A12. Are you proficient in any activities requiring manual dexterity?

[sdnmember]

What are examples of manual dexterity? Driving and video games requires a lot of dexterity, yet they seem kind of odd to put down.

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[busdriver]

What are examples of manual dexterity? Driving and video games requires a lot of dexterity, yet they seem kind of odd to put down.

when they say manual dexterity, i think they mean dexterity with your hands/fingers. with that said, i think some people put playing instruments such as piano (or clarinet as i put down) as manual dexterity. also in the past, i've heard people put things like making trinkets of some kind or making small models or something like that whether for fun or for work/research. video games doesn't really seem like manual dexterity to me cuz you're just pushing buttons (but maybe you can put that down if you have nothing else...for some reason i wouldn't though...just my opinion) and driving is mostly turning a wheel and using your feet.

 

[critterbug]

I can type a reply REALLY fast on SDN forums.....does that count??

 

[busdriver]

I can type a reply REALLY fast on SDN forums.....does that count??

no it doesn't count....it only counts if you're playing typer shark or wordracer on yahoo games... 👍

 

[Typo]

Two things I put down: playing piano and typing. In my original personal comments I included video games because of their relation to visual-spatial skills, but took it off because of the stigma associated with it.

The guy who taught my Kaplan course worked in an entomology lab and put down pinning the beetles as requiring manual dexterity. I dunno how well that flew, but maybe it'll give you some ideas. 🙂

 

[Yah-E]

Everything I listed in AADSAS:

drawing
painting
typing
video games
knitting
sewing

then I listed a bunch of dental related stuff which I experienced at Marquette Dental in a Pre-dental summer program. Video games is completely legitimate, it may look unprofessional, but lets face it, your fingers are going crazy...PLUS...check this out..."hand-eye coordination"!!! HUGE....

Video games will not hurt your application!

Driving...don't list this....that's more of your bodily coordination/muscles control than anything!

 

[msummar_smc]

How do you list them? In a bullet type format or in sentence form?

Also, I re-lace baseball gloves for local sports store ... should I list that ... it isn't easy and it requires manual dexterity and mucho strength to put the instruments and laces through the little stinkin' holes.

Also, how about having played college baseball? Some say that hitting a 90mph fastball is the hardest thing to do in sports.

 

[Yah-E]

Baseball - NO
Lacing Gloves - NO

 

[drPheta]

i put automobile mechanics, mountain bike mechanics, microelectronics. It brought up a very nice conversation during the interview.

I can see lacing gloves as dexterity, but I don't know how adcoms would think of it.

I agree that video games is considered manual dexterity. There was an article that noted the proficiency related to surgeons who played video games, but I didn't think to put it down.

 

[sdnmember]

video games doesn't really seem like manual dexterity to me cuz you're just pushing buttons .

LOL, to anyone that plays video games. Gaming is much, much more than just mashing buttons! 😛

 

[Balki]

I put down making shoes 🙂
I used to be in a shoe making business and man there is manual dexterity there. A fun but hard work.

 

[captaintripps]

video games can rot your brain, if not diminsh social skills severely.

 

[sxr71]

video games can rot your brain, if not diminsh social skills severely.

They also make you very violent.

 

[Typo]

video games can rot your brain, if not diminsh social skills severely.

Behold, the stigma given to video games by the uninformed that caused me to remove it from my application. 😉

 

[Typo]

They also make you very violent.

Come now - do you believe everything the media tells you?

 

[Bickle]

They also make you very violent.

Yeah, I just finished playing some Vice City, killing a few cops and pedestrians. Now I'm going to do that in real life. 🙄

 

[Dr.BadVibes]

They also make you very violent.

Yah.......those Japanese who are the gods of video games are really known for their violent nature..... 🙄

 

[busdriver]

LOL, to anyone that plays video games. Gaming is much, much more than just mashing buttons! 😛

actually i play a lot of video games so i know how it is....but i dunno...just doesn't seem like manual dexterity...but if it is then i'm pretty dang good at manual dexterity! 😀 on the other hand it definitely is hand-eye coordination...but yeah...go ahead and put it down...

 

[marshall]

I put the hand skills I use in sculpting and in bio research. I went into a bit of depth for the research stuff.

 

[msummar_smc]

I have 2 nieces under the age of five that would be excellent candidates for dental school - they can woop a$$ at Super Mario Bros. 😀

 

[jes1ca]

I used doing magic tricks as my most original example. My dad is a magician and he taught me an awful lot of his tricks. Other things I listed:

Sculpture course (woodworking, clay, etc)
Quilting
Lab work (loading gels, surgeries on mice, etc)

Just think of all of the fun things you do with your hands besides playing video games. Good luck.

Jessica

 

[ecdoesit]

Would you prefer to just list them or spend several sentences to describe your activities and involvment?

 

[Typo]

Would you prefer to just list them or spend several sentences to describe your activities and involvment?

They do make it kinda vague, don't they? I figured it was better to describe it in a little more detail rather than just say what I did. Take piano, for example - can I just play Mary Had a Little Lamb and Fur Elise with one finger, or do I play more than that? I decided to describe the depth of my involvement in piano performance, etc. If there's more detail to be had, definitely share it - it'll set you apart from others who just list it.

 

[HuyetKiem]

What are examples of manual dexterity? Driving and video games requires a lot of dexterity, yet they seem kind of odd to put down.

According to my interviewer at Case, driving with stick, playing video game, typing, fishing, writing, using chopstick are acceptable as the example of manual dexterity. I didn't know and left it blank.

 

[trypmo]

I would definitely *not* put down video games. For one thing, I think it would make it look like you were trying to pad the list with something that doesn't really distinguish you from other applicants at all (in fact, it might make you look much less distinctive). It's just like putting "Expert on web surfing" as a computer skill on your CV: reviewers just don't like to see it.

The primary reason I would not mention it is that, REGARDLESS of whether or not video games do, in fact, strengthen one's coordination, the AUDIENCE to whom you're writing did not grow up in a video-game generation, probably has never played a video game seriously, and has NO idea what it involves. You have to cater to your audience here.

Also, since playing video games is generally considered a 100% recreational activity (as opposed to music or crafts, which have a tangible and appealing end product as well as being recreational), I would definitely leave it off the list because it looks less "productive" (whatever that ultimately means).

Does that make sense?

 

[aphistis]

I listed piano, guitar...and yes, video games. Actually, trypmo, it worked out pretty well at my interview. You're right, the older interviewers were a little puzzled, and it opened up a new (if brief) avenue of discussion that branched into topics like generation differences, technophobia, and the like.

As for only listing three activities total, I didn't have any unease about it. Adcoms aren't interested in seeing who spends the most time practicing sub-millimeter hand motions; they're just wanting to find out whether you have any sort of foundation to build on. Showing them a hobby or two that you pursue regularly is plenty, and including 85 entries isn't going to improve your admissions chances.

I wish I could remember who said it and where s/he attends, but at the start of class last year, one school's dean alluded to the worry some students probably felt regarding their hand skills, and responded that "if you can tie your shoes, we can make a dentist out of you." Even for the manual skills, there's such a thing as overkill!

 

[trypmo]

I listed piano, guitar...and yes, video games. Actually, trypmo, it worked out pretty well at my interview. You're right, the older interviewers were a little puzzled, and it opened up a new (if brief) avenue of discussion that branched into topics like generation differences, technophobia, and the like. [....]

Hmm... I'm still on the side of not mentioning it because, although in your case it seems to have worked out well, there was still the possibility that it could have turned out not as well. Someone else who mentions it might end up with a confrontational curmudgeon on their adcom and it could blow up in their face.

That and I don't know whether everyone's as good as you are at handling themselves in high-pressure situations like interviews -- sounds like you kept your cool, but not everyone's like that.

From the perspective of someone who hasn't been accepted anywhere yet, I guess I'd tend play it more conservatively and try not to give anyone any reason to hold something against me.

I wish I could remember who said it and where s/he attends, but at the start of class last year, one school's dean alluded to the worry some students probably felt regarding their hand skills, and responded that "if you can tie your shoes, we can make a dentist out of you." Even for the manual skills, there's such a thing as overkill!

Oh, no! 😱 All this time I've been relying on velcro shoe fasteners, blissfully unaware of the consequences -- Aaack! I'm doomed!! 😉

 

[PERFECT3435]

i bet i could take any of you guys to school when it comes to playing "NBA LIVE" or "John Madden NFL". lol

well, may be not any more ince i didn't play the whole year because of the application stress.

 

[Thaxil]

How about jacking off, would that hurt my application to list it? I have become extremely proficient.

 

[Typo]

i bet i could take any of you guys to school when it comes to playing "NBA LIVE" or "John Madden NFL". lol

well, may be not any more ince i didn't play the whole year because of the application stress.

NBA Live or Madden? Pah . . . Halo is the true test, my friend. 😉

 

[PERFECT3435]

thaxil,
what happened to you all of a sudden? was that really you witrh that last post?

 

[boboli_chef]

...one school's dean alluded to the worry some students probably felt regarding their hand skills, and responded that "if you can tie your shoes, we can make a dentist out of you." Even for the manual skills, there's such a thing as overkill!

Just like the old debate of lightly participating in 30 extracurriculars versus intense involvement in one or two, a laundry list of manual dexterity activities is not necessarily better than being able to rapidly thread gloves blindfolded. As for video games, I say if you can explain it at an interview in a clear manner, you can list it.

However, if thaxil can perform, shall we say, "whacks ups", he'll want to rephrase that for maximum impact. Let's revise his statement of purpose:

Yesterday 02:28 PM Thaxil
How about jacking off after piano lessons, would that hurt my application to list it? I have also become extremely proficient at woodcarving.

Much better.

 

[ShawnOne]

i bet i could take any of you guys to school when it comes to playing "NBA LIVE" or "John Madden NFL".

I will GUARANTEE I will whip your ass in NBA Live 2004. Thats right, I GUARANTEE it!

Yeah, I used video games as manual dexterity in the interview, but not on the AADSAS application. On in interview you can tell if mentioning video games is appropriate. At my Nova interview I mentioned it and got positive feedback from my interviewers.

So my opinion...dont put it on the application becuz some people will not understand/appreciate the manual dexterity involved. But, maybe you can mention it on an interview depending on the vibe.

 

[sxr71]

Hey people calm down, my comment was pure sarcasm. (notice the inclusion of the word "very")


BTW Dr.BadVibes, I saw the film that raises the same point you do. I agree with the point made.


I'm playing "True Crime: Streets of LA" these days and I'm as docile as can be.

In fact I think those of you moving to go to school in LA should really play the game because it reproduces the entire city and its streets in almost it's entirety. I kid you not! You will actually learn your way around LA if you play it enough, I'll bet that you can even find USC and UCLA campuses if you look around for them. I was able to locate a couple of landmarks that I recognized from my visit there. I absolutely love the comments people make when you search them for drugs or illegal weapons ("Whatever officer, that's still five dollars!") 😀 .


I've done the whole GTA III/GTA VC thing, and I'm looking forward to San Andreas.


One other thing to keep in mind is that the older generation doesn't quite see video games as our generation does. To give an example, at my USC interview the person who spearheaded the change to the PBL curriculum gave us a talk about PBL. During the talk, while making some point, he mentioned how his kids play video games and he said something to the effect that he expects that nobody our age would play video games. He said it in a matter of fact manner in a way that one can automatically assume that nobody our age would even remotely be interested in such "kiddie" pastimes. This is coming from someone who is actually a very progressive thinker in terms of spearheading a major curriculum change against formidable opposition. In this light, personally, I would not list video games as an activity in my application. The vast majority of the people who will read your application will not look upon it as a productive activity and many I suspect will see it as a sign of immaturity. Don't shoot the messenger. I know that some people have listed it and benefitted from listing it possibly because some older interviewers might think it quite bold to "admit" to play video games, but I still think that it's too risky.

I wonder if I'll find many of you on Xbox Live (not that I've been on in months myself).

 

[datu]

Clock/watch repair, piano and harpsichord restoration, violinmaking. And yes, I really do those things. Made for great conversation during the interview.

 

[ASUgrad]

I guess this seems too technical but in drawing class we learned about manuel dexterity as a way to manipulate your hands in fine and gross motor skills and finger dexterity as the fine motor skills solely. So it seems to me that manuel dexterity as their definition goes is one that encorporates gross and fine motor manipulation.

A few I have selected are
Gross: Forklift driving (definitely 2 hands), Martial Arts, Guitar (could be in both sections)s, etc...

Fine: Architecture Drawings, Architecture Models, Typing 80 WPM (seems slow compared to the rest of you guys), etc...

Like I said, a little too much thought put in to this, but I think that ADCOMS are making sure that you have used your hand/eye and not just been locked in a classroom all your life trying to prove Einstein wrong, BILLE

 

[PERFECT3435]

I will GUARANTEE I will whip your ass in NBA Live 2004. Thats right, I GUARANTEE it!

Yeah, I used video games as manual dexterity in the interview, but not on the AADSAS application. On in interview you can tell if mentioning video games is appropriate. At my Nova interview I mentioned it and got positive feedback from my interviewers.

So my opinion...dont put it on the application becuz some people will not understand/appreciate the manual dexterity involved. But, maybe you can mention it on an interview depending on the vibe.

damn shawn?

i thought i was the only one who played that game day and night without any sleep, lunch, dinner, or desert. lol
wish we could have played. man that game is awesome. too bad i won't be a video game junky anymore once i get to indy. it'll be all serious time for me.

 

[thomasjm]

if you had any interest in fly-fishing you could always put down tying flies, that would take some dexterity I would think

 

[rcmonkeypie]

I actually put down cooking as part of my manual dexterity besides other things. Cooking requires a lot of cutting for deferent shapes with food that come with different texture. assmble dishes also requires coordination with colors, shapes, textures, layerings. funny thing is I got asked many times what is my best dish. =) HTH

 

[burton117]

I am a coda (child of deaf adults) so my first language was sign language and I can fingerspell the entire alphabet in just about as fast as you can say it (talking fast). Not to mention using normal signs. If that's not manual dexterity, then I don't know what is! I type 80 wpm and I am always doing stuff with my hands. Hobbies include calligraphy, drawing, and completing my pre-dental classes! 😀

On top of that, because American Sign Language is a spatially-based language, I am pretty excited about doing dentistry as working with my hands on tangible spatial objects has great appeal to me. It just makes sense for me to exploit my upbringing and use my powers for good, not evil. Ok, just kidding. But it does make sense to take my background and do something like dentistry that will exploit my strengths. I could never be one of those people who talks for a living - i.e. sales or lawyers, etc...

When I was first considering dentistry, I picked up a DAT study guide at the bookstore and it had a PAT study section on it, and I flew through it and got quite a few right. When it dawned on me that the PAT is a key component of dentistry. I kind of got this grin on my face and I had an ephiphany: "Dentistry is perfect for me, my desires and my innate skills."

Disclaimer: time will tell and I'll let you know how dentistry goes when I actually get into dental school and know what I'm talking about! 😛

Kawika

 

[drusier]

Well I put down video games (most CS but didnt mention that). PC games are looked very highly upon i hear as they show graduation from outdated consoles...I also mentioned auto maintenance and performance upgrades(fully suspension etc), as well as computer building/modding....

 

[Sprgrover]

I put down my art experience: metal and silversmithing, sculpture, painting, etc.

 

[nnjh]

I must have sounded like a lunatic. I wrote assembling automatic assault

rifles. (I was in the Army).

 

[Sprgrover]

I must have sounded like a lunatic. I wrote assembling automatic assault rifles. (I was in the Army).

 

[DDS2BE]

Do you guys think sculpting would be considered as a manual dexterity? That?s what I have on my application along with some other stuff.

 

[IcemanDDS]

I'm going to put down:

guitar
auto mechanics (Im a DIY'er)
typing (on the computer everyday)
video games - been playing since 1985 and which also accounts for GPA 😀

 

[IcemanDDS]

Well I put down video games (most CS but didnt mention that). PC games are looked very highly upon i hear as they show graduation from outdated consoles...I also mentioned auto maintenance and performance upgrades(fully suspension etc), as well as computer building/modding....

PC games are looked highly upon over console? By the adcom or what? I'm about like you, I do everything on my car including maintenance and performance upgrades. Play guitar and mess around with computers.

 

[jk5177]

Badminton. That sport requires a huge degree of hand and eye coordination, and I'm going to put that down on my application.

In addition, I also believe that it makes me a more well rounded person. You may believe that or not, and that is fine.

JK

 

[olga11]

It's great if you have taken an art class like 3d design or plaster/clay molding. This looks amazing on the app. If your college offers an art class, i suggest you take a class to see if like working with you hands~! 🙂

 

[UCLAzy]

7 years old