From What to Why by Ally

From What to Why by Ally - July 2026 Scholarship Essay

Physics reveals the fundamental principles behind questions that biology and chemistry often describe but do not fully explain, which immediately piqued my interest. Physics seemed daunting to me, as many people talk about its difficulty; however, I decided to give it a try my senior year of high school. I loved it. I quickly became fascinated by kinematics—the study of motion—and loved the logic behind every problem. It was natural. I found a way to approach questions that other subjects often left unanswered.
Now you are probably wondering why I would write about something that came so naturally to me; although Physics 1 came so very naturally to me, Physics 2 was a completely different conversation.
I walked into Physics 2 with the same confidence I had developed the year before: it will come naturally; there is no need to worry. However, I quickly learned I was wrong. Looking around the large lecture hall filled with nearly 80 students, most of whom were juniors and seniors, I felt out of place. A subject that once felt intuitive suddenly seemed like a foreign language, and I had no idea where to begin.
First exam. Below the median. I quickly realized that the trajectory of this class was not one I wanted; therefore, I had to stop focusing on my disappointment and reevaluate my approach. So, I pivoted.
It dawned on me that my difficulty was not with the content but with my perception of it. In Physics 1, I found myself at ease with identifying patterns and using concepts that logically made sense. In Physics 2, a whole new way of thinking was needed. Electricity, magnetism, circuits, and optics entailed systems that I could not observe, which meant that I needed to first understand the relationships within them to be able to solve a problem.
Instead of always posing the question, “Which formula do I apply?,” I started to pose the question, “What is going on physically?” The most effective change to my approach came with studying circuits. Instead of immediately trying to find an equation, I focused on analyzing the circuit layout first. Was the circuit in series or in parallel? What implications did this have for the current and voltage? Why would the change in one part of the circuit affect the whole circuit? It became apparent to me that the equations were not mere formulas to be memorized but relationships.
Optics reinforced this mentality even more. As opposed to merely memorizing the type of lens in question, I learned how to think about the light paths involved and predict the result of the interaction and its effect on the formation of the image. Diffraction was another example that forced me to think logically about the process and come up with a solution based on the data provided.
In order to learn this approach, I had to modify my method of learning. This involved solving extra practice problems, attending office hours and tutoring despite feeling intimidated at first, and starting to connect with other students who were familiar with the course material. Through discussions with juniors and seniors, I was able to see that cooperation is not a sign of weakness but just another means of analysis.
In essence, it is through Physics 2 that my critical thinking was improved through the understanding that difficult situations can sometimes not be solved immediately through the search for solutions. Rather, curiosity, analysis, and knowledge of how different elements make up part of a whole are necessary. This is a lesson that has transcended the field of physics into other aspects of my education. It has made me stop being satisfied with knowing what but rather why things happen.