Strategies
What's the first thing you should do when attempting to solve a problem?
Clearly define what the problem is
You've gotten behind on many assignments for a class you need to graduate. What steps should you take to make up this work?
Email your professor to let them know what has happened, and ask for support. Clearly list out everything that needs to get done, and about how long each task will take. Ask yourself if you would benefit from getting the shorter tasks done first, or the longer tasks done first. As you work, keep your professor or TA updated about your plan and progress.
You are looking for something productive to do this summer. You can apply for interest-relevant internships and summer jobs, or you can work on your entrepreneurial passion project, but it would be difficult to do both. How do you choose between the two?
Think about the money. A job would bring in money, an internship may be paid or unpaid, and the project would cost money. Think about your future, what is more likely to help you going forward? Think about available time. Are you going on vacation this summer and will that impact your ability to work?
Your old friend of 5 years is starting to get on your nerves, and cannot stop asking for favors, money, and your time, and does not treat you as you feel you should. You've already tried talking things out with him on multiple occasions, and he says he'll try to change, but he never does. What should you do?
Usually, talking it over would be a correct decision, however, it's already been stated that that hasn't been working. The next best approach is to try to reach out to others who are trusted to see if they can help you, almost like counseling. As a last resort, you should start to progressively distance yourself and set boundaries, as your long term relationship seems to be causing more harm than help.
How many times should you ask yourself why a problem happened?
5
It's years in the future from now, and you have to plan a vacation for your family of 2 adults, 1 teen, and 2 kids. How do you go about planning it?
Consider the type of travel and the effects it will have on your kids. Are there long plane flights? Is it a cruise? Are there long drives? How will your children manage these different commutes? Look for activities that everyone will enjoy, as well as activities geared towards the interests of individuals and ask your kids what they would like to do on the trip.
You've been working really hard for the past few weeks on projects and classes. For the next week or so you have the option to take a breather, or get a head start on studying for finals and working on your summer employment plans. How do you choose what is best?
Consider how much sleep you've been getting, sleep is extremely important for memory and learning. Consider your eating habits and how you've been feeling physically and emotionally for the past few weeks. You may be able to get a good head start on studying, but that may also make you burnt out, and in a poorer mindset to take the exam when it happens. Try to balance the two, and remember to reach out to others for help.
You are working at a large company as a recruiter in charge of interviews for new potential hires. Someone comes to you for an interview, but you notice that they are below the standard of the company. He talks about his reasons for wanting the job, including needing the job for his struggling family, as there have been several deaths in his family. How would you approach to hiring him or not, and if you do, what steps would you take to integrate him well?
It is perfectly fine to reject them as a candidate, since they simply do not meet the requirements of the job. Howver, if you do want to take a risk with them, giving them a short trial period to really showcase their skills could work well, as an interview might not be able to encapsulate everything they're capable of. You can also try to pair them with a more experienced worker to see if they can learn well from them.
What is a good way to stay focused on a problem?
Set clear goals/desired outcomes
Over the course of the semester, you've slowly been getting more and more stressed out and can see the effect seeping into your physical health. How do you go about dealing with this?
Write down the biggest stressors you're dealing with, and work with a counselor, therapist, or friends on finding reasonable solutions. Try to implement these solutions into your daily life, and don't be afraid to ask for help. Consider journaling to keep a log of how you've been doing. Consider making an appointment to talk to a therapist, where you can bring your journal to help you explain how you've been feeling.
You've just began college and you are doing a bachelor of science dual degree, but you're also dealing with financial insecurity and you're unsure if you can do well in school if you also get a job. Should you switch to a double major to lighten the load so you can take on a job? Should you find a lighter work load job that would pay less than a standard on campus job? Or is there a way to continue your current studies while getting a well paying job?
Talk to your family, you're going for a dual degree because it will help you get better, higher paying jobs when you graduate, but you and your family understand the stress that it causes. Talk to your advisor, is there a way to take course over the summer or through an outside program? Look through the current job offerings and see if you can find anything that would be flexible with you.
You are a chemistry professor who teaches both CHEM 1127 and CHEM 1128. You receive a monstrous amount of emails from students asking for extra credit after their exams, since they require this class for their graduation. How do you approach this?
When asked about this, you shouldn't be swayed too much by each student's reasoning for wanting extra credit, since it wouldn't be fair to give some students extra credit and some students not. Knowing this, you should either give the entire class an extra credit assignment or you can simply decline.
What's the second thing you should do when attempting to solve a problem?
Research/data collection
You've just bought a house! But it's definitely a fixer-upper. You don't have a very big budget, but there are things that absolutely require fixing and upgrading. How do you go about managing your money, and managing your house?
Lay out a budget that you know you can definitely afford. List the biggest issues that need fixing, and the materials or professionals needed to fix them. See what you can do yourself or ask friends and family to help, there may be DIY projects that don't require a professional to be hired. Get quotes from multiple contractors to make sure you aren't getting ripped off.
You're planning to study abroad for a semester and are having a hard time choosing between 2 international universities. They both have courses you're interested in, and beautiful campuses and scenery. How do you choose between the 2?
Talk to current students or alum of each university. Talk to people who've studied abroad at the universities before. Research what the universities are near, are they rural? In a city? Or somewhere in between? Consider how ready you are for a big change. Talk it out with a friend and ask for their perspective on the situation.
You meet a person in college and go into a long term relationship with them. Graduation comes and they find a near-permanent job in their home town which is very far from yours. Do you move shop and find a home in/near them or try to leave them out of the equation when figuring out your future?
You should discuss your future plans with your partner first to make sure you are both aware of your future circumstances. Next you should weigh your personal sacrifices versus your happiness, is it worth it to test out going long distance together while you establish your career foundation?
What does the "Is - Is Not" method help you figure out?
The extent/scope of a problem
Consider how bad the damage is, and how expensive it would be to fix. See if there are any disaster refugee centers for you and your family can stay at. Try to get financial disaster relief assistance. Ask your employer if they're able to help. Look for apartments that are relatively nearby to stay while you figure out a long term solution.
You are trying to decide between 2 different laptops for your college career. One is lighter, but has less processing power and storage. The other has more processing power and storage, but is much heavier and may be difficult to carry around all day. What should be considered?
Find out how much you will be out of your dorm, and how far you will have to walk with the laptop in your backpack. Consider what you want to do with the computer. Do you play games that require quality CPU and GPU, and how important is it to you that you will be able to play those games. Consider the software you will need for college. Does your program require you to install large software, and will you need to store a lot of data on your computer?
Your kid has been shoplifting small packs of candy from the local family-owned corner store. You learn that this has been happening for a while now, and you recognize it is very wrong for them to do that. How do you deal with this?
It is obvious at this point that you should discipline your child in some form. That being said, you should make sure any punishment does not involve any emotional consequences. You should also discuss this with your child to find the root cause of it since there may be a misunderstanding at hand.