I hope this letter finds you well. My name is Zhanyuan, and I am excited to join your Critical Thinking module. This course caught my attention because I see critical thinking as an essential skill not only for solving engineering challenges but also for making better decisions and growing personally.
I graduated in 2024 with a diploma in BCA Construction Engineering. During my studies and internship, I worked on several practical projects where I applied engineering concepts to real-world problems. One project that stood out to me was designing a sustainable water management system. In this project, I contributed by analyzing environmental constraints and ensuring our design met both functionality and precision requirements. This experience deepened my interest in civil engineering, particularly in sustainable design and hydraulic systems. I am eager to build on this foundation by learning how to approach engineering problems with a critical and creative mindset.
One of my strengths is my ability to communicate effectively through writing. In group projects, I often took responsibility for preparing reports, ensuring ideas were presented clearly and logically. Beyond writing, I value learning from others, as I believe every interaction offers new perspectives. However, public speaking remains a challenge for me. During my final-year project presentation, I struggled with confidence, particularly when answering questions under pressure. To improve, I have been practicing speaking in smaller groups and am looking forward to honing this skill further in your module.Zhanyuan
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDear Zhanyuan,
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed reading your letter, and I think it is well-written overall. That said, I have a couple of suggestions that might help enhance it further.
For starters, you might want to clarify the purpose of the email at the beginning, indicating that it is an introduction. For example, "I am writing to introduce myself and share my aspirations for this module".
The goals are clear, but they could be more impactful with additional details. For example, how exactly will this module contribute to improving your public speaking or critical thinking? You might consider rephrasing it as: "I aim to use this module to practice delivering structured presentations and to respond confidently to questions during discussions."
All the best to you as you overcome your challenges, I hope you find my suggestions helpful.
Regards,
Royston Lee
Dear Zhanyuan,
ReplyDeleteThanks for this detailed, engaging letter. It addresses the key points of the brief with quite a bit of flourish. I enjoyed learning about your background, including the meaningful project work. Related to that, it's interesting when you state that you aim to continue your studies by learning "how to approach engineering problems with a critical and creative mindset."
In addition, you share with us quite a bit about your comm skills and your aims for the module. I'm happy to hear that writing is one of your strengths. This will be of consequence since we do lots of writing in UCS. I hope you can build on your current skills.
A statement that stands out to me is when you write that "My curiosity drives me to ask thoughtful questions and explore innovative solutions." That trait will certainly be relevant as we get into the module's project work and as you go forward in your studies and eventual work life.
I look forward to working with you this term.
Best wishes,
Brad