Student Essay - Ryan Kim Min Cheol, Year 10, Sayfol International School - Why do people attend college?

Ryan Kim Min Cheol, Year 10, Sayfol International School

Why do people attend college?

Nowadays, students study very hard and the average student in Korea studies for twelve hours a day. They normally have their meals and sleep in the car while their mother is driving them to their tuition after school. Some students even think of committing suicide and some really do. They study so hard in order to get into the college of their choice. But why is college so important? Why do people attend college? People attend college and university to gain qualification and certificates, to get deeper knowledge and to have new experiences. 

Firstly, people want to get qualifications and certificates. If a person graduated from a famous university, he or she would get the job of his or her dreams. Nowadays, employers don’t even care if potential employees are smart or competent. They only look at what universities they graduated from. Attending college has become so common that people in companies and businesses judge one another by looking at their qualifications. Therefore, people are seeking qualifications and certificates for job purposes and status in society. 

Secondly, people go to college to study a certain subject in greater depth and get more knowledge for their future career. If we are interested in a particular field, the most likely place to gain deeper knowledge in that particular subject is in college. Even though getting a job with qualifications is easy, keeping the job is hard if one does not have enough knowledge and expertise. We need to have skills for our work. In college, we don’t only learn about the subject, we also learn about reality and how to survive in society. Thus, we attend university to gain competence at our jobs and ability to handle life. 

Thirdly, we attend university to have new experiences and meet new people. People can be exposed to new encounters that they have never had before. For example, students can get to live independently without the constant control and nagging of their parents. They get to meet people from different backgrounds and even countries. Moreover, many people meet their future spouses while at college. Hence, we gain life experiences and become friends with people from all around the world in college or university. 

In conclusion, people attend college and university because of the qualifications, knowledge and experience. I hope you spend your college years very wisely without wasting any time, enjoying every moment as it is only a short period of time and it probably will not take place again.

Student Essay - Park Soo Bin, Year 10, Sayfol International School - Escape

Park Soo Bin, Year 10, Sayfol International School

Escape

My eyes opened as I felt water dripping onto my head. The room was freezing cold and I was shivering. I was shocked that I was alone in a dark room. There were two small lights, hitting the ground at two spots. It was gloomy, dark and cold.

I was sitting in a wooden chair, tied up so tightly that I could not even move. My body was aching like I had been punched all over. I felt as if there were bruises all over my body. I didn’t know what had happened. I didn’t know what to do apart from trying to recall what might have taken place.

I could not remember a single thing. I didn’t know how the hell I ended up here. My head hurt when I tried to think I felt so scared. I cried and shouted loudly. No one answered. Later I heard footsteps coming towards me. 

I said, “Who are you?” 

They did not answer. They were coming closer and closer. I closed my eyes because I was so frightened. 

Then I heard, “Hey, be quiet! They might hear us!” 

It was my friends. I didn’t know what was happening but I just obeyed their instructions. They cut the rope that held me tight. I felt like I could breathe again.

I followed my friends and ran out of the room into a tunnel. We dashed towards the end of the long tunnel where I could see a bright light.  I got into the car with my friends. I took a deep breath. My friends began to tell me what had happened. They said that we were on the way to the theme park when suddenly some strangers dragged me into their car. My friends followed the car and waited until they left the room to come get me. I was so grateful to them. It was an experience I would never forget.

Student Essay - Kim Ja Youn, Year 10, Sayfol International School - The Visitor

Kim Ja Youn, Year 10, Sayfol International School

The Visitor

A lot of people have weird ideas about life in the countryside. They assume that living there would be very peaceful, so peaceful that it becomes too boring. Well, I am a country girl born in the countryside. I grew up with the cows and would possibly end my life on the grass. There is no actual evidence to prove the boredom. But the truth is that the countryside is full of unexpected adventures every day.

There isn’t much difference between the countryside and the city. We live busily during the spring and autumn and work all day long. We also have visitors in the countryside. The only difference would be who the visitor is. Visitors in the city are usually humans, but we would welcome God’s other creatures too. I, too, had a visitor once, who would visit me regularly every lunch time. I called him Mr. Ram. However, one afternoon, I realized that the meeting with Mr. Ram was getting extraordinarily late, I could not brush off the strange suspicious worry that I had and decided to go search for him. The forest seemed to be rustling much more than usual but I didn’t give much attention to it. From afar, I could smell the familiar scent of fresh blood. Half curious and half worried, I followed the smell and ended up finding a hungry wild wolf engulfing Mr Ram.

I froze instantly and watched the hungry beast finishing his meal. And as I observed, in shock, the eye of Mr. Ram seemed to be giving me a message. To either run away or avenge him. When the wolf had nearly finished Mr. Ram, I decided that it was my cue to leave. But perhaps the wolf was still hungry or annoyed that his meal was being disturbed, he glared at me with his fierce yellow eyes. I didn’t give in but chose to stare back at him with the fiercest look I could give. It turned back and focused on Mr. Ram. However, just as I turned away, I sensed threat. Without even looking back, I dashed towards where I came from but with the beast right behind me. Within a few minutes, I was able to see my house and with all my energy, I rushed through the door and to safety.

But it wasn’t over. I had to get rid of that beast which was howling outside my house, probably calling for his allies. I grabbed my favourite pistol and climbed up onto the roof. Calmly and in control, I targeted the wolf and with a loud bang, shot him. The bullet pierced his legs, wounding him but not enough to kill him. I was the villager’s most talented sniper which meant that I never missed a target. From the start, I was targeting his leg. There was no reason for me to kill a creature but I could determine its fate. Since his legs were wounded, he would probably starve to death or get hunted by other animals.

Showing sympathy and dropping tears for every creature wasn’t my style. That would be a waste of emotions, time and energy. Animals getting killed is nothing special; there are even people getting killed here. This is fun part of living in the countryside where people have few laws to adhere to. I think it’s the same in the city. You either hunt. Or you get hunted.

Student Essay - Jo Seong Min, Year 10, Sri KDU International School - A Lucky Escape

Jo Seong Min, Year 10, Sri KDU International School

A Lucky Escape

It was a heavy day. I planned to go camping in the mountains with my friends. So I asked four of my best friends and they agreed to spend two nights in the mountain. I was very happy at that time. I asked to meet up on Friday morning. I couldn’t sleep the night before. The next morning, I drove to the mountain. When I arrived, everyone was already there waiting for me. I brought food and a sleeping bag and everyone else brought mainly the same things. We started to pitch the tents.

At 6pm, we started to prepare dinner. The mountain was getting cold. We took out all our food. There were tuna buns with cheese, two loaves of bread and many bottles of water. After we ate, we put everything back into the bag. Suddenly, small rocks were falling down from the top of the mountain and then big ones too. We were very scared and held hands. Suddenly, the mountain broke in half and there was a landslide. I thought we were all going to die. A rock hit my head and I fainted.

When I regained consciousness, I couldn’t feel my arm. My head was covered in blood. I looked in the direction of my arm and was shocked to see that it was not there! My left arm was gone! I panicked. I knew that if I didn’t calm down, I would soon die. So, I calmed myself down and tried to focus on survival instead. Luckily, I had a first aid kit with me. I applied some medication and tried my best to stop the bleeding. Fortunately, there was lots of food left but I had to be careful not to finish it all. 

After a week, I ran out of food and water. I managed to walk around but I couldn’t find any of my friends. I couldn’t find my way out either. I found a cave that was very warm so I went in. For some reason, I felt like someone was inside. There was a big, fat, brown creature. I shouted as loudly as I could and the brown creature tried to attack me. I closed my eyes. Suddenly, the creature fell down. When I opened my eyes, I saw my friends. I was very surprised. They asked me what had happened to my arm. They said that they had come back to save me. They were rescued after the land slide. I was so happy. We slept in the cave with a fire at the entrance and waited for morning to come.  

In the morning, a helicopter came to rescue us. The next day, I saw us in the news. I was happy. We were back with our families. I had lost an arm but at least I survived. It was a lucky escape.

Student Essay - Which animal fascinates you the most and why? – by Byun Wan Joo, Year 10, Sayfol International School

Which animal fascinates you the most and why? – by Byun Wan Joo, Year 10, Sayfol International School

There are about 8.7 million different kinds of marine life, from the gigantic blue whale to the tiny plankton that causes the sea water to become green. Marine life fascinates me as we know little about it. Most unexplored places on earth are beneath the sea. As a matter of fact, marine biologists have only just started to understand the environment of the very deep seas. From the 8.7 million different kinds of marine life we know so far, the Mantis shrimp intrigues me the most.

First of all, the Mantis shrimp is able to see more than any other kind of animal. Human eyes can only produce two images and merge them to form a single picture, but a Mantis shrimp can produce six images. Each of the shrimp’s eyes is capable of producing three images and the shrimp can also clean its eyes with two cloth-like arms. These six images can merge to form two pictures. Additionally, humans can only see in three colour lengths, while these creatures can see in nine colour lengths. Imagine six more colours you have never seen before! Therefore, the Mantis shrimp’s ability to see interests me a lot.

Secondly, Mantis shrimps have the most unique way of hunting their prey. They have two limbs with wrecking-ball-like structures at the end of them. With these, they can crack open the shells of crabs, lobsters and even clams. They have the fastest punch in the world with speeds that are the same as a 22 calibre bullet travelling through the air. These punches are so fast that they cause cavitational bubbles to form, creating a shockwave. Thus, their unique way of hunting interests me.

Lastly, Mantis shrimps live in one of the most-feared and mysterious places on earth. Found on the ocean floors of the Mediterranean, they have adapted to life in harsh conditions. They have learnt ways to dig holes with their limbs and stay motionless for days to conserve energy. They are prehistoric creatures that are believed to have existed since the ice age. Moreover, they have a colourful shell that can withstand enormous pressure. Scientists say that the colourful shell helps them hunt as it will momentarily stun fishes. Therefore, the Mantis shrimp’s generations of evolution makes it a fascinating creature. 

Because of their unique way of seeing things, its powerful punches and their years of adaptation, the Mantis shrimp has easily become my favourite animal.