Undergraduate /
I love to be physically involved in creating creative projects; Kinesthetic - Yale [6]
The prompt is: tell us something that you would like us to know about you that we might not get from the rest of your application - or something that you would like a chance to say more about. Please limit your essay to fewer than 500 words
Any suggestions on how to improve
Kinesthetic
I love to be physically involved in creating creative projects. By feeling the textures and curvatures of the materials I am working with, helps me learn the information much quicker. This is referred to as kinesthetic learning style. Nothing is more stimulating than focusing on projects that integrate what I learned to other aspects of my understanding of the world.
In Physics, my teacher gave the class an assignment to design an instrument to heighten our knowledge of the concepts of vibrations and sound waves. No concrete guidelines were given on how to make the instruments or what material to use, but each student was required to make some type of instrument to present in class. I researched different pictures of violins on the internet, before I started my project, to have an idea of the violin I wanted to create. I was determined to make a real working instrument.
First, I went to a crafts shop to buy a cigar box for the body of the violin. As I roamed the store, I discovered some rods which I used as pegs. I also discovered a long piece of narrow piece of wood that became the neck of the violin, and wall trim that became the scroll.
At first, designing the instrument challenged my fluid intelligence, but as I began constructing my violin, understanding of the lesson plan became clearer. As I drilled holes in the wood, I realized that the size of holes in the instrument resonate the sound of the strings, not necessarily the strings themselves. This insightful realization solidified the information in my brain. Also, as I felt the cigar box, I noticed the thickness of the instrument affected the tone of the sound. Being physically involved in the project helped me to learn the practical aspect of the lesson taught in class. Once I was finished with my instrument, I strummed the strings to critique my work. My violin was fully functional, with adjustable pegs and playable strings. Not only did I create a violin that I still have today, I learned that being an active participant in a project matters greatly.
At first, I did not fully understand why creating an instrument would assimilate my knowledge of past concepts, but as I worked on my violin I started to understand the different aspects that pertain to instruments and waves. I love to engage myself in an activity that requires me to think unconventionally to achieve my task and bring my understanding of a concept to reality.
When incorporating new knowledge, I immediately feel for comprehension. I integrate my kinesthetic learning style to make life easier, for example understanding consistency of mashed pumpkin in the preparation of pumpkin pie to keeping a mental picture of different locations in Los Angeles so my adult brother and I can navigate through Little Tokyo with a bus route map. The time I take to truly engross myself in projects I love has paid off.
