Think Critically Before You Butter That Toast! by Lizzie

Think Critically Before You Butter That Toast! by Lizzie - September 2014 Scholarship Essay

“Have you heard the news? Butter is a health food, and if you eat it each morning, like a vitamin, you'll enjoy newfound strength and mental focus.” I hear that message in one ear. In the other I hear conservative white coats preaching the prudence and cardiovascular benefits of a low-fat, low-fun diet. Between those ears I'm engrossed in the habit which will define my graduate study in nutrition science: critical thinking. What is the evidence? Who are these messages targeting? Further, how should we define “good health” in our society? This habit of analyzing and evaluating information is essential to college success.

Critical thinking helps me personalize information into knowledge and understanding. It takes one set of skills to read and memorize information to earn an A on a test, or to score points at trivia night. But by thinking critically about the context and value of information, I can incorporate it into my own personal, nuanced understanding of nutrition. Approaching the butter claims critically, I discover that a specific component of butter, butyric acid, has some benefits to the body. Now I can use other information to consider whether this benefit outweighs butter's contribution to blood cholesterol. And whether perhaps there are other sources of butyric acid. And suddenly I am building knowledge in a personal and meaningful way. I can get an A on the test, but I will also be able to teach the topic to somebody else, even years later.

The only way to navigate the modern rush of information and ideas is through critical thinking. When researching the facts behind various trends in eating and nutrition, I cannot be wary enough of where information comes from. It can be surprisingly challenging, and rewarding, to scrape away the layers of agendas (financial, political, and social) which form a thick crust over the actual facts. Often, reading and interpreting studies yourself is the only way to find unbiased information to contribute to the debate.

The field of nutrition is ripe with such debates, and butter is the least of them. The controversy over GMO foods, for instance, is both complex and high-stakes. Yet it's met with knee-jerk reactions by most of my classmates. It would be easy and sociable to hop on their bandwagon as it confidently marches forward. But that repudiates the goal of academia, and it wouldn't bring new perspective, thought, or progress to the issue.

Another way critical thinking is essential to success in college is that it empowers you to tailor your education. Not all classes and assignments are created equal, and sometimes an overachiever like me needs to think critically about where to devote my efforts. If I identify readings that contain challenging, new ideas, I can put more thought into those, and less into the ones that confirm what I already know. I can focus on the courses and relationships which are relevant to my own plans and interests. When you are critical of what you are taught, and even critical of your instructors, you develop your own ideas and meaning. To “be critical” in this way does not mean to be contrary or negative. Rather it means to be cautious and rational in your own judgements and opinions. Fine-tuning your own beliefs and path in this critical way will help you stand out as an individual. Rather than graduating college along with 200 identical peers, you will be distinct, and you'll have something to say.

Success during college is important. But the real measure of a successful college experience is how it prepares you for later success. That is why it is so important to practice critical thought, a life skill which will allow you to decide what matters, and what you plan to do about it. And you can also decide, while you're at it, whether you even care what scientists have to say about butter.