College will be the most important years in your life. It is in college that you will truly discover ___ 1___. You often question “what good is this course.” I encourage you to ___ 2___, but I also want to tell you: "education is what you have left after all that is taught is forgotten.” What I mean by that is the materials taught aren’t as important as you gaining the ability to ___3___ , and the ability to ___4___. That is really what learning in college is about—this will be the period where you go from ___5___ t o ___ 6___ ,after which you must become a ___7___ . So do take each subject seriously, and even if what you leam isn!t critical for your life, the skills of learning will be something you cherish forever. Do not fall into ___8___. There is___9___ to any question. Remember during your high school debate class, I always asked you to take on the side that you don't believe in? I did that for a reason_things are rarely “___10___ ”,and there are always many ways to look at a problem. You will become a better problem solver if you recognize that. This is called "___11___," and it is the most important thinking skill you need for your life. This also means you need to become ___12___ of others. I will always remember when I went to my Ph.D. advisor and proposed ____13___. He said “I don’t agree with you, but I’ll support you.” Through the years, I have learned this isn’t just ___14___ ,it is encouragement of critical thinking, and an empowering ___15___, and it has become a part of me. I hope it will become a part of you too.