This article is a collection of different elements and examples of what to include when writing a personal statement. It will help you express yourself effectively and create a unique personal statement.

I like to travel

I love to travel. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been curious about exploring new places. My first trip with my family was the first time I saw the ocean, and the sense of freedom and exhilaration I felt is still vivid to this day. Since then, I’ve spent every spare moment exploring the mountains and rivers around me and connecting with nature. In middle school, I became interested in geography and history, and realized that traveling was more than just a way to sightsee; it was an opportunity to experience culture and history.
In high school, I didn’t have a lot of time to travel, so I relied on second-hand experiences by studying maps and reading travel books. The knowledge and imagination I gained during this time was very helpful when planning my own trips. I also realized that the appeal of travel is not just about seeing the sights, but also about discovering the hidden stories of a place, interacting with locals, and gaining authentic experiences. This led me to prefer off-the-beaten-path destinations to famous tourist spots.
It wasn’t until I got to college that I had more opportunities to put my travel dreams into action: I spent a semester abroad on an exchange program, and during my breaks, I’d head out with a backpack and explore new cities. In college, I had many opportunities to experience firsthand what I had clipped from travel books and magazines. I started a blog to document my travels and the realizations and emotions I gained from them, and it started out as a small journal, but gradually became a space I could share with many people.
I’ve always had a desire to find off-the-beaten-path places rather than the famous ones, so I’ve traveled to a lot of places, but I’ve also traveled to a lot of places. I stayed in an area for a long time and tried to deeply understand its natural environment, culture, and people. In the process, I often discovered places that are not widely known in the media but have stunning landscapes. For example, it was a great joy for me to travel to small fishing villages in Korea or lesser-known rural villages abroad, observing and documenting their daily lives.
I started documenting these precious moments with my camera and introducing them on my blog. At first, it was simply a way to preserve my memories, but over time, it became a way to interact with people who shared the same hobbies as me. It started out small, but as the material accumulated, more and more people started to visit my blog, and now the number of people visiting my blog is quite large, and many people use my blog to learn about new travel destinations and share their experiences with me.
I have a dream to travel not only to Korea but also to many other parts of the world. Currently, I have traveled to Southeast Asia and a few European countries, but I would like to experience more diverse cultures in the future. Meeting new people and understanding their lives and cultures is a great pleasure and challenge in my life, and it’s wonderful to be able to share my hobbies with others.
I believe that my computer skills (I’m proficient enough to run a blog) and my travel experiences will be a great asset to your company. I’m constantly exploring new places and sharing my experiences with others, and I think my passion and experience will be a great asset to your company.

Day trips with no plans

I love going on day trips with no big plan. I just decide where I want to go based on how I feel that morning, put on my favorite music and drive around, and I feel like my head slowly clears and I’m energized for the next day. I call it “making space for me,” and as a designer, I think it’s very important to have this space to take in new things.
It’s easy to get stuck in a design rut, so sometimes it’s necessary to break out of the routine and give yourself some space. These times are more than just a break, they can also give you new perspectives and new ideas. In fact, in the design process, these spaces are essential for coming up with creative ideas or new interpretations of your work.
The experiences we gain from day trips are more than just relaxation: sometimes we find new inspiration in a small art gallery or exhibition that we stumble upon along the way, or the colors and people we see in a market in a rural village are stimulating in a way that we can’t experience in the city. A sunrise or sunset over a secluded fishing village beach is beautiful in itself, but the stillness and tranquility of the moment can breathe new energy into your design work.
I also value my own moments of contemplation, such as looking at old ruins or artifacts to connect the past with the present. These times are more than just reminiscing about the past, they give me the opportunity to reflect on who I am today and consider where I want to go in the future. This process forces me to reflect on what I miss in my daily life, which in turn helps me create richer designs.
These unplanned day trips become more than just a break, they become an important activity to get new ideas, inspiration, and expand my inner space. It makes me realize that even if it’s just a day trip, it’s an invaluable time to improve my design work and recharge myself.

Traveling has always been a part of my life

Traveling has always been a part of my life. I traveled quite a bit during college and after graduation, but planning trips is still a hobby and something I’m good at. It stems from my childhood, when I would rewrite my travel plans over and over again to envision myself going abroad one day, until I was old enough to save up and go abroad on my own. When I was very young, I didn’t even consider transportation or the distances between cities, and I would make plans that would require transportation that was more of an instantaneous trip, like I want to eat this food that this city is famous for, and then I want to go to that city, and then I want to go to this tourist spot, and then I want to go to this city in the evening and watch this amazing sunset. As I got a little bit more knowledgeable and learned a little bit more about what transportation was like in each country, it became more and more specific, but in the end, it took me well over a decade to execute those plans that I had in my head.
After more than a decade of making and deleting travel plans like a hobby, I have now established a hobby and skill of making and deleting dozens of detailed transportation and tourist destination plans before I actually go on a trip. It is said that traveling is a unique experience, starting with the nervousness before leaving, but in my case, it is a habit that has become so entrenched in my life that there are two types of trips: the first one, which is indirectly planned in detail in my head, and the second one, which is actually taken.
When I actually go on a trip, the planning process often makes me feel like I’ve already been there once. I’ve already mapped out the layout of the airport, the location of public transportation, and even the amenities around the place I’m staying, so it doesn’t feel like an unfamiliar destination, and that’s what makes it so relaxing when I arrive. I have more time to spend on new experiences and discoveries, time that would otherwise be spent getting lost and wandering around.
Not only that, but when the unexpected happens, I’m able to react quickly because I’ve already simulated different scenarios in my head. Like a prepared traveler, planning for every eventuality enriches my journey.
Maybe this habit has even made me more proactive. The time I spend planning my trips, deepening my understanding of the local culture and history, and exploring each city to discover its charms, opens up another world to me, so that every time I set out for a new destination, it feels like it’s not just a geographical place, but another “home in my heart” that I already know and love.

Speaking of local festivals, I go to them all

I love local festivals. Not only local festivals in Korea, but I’ve been going to them since I was in my twenties and have even experienced festivals in other countries when I traveled abroad. I’ve always had a special interest in local festivals since I was a kid, and when it was time for the festival, I would see the banners hanging around town and the excitement on people’s faces, and I felt like I was already a part of the festival itself. This feeling was naturally enhanced by the excitement of the festival, and from then on, I fell in love with participating in various festivals and experiencing their charms.
I first became interested in festivals held in Korea when I was attracted to the Jihyungsun Festival in my hometown. Participating in the Jipyungsan Festival in Gimje has given me a rich and enjoyable time every year. Seeing the fields and fields in the distance, mingling with people, drinking makgeolli, flying kites, and running around in the fields, I fell in love with the charm of local festivals. More than just eating and enjoying, the Jipyungsan Festival gave me the opportunity to rediscover our rural life and experience traditional culture. The sense of community and the joy of togetherness that I felt at this festival remains a special memory for me.
There’s a perception that local festivals are a cottage industry, or that they’re an old-fashioned affair that only the elderly attend. But nowadays, local festivals are so popular that young people travel from far and wide to attend them, and young people are increasingly involved in organizing them, bringing new ideas to the table. Some of the festivals I visited were food festivals centered on local specialties, others were natural landscape festivals held only during certain seasons, and so on. For example, at the citrus festival, I was able to pick ripe citrus fruits myself, and in the process, I realized the importance of agriculture. At the trout festival, I was able to feel the thrill of catching fish with my bare hands and interact with nature. These experiences were not just sightseeing, but an opportunity to experience the life and culture of each region.
As a result, I became a festival enthusiast, visiting many local festivals in Korea, such as the Citrus Festival, Trout Catching Festival, Mugwort Festival, and Lantern Festival, taking pictures and making memories. At the annual Mugwort Festival, I would walk through the silver fields of mugwort swaying in the autumn breeze and forget about all my worries and stresses for a moment, and at the Lantern Festival, I would watch the beautiful feast of lights that lit up the night sky, warming my heart as I celebrated the end of the year.
I continued this passion abroad. When I was in France, I attended wine festivals and participated in winemaking, and when I was in Spain, I attended a tomato festival and was part of the festivities. At the wine festival, I tasted the wines of each region and learned about the history and traditions of that region, and at the tomato festival in Spain, I threw tomatoes at each other and felt a sense of liberation that I don’t feel in my daily life. In this way, traveling not only to Korea but also to other countries and always participating in festivals became my new hobby.
I now appreciate not only participating in festivals, but also talking to the people I met there and understanding their lives and cultures. I realized that festivals are more than just fun, they have the power to unite us all. In the future, I will continue to travel to various festivals around the world to experience and share their charm.

Energized by a walking tour of Seoul

I love to walk. Throughout my school life, I’ve been so busy studying for my majors, taking liberal arts courses, working part-time, and going to the library that I’ve barely had time to pursue my hobby, but I’ve always tried to walk at least a little bit. Walking has been more than just exercise for me; it’s also a way to relieve stress, clear my head, and find peace of mind, especially in my busy life when I need a little time to connect with nature.
In college, my school was in Seoul, so I tried to find trails around the city to walk. Seoul is full of buildings and busy people, but in the midst of it all, there are quiet trails and quiet paths. Finding places to listen to the sounds of nature amidst the noise of the city was like a little adventure for me, but it wasn’t easy because you have to make time to walk, and you have to have the space to walk. Finding a secluded path in the middle of the city is not easy. So I started searching for perimeter paths or walking areas in Seoul to set aside space to walk. I found a lot of sites with good information about small parks and trails, so I used them as inspiration to hike up the perimeter paths and find paths along castles and rivers around Seoul.
That’s how I started my walking tour of Seoul. I’ve taken the subway as far as Namhansanseong Fortress and walked near Mongchonto Fortress. I discovered that Seoul has many unexpected and beautiful walking trails. I’ve walked through Gyeongbokgung Palace, along Insadong, and even walked on top of Hanyangdo Castle. Even in the heart of Seoul, walking along the old castle walls felt like stepping back in time. The walking tour was more than just walking down the street, it gave me a new appreciation for the history and culture of Seoul.
As I walked along these different paths, I was able to document my walks in posts and take photos to certify my conquest of the circumference. It was fun to document my own journey and build memories along the way. Furthermore, I was able to experience Seoul’s walking tour via the subway, which was a great way to get around and feel energized. Seoul’s diverse attractions, easily accessible by subway, offered me new challenges and opportunities for discovery.
I used to be depressed and depressed because I didn’t walk enough and didn’t exercise enough, but the walks themselves were rewarding because they energized me and helped me regain my health. As I gradually improved my physical fitness, I also felt a sense of psychological security and satisfaction from walking. In this way, I can say that walking in Seoul has helped me in many ways, as it has given me energy to create hobbies and energized my life. Walking in Seoul has now become an important part of my life, and I hope to continue my journey in various ways.

I enjoy traveling

I am a person who enjoys traveling. I believe in experiencing different aspects of life through travel, and constantly learning and growing in the process. Travel is more than just visiting new places and admiring the scenery, it contributes to a deeper understanding of yourself and broadening your perspective on the world. Since childhood, I have always had different ideas from those around me, which sometimes made me feel alienated. However, over time, I realized that trying to understand these differences has made me more mature.
One of the things I realized when I was younger, while gathering the opinions of different children, was that I was fascinated by human diversity itself. Unlike people who are usually repulsed by the sight of someone with a diametrically opposed opinion to their own, I would look at people with different opinions from mine with interest and try to understand “how they could be.” This broadened my horizons and helped me develop the ability to see the world through an unbiased lens. It also had a profound impact on my growth, as I felt like I was born with a second set of eyes to complement my own lopsided opinions and fill in the gaps in my thinking, and I was able to see the opinions of people who held diametrically opposite views to mine, even if I still didn’t understand them. It was around that time that I became convinced that the more I experienced worlds and opinions different from my own, the more I could grow in my own capabilities and maturity.
There are many reasons why people travel, but for me, it’s all about expanding my horizons by entering a new world that is completely different from the preconceived notions and ideas I’ve experienced in the past, and that’s why I prefer to meet and experience different people. The fact that I don’t hesitate to leave behind the usual favorites of others and venture into unfamiliar countries that are still largely untouched by civilization also serves the purpose of satisfying my sense of exploration. I believe that these experiences will fertilize the soil for me to grow and become a greater version of myself.
I especially enjoy talking to the people I meet in my travels to understand their culture and learn about their unique worldview. In the process, I get to know myself better and discover hidden facets of myself. The sense of strangeness and excitement I feel while traveling pushes me to step out of my comfort zone and explore new possibilities, which makes me a more mature and open-minded person. In addition, the diverse people I meet while traveling provide me with new perspectives and insights, which leads to deeper thinking and understanding.
In this way, traveling is more than just a means of relaxation or escaping my daily routine; it is an invaluable opportunity to discover and grow into a greater version of myself. I will continue to explore new worlds and meet different people to expand my world even further.

Traveling to different countries

I like to travel to different countries to gain experience in seeing architecture with my own eyes, especially those with unfamiliar and new designs or interesting elements. I believe that architecture is a three-dimensional work of art that changes depending on the angle, so it’s important to see it in person, unlike a flat picture.
From ancient structures that have stood the test of time for hundreds of years to futuristic buildings that are the vision of up-and-coming designers, every building I’ve visited and encountered has had a sense of power and value. Sometimes I’ve even stayed at a location for an entire day, just to see the architecture in the context of a landscape that changes with the time of day and the weather. These experiences have inspired me to create architecture that resonates with the viewer.
I still hope that I will have the opportunity to create a building that will not only give me a sense of personal pride, but that will move me with its mere presence.

My goal is to sail around the world

My goal is to travel around the world, and to that end, I have a large poster of a world map on the wall in my room. These days, these posters are readily available, so it has become a hobby of mine to put them on the wall and look at the locations of each country whenever I have a free moment. So far, I have traveled to seven countries. I’ve been to the Americas, Southeast Asia, Asia, and Europe, and I still have a lot of countries I want to visit. In fact, I’ve dreamed of traveling around the world since I was a kid, and in order to achieve that dream, I used to choose my own destinations.
Each time, I didn’t go on a package deal or travel agency program, but rather a trip that I researched, gathered information, and planned myself. As anyone who’s ever traveled will tell you, there’s a lot more freedom in wandering and backpacking than in a pre-planned trip, and a lot more freedom in traveling alone than with a group of people. So I tend to travel alone, even if it’s a risk, and even if I do have a traveling companion, it’s never more than two people. Also, in my travel plans, I don’t settle on destinations, accommodations, restaurants, etc. in advance, but rather keep things fluid. During the actual trip, I spend most of my time walking, so sometimes I skip meals, and sometimes I eat unexpectedly. We book accommodations when we can, but sometimes we sleep in terminals if that’s not possible.
When I travel, I try to visit historic places and sites that I want to see, and I make sure to take pictures of the famous ones. I document all of these destinations on my blog, and my goal is to eventually publish a book about my travels around the world.

Travel a lot, broaden your horizons!

My favorite hobby is backpacking. While many people typically travel through tour companies, I’m not a fan of guided, cookie-cutter travel programs. Of course, the advantage of such travel programs is that they are pre-scheduled, so you don’t have to plan as much, and there are fewer risks along the way because you have a guide and insurance. These conveniences are great for first-time travelers, but over time, the excitement and sense of adventure that traveling provides can become somewhat dulled, which is why I prefer to plan my own trips and go it alone to find the real appeal of travel. I prefer trips where I pack, I find the places, I make the restaurants and the itinerary.
This way of traveling, where I arrange everything myself, gives me more satisfaction. For example, the memories of getting lost and wandering around on my first solo trip were terrifying at the time, but looking back now, I realize how much stronger I became in the process. All of these face-to-face encounters and experiences make me a broader and deeper person. When you face unexpected situations while traveling, the lessons you learn from figuring things out on your own are invaluable and can’t be taught in any book.
The reason I travel so much is not just to appreciate the beauty of tourist destinations, but to broaden my horizons and grow my perspective on life. When you go to school in the same place you’ve always lived, and see the same friends you’ve always seen, the world you haven’t experienced remains uncharted territory. It means a lot to me to break out of that familiar routine, to visit new places, and to meet and interact with people with new values and outlooks on life. So traveling is a kind of life textbook for me.
I purposely don’t travel with a lot of money because I want to get what I need on my own feet, and I feel that this process makes me grow as a person with open-minded values. By traveling frugally, I also get to experience authentic cultures that can only be felt locally. Instead of staying in expensive hotels, I stay in small lodgings with local people and experience their daily life and culture firsthand. These experiences become deeply embedded in your life and have a profound impact on the rest of your life.
In addition, I often design and go on trips with close friends, and I try to learn from them as well. Traveling with friends is a different kind of fun and learning experience than traveling alone. Friendships are deepened by the process of bouncing ideas off each other and solving problems together, and these experiences help us in our everyday relationships. Traveling with friends creates memories that will last a lifetime, and it’s an important opportunity to reevaluate the direction of your life.
Traveling isn’t just a vacation, it’s a chance to rediscover yourself and become a better person. Traveling allows you to experience a wider world, dream bigger, and push your limits. In the future, I will continue to explore new places, interact with more people, and expand the horizons of my life. The endless possibilities of traveling will allow me to grow even more.

Developing my aesthetic through art and architecture

Developing my aesthetic through appreciating art and architecture is an important part of my life. The beauty of art and architecture is more than just an experience to be appreciated, it is a product of human creativity and imagination that constantly stimulates our senses. I also try to make time to go for a walk in the mountains or travel to see natural landscapes to refresh my eyes with the natural beauty of nature.
These activities are rarely accomplished by staying at home, so whenever I have free time, I’m rarely stuck at home. I’m not stingy with my time or money, and I tend to stay active. I spend a lot of time practicing to hone my eye for beauty, and I’m also delving into architecture to further develop my sense of spatial perception and the intentional placement of objects.
But my favorite pastime is admiring nature’s artistic creations in all their forms. I often think that while landscapes created with the narrow thinking and limited calculations of humans are amazing, when we are confronted with the beauty of nature in its greater forms, we are merely trying desperately to chase after it. Nature is a perfect and magnificent work of art in its own right, and in it, we humans are both conscious of our own limitations and at the same time feel a strong desire to exceed them.
This idea inspires me greatly and deepens my passion for art and my interest in architecture. Even though humans may never be able to fully capture the great beauty of nature, the desire to infinitely approach it keeps me on my toes. Furthermore, I try to express the inspiration I get from art and architecture in my daily life, and even the small beauties I discover along the way mean a lot to me – they are more than just hobbies, they are important values in my life.
All of these activities are more than just visual pleasures, they enrich me from the inside out, and fuel me to make my life more colorful. In the future, I hope to continue this passion and live a life of exploring more art, architecture, and the beauty of nature.