So, if it really is creativity (or lack thereof) that is stopping students from snatching those sweet sweet corporate positions, what is preventing students’ creativity? Employers know this, and recruit their workers accordingly.Īll this is to say that whether we like it or not, employers are going to be looking for creative minds when they review applications for summer internships and business job opportunities, something Duke students are known to be especially fond of. The same skill, creativity, was used in inventing the wheel in the 4th millennium BC as in ideating the first sketches for the iPhone. Now, imagine a world where all those students really were in touch with their creativity, and were able to solve problems effectively - those students would own the future.Īt the same time, it is true that both industrial and technological innovation are most often a direct product of creativity in the workspace. Mediocrity is unacceptable in this fast-changing world, and every new recruit on Wall Street better be a high achiever.Īccording to the National Association of Colleges and Employers' Job Outlook, 61.4% of employers identify “problem-solving skills” as “very important.” I estimate that ninety-nine percent of students throw “problem-solving skills” in their résumés for good measure. With this relatively new culture of highly-efficient dynamos - big names situated in big corporate offices, presenting their big ideas on big screens - every new generation of college graduates is pressured to become one of movers and shakers. Being able to generate these ideas is imperative in today’s world. So then, why is “brainstorming” so acclaimed in the workplace? As it turns out, when creativity is worked into brainstorming sessions and let roam free, it can allow us to reach ideas that we would not have thought of otherwise. Brainstorming, if done correctly, is a slow and laborious project which includes the sequential expansion and condensation of ideas. This brings up an interesting point: When, if ever, does creativity start becoming counterproductive? One of the first lessons of Writing 101: Creativity and Thinking was that writing is not productive. Some students merely use the app to organize upcoming tests and assignments, while others - the truly committed - are especially fond of the color-coding feature (and, in fact, spend more time color-coding their tasks than achieving them). A big aid in this respect has been the one and only Google Calendar. Just as creating something concrete boosts our mood, implementing new, creative ways to study can boost our motivation. Needless to say, creativity stimulates the mind in wondrous ways. By creating new ways to optimize their time, Duke students are able to achieve more goals in a shorter time frame, which in turn allows them to enjoy leisure time more fully. That is why some classic yet creative study habits are seen extensively on campus these include watching lectures while walking on the treadmill, listening to podcasts while brushing one’s teeth and replying to emails while waiting for the bus to West. Optimization applies similarly to calculus as it does to college life - when on a tight schedule, any time-efficient habit becomes life-saving. While reciting “HoDHi” during a Calculus II midterm might seem silly or embarrassing to some, it will be highly beneficial to others. One of these is the use of acronyms and phrases to remember spellings (“Run Harriet! Your Teacher Has Measles” spells the word “rhythm”), chemistry processes (OIL RIG reminds me that “Oxidation Is Loss of electrons Reduction Is Gain of electrons”) or calculus formulae (“HoDHi-HiDHo/HoHo” finds the derivative of a fraction). Some techniques that are highly creative are taught to us early on in our academic careers, and unfortunately abandoned by most. Ultimately, not only can creativity be used at Duke to maximize nap-length, it can also be used to employ time more efficiently and, in turn, create better study habits. As it turns out, as we grow up, creativity plays a similar role in our lives.Īs I look around me, I notice that creativity is omnipresent on this college campus: I see it in the way students sneak food and drink out of the cafeteria, in the way they cut their picture-day t-shirts into tube tops for the football games, in how they decorated their rooms expressively,and even in those students that sometimes sleep under a desk in Perkins Library, using their backpacks as pillows and their hoodies as blankets, creating a nest in the absence of a bed. If there is one truth we can all agree on, it is that kids are creative: When we are young, pencils easily become sea lions’ fangs, just like cardboard boxes become homes and pool noodles become swords.
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