One of the first things parents and their children consider is if a college education can take them where they want to go, if it is necessary at all. This is also a hot-button topic in our society, with many voices decrying college in favor of trade education. Now, I’m not here to discard other points of view. Careers outside of academia can be very fulfilling and pay nicely, but since you’re here, on an education consulting site, I assume a college education for yourself and/or your child is high on your list of priorities.

The first day of each new semester, I talk to incoming college freshmen about something called critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is simply having the wherewithal, supplemented by acquired knowledge, to question the world around you, to ask why someone is doing what they’re doing; why they are saying whatever it is they are saying; what they want to elicit from you as their audience. The cornerstone of any academic mind is the ability to intelligently question the world around them. It is imperative that one seek to find answers behind what is obvious and what is being projected by a speech, video, or piece of writing. We must always ask: What is the agenda?

When one embarks on an academic journey and is exposed to varying points of view from professors, peers, textbooks, articles, and novels, the scope of understanding and perception of the world is inevitably broadened. The lecture hall becomes a place of exploration and, most importantly, debate. There is where critical thinking is seeded.

After all of that, you may still have questions about the benefit of honing critical thinking skills. The one reason related to academics is that it helps students form questions and subsequent arguments that lead to high quality research, essays, and even publications—all that support a successful college career, being chosen for internships, scholarship attainment, graduate school acceptance, and more. The second, and possibly more important reason, is the impact on world citizenry. When one learns to intelligently question, it can increase their overall health when interacting with health professionals, limit the chances they sign predatory loans, vote consciously, and so much more. The possibilities are truly endless.

Next time, we’ll talk finances!

Fatimah