In this blog post, we will take a closer look at how to write a convincing journalism and broadcasting academic plan with a focus on writing skills.
Write about your academic experience and what you have learned
“Develop the habit of solving problems thoroughly!”
The biggest part of my academic efforts was trying to develop the habit of solving problems thoroughly. I studied diligently, but at some point, I felt stuck and my grades stopped improving. The reason was that I wasn’t solving problems thoroughly. In order to solve problems correctly, I needed to understand the context and use theory to solve them, but I just guessed the answers without thinking. As a result, my grades stopped improving. So, I did my best to break the habit of not solving problems thoroughly, which had become ingrained in me since childhood. The part I worked hardest on was analyzing problems.
I thought that even though I had studied the basics thoroughly, my grades were not improving because I did not understand the types of questions. So, as soon as my second year began, I took the notebook where I had written down the answers I got wrong on the mock exams I had taken throughout my first year and looked only at the questions. Then, I started writing down the questions I got wrong. Rather than just writing down the questions, I wrote down the problems themselves, and began to identify the types of problems I had gotten wrong in the language, math, and foreign language sections. Once I identified them, I realized that in the language section, I had trouble with questions that combined three passages and asked me to find the common characteristics, in the math section, I made calculation mistakes in basic application problems, and in the foreign language section, I was often confused by grammar passages. So, I practiced solving those types of problems thoroughly. I read the passages without interrupting the context and looked for similar problems to understand what the questions were asking. There were some types of passages that I kept getting wrong, so I solved over 100 problems. As I learned the types of questions, I began to conquer the problems I was not good at one by one and started to calmly supplement the related theories. As a result, I felt my grades gradually improving, and I was able to enjoy studying.
Major school activities and impressions
“Broadcasting club activities were both the biggest challenge and blessing in my life.”
The distance between my school and my home is a total of 1 hour and 30 minutes. The reason I chose the high school I am currently attending was because of the broadcasting club facilities, and when I found out that the school provided a lot of support for school broadcasting, I decided to apply even though it meant a three-hour commute each way. So, when I was accepted, I immediately applied for the broadcasting club. The reason I was so keen on joining the broadcasting club was because I regretted not joining one in middle school. Strangely enough, when I heard the announcements and music from the broadcasting club, I felt like I belonged there, and I regretted not applying at the beginning of the semester. Therefore, even though I was busy preparing for college entrance exams during high school, I wanted to spend my high school years differently from my friends by participating in the broadcasting club, trying my hand at being an anchor, and writing scripts.
And I feel that I spent my first and second years of high school in a very unique way. First of all, being in the broadcasting club meant that I had to struggle with mornings. My friends in the broadcasting club had to come in an hour and a half earlier than the other students. This was because we had to be there by 6:30 a.m. to prepare for the morning broadcast. This meant that I had to take the first train, which started at 5 a.m., to get to school. In order to prepare, I had to wake up at least at 4 a.m., even if I didn’t eat breakfast, and I had to try my best to keep that schedule. I had to do my homework given by the school during breaks and in the evening without wasting any time, and when I got home, I had to review and do my assignments on time so that I could go to bed right away. I had to cut back on everything else to increase the amount of time I could sleep. Therefore, I had to use my time wisely and win the battle with myself every morning to get up early for the broadcasting club. Except for one time when I was very sick, I never arrived late, setting a remarkable record and becoming the hidden card of the broadcasting club.
Through my activities in the broadcasting club, I learned the joy of “communication.” In order to communicate effectively with people, it is important to structure your comments carefully. The first comment needs to pique your friends’ interest so that they will listen, and you must not neglect the context in which the dialogue is composed. In addition, after the commentary was finished, I had to select a song that matched the commentary, and the flow had to be smooth. I learned these things rather strictly from my seniors, and although it was difficult to put everything together, it was also fun, and I felt very proud when I saw my friends enjoying my commentary. In addition, I worked hard to improve my pronunciation and tone of voice, and in my second year, I enjoyed every day as an anchor. The joy of having people listen to me and understand what I was saying through my voice was incredible, and that joy became the starting point for my dream.
Examples of consideration, sharing, and cooperation, and what I learned
“Planning and carrying out a fundraiser for a friend in need.”
While participating in the broadcasting club, I reported news for my classmates once a week. Similar to a KBS radio program, I shared news about friends who were going through difficult times or needed help, and asked for people to lend a hand. The help could be something very small, such as helping a friend get together with the person they have a crush on, or announcing a fundraiser to help a friend who is fighting for their life. Therefore, the weekly news segment was the part of my broadcasting club activities that required the most research and preparation, and I was always very nervous about it. One time, I planned and helped with a fundraiser for a friend. This friend desperately needed money for a heart transplant. After hearing about his situation, I asked for his permission to inform our fellow students and suggested that we start a fundraiser. The fundraiser was successful, and although we couldn’t raise the entire amount, we were able to give him a considerable sum.
What I learned from this experience was that the problem was not the fundraising itself, but the difficulty of changing the minds of those who needed help. That was really the case. I understood why he didn’t want to let people know that he needed money, but I knew that we had to change his mind in order to raise the money, so I visited him every day and convinced him that his classmates wouldn’t think he was pitiful. It was also very difficult to explain his situation to others in a way that wouldn’t hurt anyone’s feelings. I think I spent several weeks asking teachers for help and meeting with my seniors to come up with a plan. Through this experience, I realized that if I wanted to work in broadcasting, I would have to consider all of these things carefully. I also realized that I needed to learn the relevant knowledge so that I could do my job properly and report accurately. That is why I decided to study hard to get into the journalism department.
Efforts and preparations related to your motivation for applying and career plans
“I want to be an anchor who reflects the times.”
A good anchor brings people to life. A good anchor can revive society. I felt this while watching news stations report on the numerous incidents that occurred in South Korea. Inaccurate reporting disappointed countless people, while accurate reporting gave people a breath of fresh air. Watching these events unfold, I realized the importance of reporting. And as I reflected on my own small efforts in reporting, albeit as a high school student in the broadcasting club, the sense of mission I felt and the various events that flashed through my mind made me decide that I wanted to work in the field of broadcasting. I believe that anchors reflect the times, and I dared to dream of becoming an anchor myself. That is why I decided to apply to the Department of Journalism and Broadcasting at XX University. I hope to study hard at XX University and become an anchor who illuminates the times. I want to become an anchor who thinks carefully, reports accurately, and does my best for society, giving people hope and dreams.
In order to become a good anchor, I have been working as an anchor since my first year, as I mentioned earlier. Although it is only a small broadcasting club, I considered it my first job in the newsroom, so I never arrived late and did my best in everything I did, cherishing even the smallest tasks. I also thought that I needed to read humanities books to understand the times we live in. So, I am trying to broaden my knowledge by reading difficult books one by one, including philosophy books from famous universities and books by Korean humanities scholars. There are many parts that are difficult to understand, and I feel that I need to work hard. There are still many things I don’t know, but I am reading two books a week and staying awake every morning on my way to work so that I can read them. I want to read diligently so that I can be a little more prepared for my classes when I enter university.
