The essential guide to getting ahead once you’ve gotten in—proven strategies for making the most of your college years, based on winning secrets from the country's most successful students “Highly recommended because it is full of practical tips that will help high school grads take the next step in life.”—Money How can you graduate with honors, choose exciting activities, build a head-turning resume, gain access to the best post-college opportunities, and still have a life? Based on interviews with star students at universities nationwide, from Harvard to the University of Arizona, How to Win at College presents seventy-five simple rules that will rocket you to the top of your class. These often surprising strategies include: • Don’t do all your reading • Drop classes every term • Become a club president • Care about your grades, Ignore your GPA • Never pull an all-nighter • Take three days to write a paper • Always be working on a “grand project” • Do one thing better than anyone else you know Proving you can be successful and still have time for fun, How to Win at College is the must-have guide for making the most of these four important years—and getting and edge on life after graduation. “This deliberately provocative book is a good way for a smart student to see how out-of-the-box thinking can lead to success in college.”—Seattle Times

Do Less, Live More, Get Accepted What if getting into your reach schools didn’t require four years of excessive A.P. classes, overwhelming activity schedules, and constant stress? In How to Be a High School Superstar, Cal Newport explores the world of relaxed superstars—students who scored spots at the nation’s top colleges by leading uncluttered, low stress, and authentic lives. Drawing from extensive interviews and cutting-edge science, Newport explains the surprising truths behind these superstars’ mixture of happiness and admissions success, including: · Why doing less is the foundation for becoming more impressive. · Why demonstrating passion is meaningless, but being interesting is crucial. · Why accomplishments that are hard to explain are better than accomplishments that are hard to do. These insights are accompanied by step-by-step instructions to help any student adopt the relaxed superstar lifestyle—proving that getting into college doesn’t have to be a chore to survive, but instead can be the reward for living a genuinely interesting life.

Looking to jumpstart your GPA? Most college students believe that straight A’s can be achieved only through cramming and painful all-nighters at the library. But Cal Newport knows that real straight-A students don’t study harder—they study smarter. A breakthrough approach to acing academic assignments, from quizzes and exams to essays and papers, How to Become a Straight-A Student reveals for the first time the proven study secrets of real straight-A students across the country and weaves them into a simple, practical system that anyone can master. You will learn how to: • Streamline and maximize your study time • Conquer procrastination • Absorb the material quickly and effectively • Know which reading assignments are critical—and which are not • Target the paper topics that wow professors • Provide A+ answers on exams • Write stellar prose without the agony A strategic blueprint for success that promises more free time, more fun, and top-tier results, How to Become a Straight-A Student is the only study guide written by students for students—with the insider knowledge and real-world methods to help you master the college system and rise to the top of the class.

And You Thought Getting into College Was Hard . . . Students who assume they can figure out college on the fly often learn things the hard way—they look back and think, “If only I’d known this from the start!” College Rules! will save you the time and trouble, setting you up for academic success from the get-go. Lesson #1: College is different from high school, and even those who were at the top of their class will need practical advice on how to successfully transition to college life. This updated and expanded third edition of College Rules! reveals strategies that aren’t taught in lectures, including how to: Study smarter—not harder Plan a manageable course schedule Master e-learning technologies Interact effectively with profs Become a research pro—at the library and online Organize killer study groups Feel engaged—even in “yawn” courses Survive the stresses of exam week Succeed even as an alternative or adult student Set yourself up for stellar recommendations Saving time, energy, and aggravation by doing everything right the first time will free you up for that pizza break, ultimate frisbee game, or ski trip even quicker. Why? Because College Rules!

If you’re currently a college student, or plan on being one, you need to check out this book. Written by award-winning professors Lynn Jacobs and Jeremy Hyman, it’s loaded with insider information that only professors know--but few are willing to reveal. The over 600 tips in this book will show you: How to pick good courses and avoid bad professors How to develop “college-level” skills and habits that’ll put you ahead of the pack How to get through the freshman comp, math, language, and lab science requirements--in one try How to figure out what’s going to be on the tests, and what professors are looking for in papers and presentations How to pick a major you’ll really like--and be good at How to get the edge for graduate school--or the inside track to a really good job And much more. The tips are quick and easy-to-use, and the advice is friendly and supportive. It’s as if you had your own personal professor guiding you on the path to college success.

A sought-after packager of high school students shares 272 secrets to help parents get their kids into the top schools Targeting the savvy parents of today's college-bound teenagers who seek to gain a proven edge in the college admissions process, this book reveals 272 little-known secrets to help parents get their kids into the school of their dreams. Did you know? -A child's guidance counselor can help reverse a deferral. -A parent can help get a child off a waiting list. -There is a way for students to back out of Early Decision once they've been accepted. Based on the controversial insider information Elizabeth Wissner-Gross has gleaned from working as a highly successful packager of high school students and from interviews with heads of admission at the nation's top colleges, this book empowers parents by decoding the admissions process.