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Manual Dexterity? Advice needed!!!!!

hey all. i'm in lower sixth and keep on reading the phrase manual dexterity in all of the prospectuses. The problem is i don't know whether i actually have an example of it if, hopefully, i got invited for an interview. I don't play a musical instrument and i havent done art since year 9. But, i am thinking of taking up an instrument, but do u think its a bit too late? In the past, i have done tae kwon do, like karate, and ive passed an exam in sign language. would these count as any sort of manual dexterity examples?

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Reply 1
Do some sewing.
Solve a rubix cube in less than 1:30

Get a Wii and buy Trauma Center and Guitar Hero

I don't think martial arts counts as "manual dexterity" lol
Reply 3
i play guitar...but i am not graded or netin, so wat should i do? I also play snooker if dat counts?
Sign language might count, but I'm not sure...
My friend applied for dentistry at uni, and they asked for manual dexterity...she could do this thing called paper quilling (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quilling)...I know other people who do origami - that's easy to learn...
Reply 5
do u av to bring in ne proof?
Reply 6
Tae Kwon do is really disciplined though, and its quite accurate. But at least i can say thats an extra curricular thing i suppose. If i got a couple of those model making kits and make them in time for interviews, hoping that i get them in the first place, would that be enough?
abbs_aly
do u av to bring in ne proof?


I'm not sure - if you do something like origami or paper quilling, you might want to bring something that looks really good - it shows that you can actually do it, and that you're not lying! :p: (...it's true though, loads of people lie in their PS and get caught out in the interviews...)
neanderthal
Tae Kwon do is really disciplined though, and its quite accurate. But at least i can say thats an extra curricular thing i suppose. If i got a couple of those model making kits and make them in time for interviews, hoping that i get them in the first place, would that be enough?


Yeah, something like Warhammer or something, where you have to paint those tiny figures...
...read up on the rules of the game too, they might think that you just got someone else to paint them!
Reply 9
obv guitar shows manual dexterity but i am not graded and i dnt think id want to bring it in and play them a piece lol how do i prove dat?
neanderthal
and ive passed an exam in sign language. would these count as any sort of manual dexterity examples?


I would say it demonstrates it perfectly - having to move hands quickly & precisely & its not something everyone can do!
abbs_aly
obv guitar shows manual dexterity but i am not graded and i dnt think id want to bring it in and play them a piece lol how do i prove dat?


I think they'd believe that you play, if you just write something in your PS like, "I can play the guitar to a high standard"...fin out from a teacher or something what kind o level you're at.
Reply 12
theres probably not that much point in spending so much money taking up an instrument now, because you're not going to reach a very high level in such little time. but the suggestions above are good ideas for what you could do :smile:
i mentioned my gcse in electronics which uses small parts.
buy a robotics kit and make a robot, make sure its the complex kind with soldering and components, and you can bring it in.
I put down playing an instrument(guitar), model making and soldering (electronic kits).

I suggest you buy a few electronics kits and soldering iron from maplins and get a few done. There are quite cheap and I got a 6 kits/iron for about £50 which are quite easy to setup for even a beginner like I was. It's quite good if you make up a story to go why you made them - I said I used to watch robot wars so started making children's kit when I was younger but later as I began taking physics I began assembling more advanced models. Some rubbish like that.

Though, i did make a crude heart moniter(which didn't really work) and reaction tester for a friend's advanced bio investigation which earn browny points towards man.d and critical thinking.
Reply 15
So origami can do for manual dexterity :smile::smile::smile: I have a book and have made most of them but they seem not so complicated I mean lots of them were hard to make but at the end it is not that special as you might have expected in the begining :smile::smile::
And as for painting I still haven't finished it but I have one of those where everything is drawn you have to fill the color in the tiny miniature figures can this count too :smile:?
Reply 16
I am thinking of joining a stained glass/art course in college....as I heard that some unis like leeds prefer certificated evidence of m/d
Reply 17
I just did a model plane made out of 170 pieces from the RAF museum, seemed to go down well at interview
I also did art outside of school with spray paint stenciling - single and multilayers. I'll try to get pic up to show you.

It's easy peasy but it take time to set-up properly and carry out.
Yeah, i've also got the same problem :s-smilie: The dentist i did work experience with advised me to take on something like Warhammer, but I haven't got a clue about it..i could try it though..
I've always wanted to play the sax, and I was thinking of starting in the summer. Is that good for demonstrating manual dexterity? There's nothing else i really do apart from belly dancing/kick boxing, which is quite urm..irrelavent :redface:

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