Thinking More Deeply by Deirdre

Thinking More Deeply by Deirdre - September 2014 Scholarship Essay

In order to be successful in college one must be able to think critically about the information they are sure to be inundated with throughout their college career. In no other environment outside of academia will students be as exposed to as many competing, conflicting and potentially convincing ideas and theories. It is imperative that a student be able to identify what they believe amidst all of it.

Critical thinking will be most effective when paired with an ability to speak up when your thoughts, beliefs and theories differ from the main stream yet remain tempered by diplomacy and civility. Critical thinking will also be most effective when paired with curiosity and a desire to get all sides of a story and to dig deeper than the surface on a matter to come to what you believe to be the closest thing to the truth as supported by viable evidence. Critical thinking is not only applicable in the scientific disciplines but also in the arts and humanities, where “no right answer” means agreeing with what has already been done.

College is supposed to be about expanding your horizons, preparing to be a professional, and about gaining the most up to date information about your chosen discipline. This cannot be achieved by following in the direct steps of those who came before, never daring to question what is held to be the truth as defined by professors and students in advanced positions, never daring to step outside the box or color outside the lines.

To be able to critically evaluate, weigh, size up, compare and understand the information gained throughout your educational journey will be the best preparation imaginable for both personal and professional development. Critical thinking is a skill that is directly transferrable into the working world, and asset that not all applicants or employees will possess, and a skill that will enhance your chances of doing something great with that college education.