For senior Hyunchan, some surprising news from the U.S. came when he opened his college acceptance letters this spring.
Hyunchan moved from Korea to Vietnam, and has been studying at St. Paul for four years. He is now considering attending some of the world’s most prestigious universities.
We sat down with Hyunchan to discuss how he secured spots at Johns Hopkins University in the United States., the University of Toronto in Canada, and KAIST, the top STEM school in Korea.
“When you’re not confident about yourself, he (Mr. Gus) always pushes you to the positive end. I think that’s a good thing he does for his students.”
Hyunchan admits that he almost didn’t apply to Johns Hopkins, a global leader in bioengineering. Mr. Gus, our University Guidance Counselor, told him to aim high and put in the application.
That push proved to be life-changing. Not only did he get into Hopkins, but he was also nominated for the prestigious Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship at the University of Toronto.
To get the attention of admissions officers at top-tier schools in both the east and the west, Hyunchan tailored his approach and highlighted his personality in different ways.
For Johns Hopkins: He took a creative risk, writing his personal statement with a descriptive visual of Legos, one of his personal favorites.
For KAIST: He focused on a serious, visionary approach to genetic engineering. He wrote about solving problems by treating diseases at the DNA level rather than just managing symptoms.
Hyunchan’s resume is staggering. He has taken many AP courses, self-studying for a lot of them: AP Calculus BC, AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics, AP Psychology, AP Physics 2, and Physics C: Mechanics, a highly challenging, calculus-based, introductory engineering-level course that is considered the second-most difficult AP Course. At St. Paul, Hyunchan took what is considered the most difficult course, AP Physics 1, as well as AP Statistics, AP Biology, and AP Spanish.
Though Hyunchan is all-in with bioengineering, he spent some time with extracurriculars like Model UN, Eagles Guitar ensemble, and Mathletes competitive math events. The Model UN helped him develop skills in debate and communicating opinions clearly. He says this will help him in the future as health policy can be political.
He appreciates the opportunities the extracurricular activities provided by our school, as playing guitar or solving a math problem are often individual activities. But through St. Paul’s music program and The Mathletes, he got to collaborate with a team, travel to competitions, and see parts of the world he wouldn’t have been able to explore otherwise.
With acceptances from three world-class institutions, Hyunchan faces a difficult choice. He is still considering all three as offers of possible large scholarships are still pending.
Before he heads off to change the world of genetic engineering, Hyunchan left us with some parting wisdom for those aspiring to follow in his footsteps:
“At St. Paul, the teachers want you to succeed, and the school offers opportunities for students to take chances and challenge themselves.” Hyunchan says. “That is what I will miss the most about my time here.”
Congratulations, Hyunchan! Incredible achievement We can’t wait to see which path you choose.
