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  • College Rules! How to Study, Survive, and Succeed in College
  • Jennifer P. Hodges
College Rules! How to Study, Survive, and Succeed in College Sherrie Nist and Jodi Patrick Holschuh Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2002, 288 pages, $14.95 (softcover)

"When you get to college, though, it's as if the rules you spent 12 years mastering have changed" (p. 8). With this statement, Nist and Holschuh invited their readers to plunge into College Rules! How to Study, Survive, and Succeed in College and explore the differences between high school and college learning. In addition to examining these differences, the authors offered guidelines for making a successful transition to college and challenged readers to take responsibility for their own academic success. "Remember, once you enter college you are, for the most part, in control of the experience you will have" (p. 16).

Nist and Holschuh recommended that students read their book prior to starting college. Although a multitude of college success strategy books exist, College Rules! is unique in that it focuses strictly on academic success. The authors left topics such as roommate troubles, the freshman 15, homesickness, and credit card debt to other books. They contended that "all else aside, your college experience will suffer if you are in trouble academically" (p. 3). They recommended a healthy balance between academics, social life, and campus involvement, but focused the text on ways to master collegiate learning.

The book is presented in 22 short chapters, which range from 10 to 16 pages each. The authors suggested that pre-college students read it in consecutive order, but also noted that it can be utilized as a reference guide for students after they have arrived on campus. The chapters are straightforward and include many practical suggestions often presented in list form. Each chapter includes a number of sidebars that offer quick facts or pointers. The sidebar topics include: Sad but True, tales of common student missteps; The Inside Scoop, advice based on research on college students; Listen Up, study tips for efficient and effective learning; Do Your Homework, advice on things to do outside of class; For Adults Only, advice for nontraditional students; Get Wired, tips for maximizing learning with computers; and Urban Legend, myths that have circulated on college campuses for years.

Scanning the table of contents, College Rules! appears to besimilar to texts commonly used in "orientation to college" courses. It begins with a discussion of how college courses differ from high school classes (i.e. fewer exams, faster paced, greater student responsibility, etc.) and ends with chapters outlining specific study strategies such as note taking, reading college texts, enhancing memory, using computers, and test taking strategies. In addition to study strategies, College Rules! also covers other topics common to college orientation texts, including time management, dealing with stress, choosing a major, motivation, and concentration.

What makes College Rules! stand out is its focus on personal responsibility for learning and its insider look at what colleges expect of students. Chapter 2, "Where to Find the Help You Need," and chapter 4, "Zen and the Art of Course Selection," outline proactive steps students can take to prevent, or at least prepare for, stressful situations. Chapter 8, "'I Think I Can, I Think I Can': Getting and Staying Motivated," stresses the responsibility students have for enhancing their own motivation to learn.

One of the best chapters in the book is [End Page 490] chapter 10, "What's It All About? Understanding How You Learn." From its title, the reader may expect a discussion of learning styles and how to adjust to various teaching methods. The authors contended that limiting the discussion of learning to only learning styles is too simplistic to be helpful. Instead they detailed five characteristics of amazing students (willful, skillful, curious, open-minded, and self-disciplined) and offered tips on how to develop these characteristics. The authors also focused on students' beliefs about learning and how those beliefs compare with their professors' beliefs. Instead of focusing on the skills and abilities (learning styles) students bring with them to college, this chapter explores how attitudes and beliefs impact learning. The authors challenged their readers to consider their own attitudes...

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