Through this experience, I saw the fruits of our efforts to present our friends’ creative works in a more polished manner.
The uploaded video garnered an increasing number of views, and viewers shared their thoughts in the comments. We received a lot of support and encouragement, and it was especially helpful when writers and critics analyzed our works. Through this experience, I realized firsthand that collaboration allows us to showcase our work to a wider audience, and I came to believe in the value of cooperation.

Reasons for Applying to My Major and Career Exploration: Why I Chose to Study Korean Language and Literature

My parents raised me in environments closely tied to literature and education. My father was a doctor who also wrote poetry, and my mother was a middle school Korean language teacher who loved literature.

At home, it was a natural part of our daily routine to read each other’s work and discuss it, and growing up in that environment sparked my interest in and dream of literature.
While experimenting with various genres, I discovered my aptitude for essays in particular, and I felt a sense of growth and satisfaction in the process of expressing the emotions and thoughts I experienced in daily life through writing. I decided to apply to the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Kookmin University to learn these writing skills more systematically, build a solid foundation in basic theory, and write more profound pieces.
I believe I will experience a synergistic effect by receiving professional literary education and immersing myself in my studies at the university. My goal is to study diligently, publish my own collection of essays, and grow into a freelance writer who contributes columns.