Rating: 
Summary: How to Survive Your Freshman Year
Review: A strength of this work is that it provides practical strategies on how to make the transition from high school to college
with a minimum of wasted effort and expense. College requires work regardless of how quickly you can grasp technical or easy to read presentations. There are research papers. Students have more lab work in the technical subject areas. Case studies require a solid commitment of time. Professors have different styles. Some design tests from the homeworks. Others design tests from case studies. Still others design highly competitive exams.
Grading schemes can vary. Some instructors grade by the strict bell curve. Others consider grading secondary. Some schools require strict attendance. Others simply don't care if the students do the work and perform well. It is important to get good instructors/professors and to utilize them as a resource.
Individual study is important, but group participation can be helpful. It's important to talk to students who've had the same
instructors as you are assigned. Sometimes, it can be helpful to get the notes in advance. Students who aspire to be professional
athletes must manage their time. You can have a lot of fun in college but realize that you are there for an education.
It's important to complete the assigned homeworks and labs yourself because teachers usually formulate exams from this material. Let's say that you're studying calculus.
The homework assignment involves a partial differentiation
of y x^3 on x. The answer of course is 3 y x^2. On an exam,
the instructor might ask you to do a partial differentiation
of y x^3 on y. The answer would be x^3. It's important to do the homeworks methodically because similar
problems land on mid-terms and finals. In addition,
your focus on homeworks will save lots of time when it comes to
studying for exams. Homeworks are an important barometer of what
the professor considers important in the course. In addition, class notes can have important supplementary material not contained in the textbooks. Some instructors test the class notes heavily to penalize students who do not attend class
regularly or reward students with good attendance records.
Another dimension of college is paying for it. There are student
loans, full/partial scholarships and federal work study programs.
Some states have specific collegiate funding programs aimed at
college students. State funding can vary from outright grants to
scholarships to student loans. Many corporate entities fund college study as do private organizations and associations.
Some scholarships go begging for lack of applicants. It is important to research and apply for as many college scholarships and financial benefits as time permits. Do not assume that your
grades or SAT scores disqualify you from getting a college
scholarship. Some scholarships are awarded simply on the basis
of providing funding to needy students or students who might have
difficulty in paying for college without the scholarship assistance. In other situations, no-one may have applied and your application may be the only one up for consideration. By simply applying and meeting a minimum threshold-you may get the scholarship award.
College is perhaps your last opportunity to explore areas of
interest prior to entering the world of work. This work
is a solid investment because it teaches how to utilize the
college experience to your maximum career advantage.
Rating:
Summary: How to Survive Your Freshman Year
Review: College is a new experience. It involves an important transition from high school to more in depth learning.A strength of this work is that it can help you make a difficult adjustment with a minimum amount of unnecessary work , avoidable worry and expense. Some students can complete most high school assignments in a matter of minutes.
Collegiate assignments are more involved. They involve research, critical thinking and careful analysis of pertinent/irrelevant facts. Brilliant students can do well in high school with a minimum of work. College requires work regardless of how quickly you can grasp technical or easy to read presentations. There are research papers. Students have more lab work in the technical subject areas. Case studies require a solid commitment of time. Professors have different styles. Some design tests from the homeworks. Others design tests from case studies. Still others design highly competitive exams geared so that the best students will score the highest.
Grading schemes can vary. Some instructors grade by the strict bell curve. Others consider grading secondary. Some schools require strict attendance. Others simply don't care if the students do the work and perform well. It is important to get good instructors/professors and to utilize them as a resource.
Individual study is important, but group participation can be helpful. It's important to talk to students who've had the same
instructors as you are assigned. Sometimes, it can be helpful to get the notes in advance. Students who aspire to be professional
athletes must manage their time. You can have a lot of fun in college but realize that you are there for an education.
It's important to complete the assigned homeworks and labs yourself because teachers usually formulate exams from this material. Let's say that you're studying calculus.
The homework assignment involves a partial differentiation
of y x^3 on x. The answer of course is 3 y x^2. On an exam,
the instructor might ask you to do a partial differentiation
of y x^3 on y. The answer would be x^3. It's important to do the homeworks methodically because similar
problems land on mid-terms and finals. In addition,
your focus on homeworks will save lots of time when it comes to
studying for exams. Homeworks are an important barometer of what
the professor considers important in the course. In addition, class notes can have important supplementary material not contained in the textbooks. Some instructors test the class notes heavily to penalize students who do not attend class
regularly or reward students with good attendance records.
Another dimension of college is paying for it. There are student
loans, full/partial scholarships and federal work study programs.
Some states have specific collegiate funding programs aimed at
college students. State funding can vary from outright grants to
scholarships to student loans. Many corporate entities fund college study as do private organizations and associations.
Some scholarships go begging for lack of applicants. It is important to research and apply for as many college scholarships and financial benefits as time permits. Do not assume that your
grades or SAT scores disqualify you from getting a college
scholarship. Some scholarships are awarded simply on the basis
of providing funding to needy students or students who might have
difficulty in paying for college without the scholarship assistance. In other situations, no-one may have applied and your application may be the only one up for consideration. By simply applying and meeting a minimum threshold-you may get the scholarship award. College is perhaps your last opportunity to explore areas of
interest prior to entering the world of work. Once you leave college and go to work, there simply will not be enough time
to engage in independent study. Utilize the college years
wisely because it will be your last opportunity (except for
retirement) to pursue areas of personal interest and enjoyment.
Rating:
Summary: Honest and Hysterically Funny Insight Into Freshman Year
Review: For anyone about to go to college, this book filled with vignettes and quotes from freshmen provides funny insights into the first year of college life. I was literally laughing out loud at some of the quotes! I'd definitely recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great gift book
Review: I bought this book for my niece when she visited as part of a pre-freshman trip to her two top colleges. She read it cover to cover, alternately chuckling, sighing, and saying "I can't wait." The book was a huge hit. It's funny, poignant, and dead-on accurate.
Rating:
Summary: Great gift book
Review: I bought this book for my niece when she visited as part of a pre-freshman trip to her two top colleges. She read it cover to cover, alternately chuckling, sighing, and saying "I can't wait." The book was a huge hit. It's funny, poignant, and dead-on accurate.
Rating:
Summary: Valuable Resource -- Well Written and an Accessible Read
Review: I bought this book for my niece who will be starting college next fall. It is FANTASTIC! I couldn't put it down, and read it cover to cover. The book is well written and the advice is completely on point. Really gives future college freshmen an idea of what college life will be like. I highly recommend this for any high school senior who will be starting college next fall!
Rating:
Summary: best cultural introduction
Review: My niece is starting college in the states next fall and was very scared because she could not imagine how college life would be in another country. After she read the book, she feels much more comfortable with her year in America. It gave her a sense of college sub-culture and life in a fun way.
Rating:
Summary: great for parents, too
Review: My son received "How to Survive" as a gift. I grabbed it from his room to leaf through last night. I am impressed that it includes sound advice that I would like to give him, but I'm sure he wouldn't listen to me! I feel that he'll pay attention to the book, because the nuggets are from students close to his age. Also like the layout - you can read it straight through, flip it open to any page or find a chapter for specific topic information. Great graduation present for other seniors. Solves that problem nicely.
Rating:
Summary: What to buy for the soon to be highschool grad
Review: This book gets it right. Colege kids talking to others soon to be in their shoes. I didn't agree with all the advice - ok - so my college days were decades ago - but I felt the honesty and helpful spirit of each entry. The format makes sense - the topics are relevant - its a book that will be used before and way after freshman year.
Unless you are the kind that thinks that only parental advice is worthwhile - this is a great senior year - freshman year find.
Rating:
Summary: Great gift book
Review: This book had to have been written by someone with the attention span and interests of a high school senior. My son couldn't put it down and kept interrupting the family to tell us one little story after the other. It prompted great discussions in the family too. The format of this book really makes the difference, the short stories each contain their own 'nugget' of gold. I think the best thing about this book is that it really gives the reader the sense that they are learning first-hand from people who really want to help them have a great college experience. Its full of great advice and isn't written from just one perspective. Even though I graduated over 20 years ago, I found myself nodding in agreement with much of what was written and glad that my son has the benefit of this foresight. I highly recommend this to anyone who is trying to prepare for a great college experience.
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