Thinking "Outside the Box" by Sneha

Thinking "Outside the Box" by Sneha - October 2018 Scholarship Essay

When I think of the phrase "think outside the box", I envision a box inside my head. In it, there are the general patterns and rules I use to solve a problem. I try all of those methods, and they simply don't work. I attempt to find any patterns that I had forgotten, or ones that are not used often. If I find one, I test it, and if it is also futile, it seems I have no more ideas left, and no other way to solve a problem.

However, when I think about that phrase constantly thrown around- "think outside the box"- I look at the problem, and then I open the box. There are still patterns I tried in there, but now I look beyond it. What else is there? In regards to the problem, what part has not been used yet? Is there a strategy that relates to what is unused? Thinking "outside the box" is simply opening my "box" up to ideas that haven't been utilized yet, and seeing if that can help me solve the problem.

This method does not mean I sit by myself and attempt to come up with a solution. Instead, I consult my peers to see if they used ideas or pathways that I had not considered previously- ideas in their "box", which I can later use in mine if I run across a problem similar to what I have now. If allowed, I consult the Internet, to observe pathways I have not thought about. I can also consult textbooks and see what steps I may have missed to obtain the correct answer.

In conclusion, thinking outside of the box involves drawing multiple ideas and steps to solve a problem in the most efficient manner. This can be from sources such as the internet, other peers, and textbooks.