The critical thinking process helps you consider alternatives, make informed decisions, and solve problems. In college and in life, you’ll face a lot of information and ideas. Some of what you hear and read will be contradictory; different people may claim that opposite ideas are true. If you have ever talked back to a television commercial or doubted a politician’s campaign promises, you know this already. How do you decide what to believe?

Critical thinking experts remind us that there might be more than one right answer to any given question. The task is to decide which of those answers are the most reasonable. If you are trying to think through a difficult problem, you will have to consider options and consequences before you can reach the best decision. You’ll need to ask questions, consider several different points of view, and draw your own conclusions.