A year ago, I became a Postechian. Over the past year, I realized two things largely. The first thing is the difference between what I expected about POSTECH and real life, and the second thing is a mistake in POSTECH life and how to overcome it.
When I was in high school, I participated in the POSTECH program Adventures of Science and Engineering. In that event, I visited the MSE department, which I now belong to. Also, I thought POSTECH life would abound with club activities and various college events. After finishing the program, I dreamed about POSTECH, studied very hard, and entered it eventually. As soon as I entered POSTECH, I joined a soccer club and made many friends and I thought it was time to enjoy school life. However, Postechians were even busier than I thought. There were many assignments in almost every class and a heavy workload so I often stayed up all night and felt very tired. Fortunately, I realized that I was doing what I wanted to do in POSTECH. Things I loved, such as playing football and writing newspapers, energized me to do many assignments and study. However, at first, I was suprised because school life was so busy. It was different than what I had dreamed about POSTECH.
I was very stressful about the difference and tired of studying. Nevertheless, I have never been frustrated. I received advice from an advisor and seniors and tried to think positively. I thought it is natural that there should be some differences between school life and what I dreamed. Now, I recognize and accept those differences. I want to learn to enjoy each step of the journey and learn many things, not just focus only on what I feel is necessary for my future job.
Secondly, I thought about mistakes. In POSTECH, I have made many mistakes. For example, I forgot to do an assignment so I couldn’t submit it or I drank all night and couldn’t take a class the next day. Over the past year, I have made numerous small and big mistakes and I often felt depressed. However, I decided to think positively about this. Making mistakes is natural part of learning and necessary for success. I made my motto “trial and error”. I have learned a lot from my numerous mistakes and I could avoid making the same mistakes in the future.
I want to tell you, “Think positively.” In one year at POSTECH, I learned to be positive. Now, if there are some stressful situations or I make a mistake, I try to think positively. Both stress and mistakes give me lessons and I can become more mature through positive thinking and trial and error. I will always be positive as a Postechian now and forever.