The mass media nowadays are emphasizing how all the youth are engaged in getting high GPAs, and high test scores such as TEPS, TOFEL and TOEIC to get into ‘good’ companies. However, I don’t think getting standardized into these means of evaluation is beneficial. What is more important is what we experience and learn in our lives. No two people in the world live the same life. Hence, what distinguishes us from anybody else is our own ‘story.’ Everybody has their own story and are valuable because of that. Hence, I would like to suggest to the readers to have new experiences that will nourish and diversify their lives.
An important aspect of having new experiences is getting to know more about ourselves. I am currently in my senior year, and am planning on going to graduate school next year. Actually, I am more certain about going to graduate school than I was last year, since I had the opportunity of working as an intern at a company this winter. It is not that it was a bad experience. As I was participating in a project, I had to utilize many physics concepts that I was not familiar with, and thought it would be better for me to study them first before utilizing them. This is just my case, and maybe other people thought differently and decided not to go to graduate school. What I wish to say is that you will not know for certain until you actually experience them.
Then, how can we start having new experiences? Fortunately, POSTECH is one of those schools that offer many great opportunities, engaging in distinct activities. I am personally interested in education and teaching, so I have been participating in the student mentoring program (SMP) as a mentor for the past three years. Also, I had the opportunity of experiencing the educational environment in other schools such as Technische Universitat (TU) Dresden, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), and Korea National University of Arts (KARTS) as an exchange student. This is my example, and there are many other activities you can do at the school according to your interest. One that I believe will be beneficial to everybody is the Summer Experience in Society (SES) program that POSTECH has been offering since last year. I also have applied for the SES program this semester, and am looking forward to working at Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) in this summer.
Let me wrap up by introducing a quote from one of my favorite scientist: Richard Feynman. “Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn't matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough.” I hope that everybody explores the wonders in their lives, and nourish their inner assets.