Page 136 - Keys To Community College Success

Consider how possible solutions affect you and others. Which risk rewards you
most? Which takes other people’s needs into consideration? Is it possible to maximize
reward for all involved?
Evaluate your solution and act on it in the future. Once you choose a solution
and put it into action, ask yourself: What worked that you would do again? What
didn’t work that you would avoid or change in the future?

What happens if you don’t work through a problem comprehensively? Take, for
example, a student having an issue with an instructor. He may get into an argument
with the instructor, stop showing up to class, or do halfhearted work on assignments. All
of these choices have negative consequences. Now look at how the student might work
4 through this problem using analytical, creative, and practical thinking skills. Key 4.12
CHAPTER shows how his effort can pay off.

Make a Decision
As you use the steps in Key 4.10 to make a decision, remember these strategies.

Look at the given options—then try to think of more. Some decisions have a
given set of options. For example, your school may offer AA, AS, AGS, and certificate
programs. However, within the program you choose, you may be able to work with an
advisor to come up with creative options for majoring. Consider similar situations
you’ve been in or heard about, what decisions were made, and what resulted from
those decisions.

Think about how your decision affects others. What you choose might have an
impact on friends, family, and others around you.

Gather perspectives. Talk with others who made similar decisions. If you listen
carefully, you may hear ideas you never thought about. Consider choices with different
levels of risk.

Look at the long-term effects. As with problem solving, it’s key to examine what
happened after you put the decision into action. For important decisions, do a short-
term evaluation and another evaluation after a period of time. Consider whether your
decision sent you in the right direction or whether you should rethink your choice.

What happens when you make important decisions too quickly? Consider a stu-
dent trying to decide whether to transfer schools. If she makes her decision based on a
reason that ultimately is not the most important one for her (for example, a boyfriend
or close friends go to the other school), she may regret her choice later.
Now look at how this student might make an effective decision. Key 4.13 shows
how she worked through the analytical, creative, and practical parts of the process.

Keep Your Balance

No one has equal strengths in analytical, creative, and practical thinking. Successfully
intelligent thinkers are able to analyze their abilities, come up with creative ideas about
how to maximize their strengths and build their weaknesses, and put them to use with
practical action. Staying as balanced as possible requires that you
■ Use what you’ve learned in this chapter and the rest of the text to maximize your
analytical, creative, and practical abilities.
■ Reflect on what you do well, and focus on strengthening weaker skills.

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