There are definitely some expressions that we’ve overused. Like “thinking outside the box”, a phrase that’s definitely been overused in the business world.
But, just because it’s overused, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have tremendous value! Maybe we just need to do some “out of the box” thinking on different ways it can be applied! Like in schools, or in how to approach the college application process.
In fact, what I refer to as the “three phases of the application process” are great opportunities to apply the skills of innovation, creativity, and adaptability, in short, thinking outside the box.
1. Building your college list and choosing where to apply: Get creative in building the box
When you’re starting to build your list, you may begin with things like the size of the school, if it has a football team or if the food is good. And if you’re in California, you may not want to look outside the state. In the early stages of list-building, you don’t have to think OUTSIDE the box, just get creative on how you build it. The same is true as you choose where you want to apply. If school spirit is important, does it have to be around football or basketball? What about volleyball? If you definitely want a large school but smaller class sizes, what about applying to the Honors College, so you get both. Establish your initial criteria and be open to continuing to explore colleges that have elements that have a different take on the initial “box”.
2. Receiving admissions results: Think outside of the initial box
This is a great time to think outside of what is and look at “what else could it be”, especially if you didn’t get in where you wanted to. I know, it sucks. You’re angry, disappointed, sad, frustrated. You worked hard, you deserved to get in. DO go ahead and feel “all the feels” because that’s the first step in clearing the way for some creative thinking! Now, make a list of all of the things you absolutely loved about your dream college and go “outside” of that box to see how many others you got into that have similar qualities and criteria. It’s the most basic definition of “out of the box” thinking. Sometimes we’re so stuck on one option, we don’t realize how many others there are that work as well, if not better!
And that begins the innovative and creative thinking that prepares students to go beyond thinking outside the box as they make their choice of where to go to college.
3. Choosing what college to attend: Create a new alternative to the box
In the last 10 years, we have new technologies, new majors, new careers - all of which never existed. Experiencing challenges and encountering problems is what creates opportunities. Not getting into your “dream” college means that you get to create a new alternative, something you never knew you wanted or needed, a dream that may never have come to fruition if the first path worked out. I’ve often mentioned how impactful Frank Bruni’s book is to illustrate that it’s the student not the college that creates the successful experience. As this reviewer notes, that is due in part to the “common” themes of “an openness to serendipity” and “a nimbleness in adapting to change, a willingness to shoot off in a new direction”, combined with the student’s talents, skills and hard work resulting in a new alternative to the original box.
In fact, if we are truly thinking “outside of the box”, then “going forward”, maybe we need to “circle back” on some of these other “overused/annoying” expressions. There are probably many more of these that “down the road” can be helpful in “taking it to the next level” and creating the next “best thing since sliced bread!