Admissions Essay Questions: Critical Thinking

The following sample English essay is 331 words long, in APA format, and written at the undergraduate level. It has been downloaded 350 times and is available for you to use, free of charge.

Questions

a) What is critical thinking and analysis? Critical thinking and analysis is the skill set necessary to obtain the truth about a hypothesis. It involves working from a position without prejudice or bias and disdaining preconceived notions. The facts can only be obtained through verifiable research; an experiment must be replicable and produce the same results if done independently by another person. Critical thinking and analysis involve holding oneself to these high standards and rejecting conjecture, guesswork, and bias.

b) How do you expect to maintain a scholarly level of writing skills? The simple answer is “by writing.” Only by writing and submitting one’s work to scholarly instructor and peer review can one establish and maintain a high standard. It is also necessary to be receptive to criticism and to acknowledge when one’s work does not adhere to a logical framework. Insofar as the basic skills are concerned, it will be useful to have colleagues review one’s writing at every stage of the process. It is often hard to completely and accurately edit one’s own work, so using a second or third set of eyes when appropriate will be very beneficial.

c) What are the roles of the student and faculty member in graduate school? The student is no longer simply a recipient of knowledge; he is an active participant in his own learning process. He is also supposed to contribute to the body of scholarship by producing a master’s thesis or Ph.D. dissertation. He should also participate in the teaching of undergraduate students. The faculty member should, in addition to teaching, be a mentor. While the student makes the ultimate decision regarding what he will learn, the faculty member’s role is to identify the student’s life goals and help set him on the most efficient path to realizing those goals. The faculty member also assists in the thesis/dissertation research and creation process, which is difficult or impossible for the graduate student to complete strictly alone.