Conquering College

Book excerpt: CONQUERING COLLEGE: WHAT THEY DON'T TELL YOU differs from most "how-to-succeed-in-college" books by going far beyond university catolog and freshman and transfer student Orientation descriptions of college and how succeed in college and beyond. Chapter 1 informs readers of the four most commons ways that students choose to go about experiencing college, and the consequences - both positive and negative - of choosing one way, as opposed to another. Chapter 2 focuses on the four most common types of professors, and gives tips on how to thrive under each type. Subsequent chapters focus on choosing the right major, guidance counselors, the relative importance of grades, winning and losing the good will of professors, what the course syllabi tell, misuages of email, the halo effect, sleep, and how to get glowing letters of recommendation that lead to admission to either graduate or professional schools or post-graduation employment. These chapters also carry conversations with college graduates willing to discuss the extent to which - and the reasons why - they feel they did or did not leave college a success. And they contain conversations with professors willing to discuss the criteria - other than exam scores and term paper grades - they use in determining final student grades, and for whom they will write the most glowing letters of recommendation