Problem Solving
Definition |
Thinking through difficult situations in order to develop a solution that will end up with a better result than my current position.
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Criteria |
Knowledge- one must have a good understanding of the issue in front of them
Definition- the issue must be clearly stated Creativity- must be creative and open when thinking of solutions |
Life Examples
Traffic Jam
In my Personal Competency Assessment class my senior year, my class was instructed to preform a difficult task. We were all standing in a line each on our own individual square. Half of the class was on one side facing east and the other half of the class was on the other side facing back at them. One square was left open in the middle between our groups. Our goal was to get each member of each team to the other side, you could not double jump, and only one person could be on a square at once. Our class tried multiple times to figure out how to solve the problem. Eventually, I realized that the class was not getting anything done and that someone needed to step forward and become a voice to have the two sides on the same page. I decided to solve this issue by stepping up and becoming that voice. The class agreed with my thought without any discussion, and through my vocal guidance we were able to eventually complete the task as a team.
In my Personal Competency Assessment class my senior year, my class was instructed to preform a difficult task. We were all standing in a line each on our own individual square. Half of the class was on one side facing east and the other half of the class was on the other side facing back at them. One square was left open in the middle between our groups. Our goal was to get each member of each team to the other side, you could not double jump, and only one person could be on a square at once. Our class tried multiple times to figure out how to solve the problem. Eventually, I realized that the class was not getting anything done and that someone needed to step forward and become a voice to have the two sides on the same page. I decided to solve this issue by stepping up and becoming that voice. The class agreed with my thought without any discussion, and through my vocal guidance we were able to eventually complete the task as a team.
Parking on Campus
Student parking passes at Texas A&M are very expensive, around $400 per year. As a student, I decided that this was not going to be worth paying, so my freshman year in college I bought a motorcycle. The bike originally cost me $1700. Which was a very fair price for the 250 cc engine that I was purchasing. The motorcycle also got around 70 mpg, way better than my truck that gets 15 mpg. The largest way that I saved money with this purchase was in parking pass cost however, motorcycle parking passes are $88 a year. Add everything up and I saved more than the cost of the motorcycle itself. Halfway through my senior year I sold the motorcycle for $1650, because I moved close to campus and could now ride my bicycle. I solved an enormous financial problem by investing in this motorcycle, and when the books were balanced came out much better off than I would have been otherwise. |
Tailgate Tent
The fraternity that I was a part of in college always had a tailgate for game days. Many members were involved in making sure that tailgates looked good and went well. My first semester as a member in the fraternity I was one of the guys in charge of making sure that the 40x20ft tent got set up every Friday before game day. This was not a terribly difficult task, but was one that took a decent amount of time. We would spend a large portion of our time setting up the tent just trying to figure out where certain pieces went and what the lengths of all the poles were. This was an important task though, since everything needed to be in it's proper place in order for the tent to fit together. The third Friday of setting up, I decided that something needed to change. I showed up to the tailgate set up with a sharpie and some duct tape. As poles and pieces were placed and identified, I went around and labeled the equipment; 6 ft, 10 ft, 12 ft, or 15 ft for the poles, and top, side, or corner for the joints. This labeled system ended up reducing our set up time by 30 minutes. Time that we were then able to have to ourselves to do what ever else we needed to fit into our days.
The fraternity that I was a part of in college always had a tailgate for game days. Many members were involved in making sure that tailgates looked good and went well. My first semester as a member in the fraternity I was one of the guys in charge of making sure that the 40x20ft tent got set up every Friday before game day. This was not a terribly difficult task, but was one that took a decent amount of time. We would spend a large portion of our time setting up the tent just trying to figure out where certain pieces went and what the lengths of all the poles were. This was an important task though, since everything needed to be in it's proper place in order for the tent to fit together. The third Friday of setting up, I decided that something needed to change. I showed up to the tailgate set up with a sharpie and some duct tape. As poles and pieces were placed and identified, I went around and labeled the equipment; 6 ft, 10 ft, 12 ft, or 15 ft for the poles, and top, side, or corner for the joints. This labeled system ended up reducing our set up time by 30 minutes. Time that we were then able to have to ourselves to do what ever else we needed to fit into our days.