Table of Contents
Preface to the Second Edition xv
Introduction xvii
Top 10 Reasons to Read This Book xix
The Professors' Guide Icons xxi
1 THIS IS COLLEGE
10 Things You Need to Know About College (But Probably Don’t) 3
What's New at College? Fun Facts 7
The 15 Habits of Top College Students 10
The 10 Worst Self-Defeating Myths 14
The 11 Secrets of Getting Good Grades in College 18
20 No-Brainers to Save Money at College 22
14 Ways to Ensure You Graduate in Four Years 31
Top 10 Tips for Community College Students 36
10 Best Tips for Engineering School 41
Top 10 Tips for Applied Arts and Design Colleges 45
The College Student’s Bill of Rights 49
2 IN THE BEGINNING . . .
7 Things to Do the Summer Before College 54
15 Things to Do the Week Before College 58
10 Things to Consider Before Buying a Tablet, E-Reader, or Laptop for College 62
Do's and Don’ts for Picking Your Courses 68
Top 12 Tips for Picking a Major 72
Top 10 Secrets of the Syllabus 78
10 Questions to Ask Yourself the First Week of Classes 82
The 13 Warning Signs of a Bad Professor 85
Tips and Tricks for Improving Your Course Schedule 89
3 SKILLS 3.0
Top 10 Time-Management Tips 96
Top 10 Reasons Never to Procrastinate 100
The How Not to Study Guide 104
10 Secrets of Taking Excellent Lecture Notes 109
15 Ways to Read Like a Pro 113
15 Strategies for Painless Presentations 118
How to Build Your Confidence 123
4 SPECIALTIES OF THE HOUSE
10 Ways to Whip the Freshman Comp Requirement 129
10 Tips for Taming the Math Requirement 134
Top 10 Tips for Mastering the Foreign (or World) Language Requirement 138
10 Ideas for Learning to Love the Lab 142
10 Tips for the First-Year Experience Course 146
Facing Up to Remediation: Top 10 Strategies 149
10 Tips for Online Courses (and MOOCs) 154
How to Take Courses on the Web—for Free 160
5 IT'S SHOWTIME!
12 Tips for A+ Test Preparation 166
"So What's Going to Be on the Test Anyway?" 171
Top 13 Test-Taking Tips 174
10 Tips for Writing the Perfect Paper 179
10 Things Your Professor Won’t Tell You About Grading 185
How to Turn a B into an A 189
14 Techniques for Doing Research Like a Professor 190
Top 10 Tips for Doing E-Research 196
6 INTERFACING WITH THE PROFESSOR
15 Ways to Make Your Professor Love You 203
10 Biggest Hesitations About Going to See the Professor—and How to Get Over Them 208
The 14 Secrets of Going to See the Professor 212
Etiquette for E-mailing Your Professor 217
10 Surefi re Ways to Piss Off Your Professor 220
Top 10 Things Professors Never Want to Hear—and What They Think When They Do Hear Them 224
7 IN CASE OF EMERGENCY . . .
10 Things to Do When You Can't Keep Up with the Lecture 228
Top 10 Signs You’ve Been Cutting Too Many Classes 233
What to Do When You’ve Bombed the Midterm 234
7 Best Last-Minute Strategies for Saving Your Grade 237
10 Signs You’re in Real Trouble at College 241
What, Then, to Do? The 7-Step Approach 244
8 THE SECOND HALF
10 Must-Do’s at the Halfway Point of College 249
13 Skills You’ll Need for a Career—and How to Get Them at College 253
10 Strategies for Women Considering a Career in STEM Fields 257
Transfer Tips—from Community College to Four-Year College 261
Summer School Pros and Cons 264
Top 10 Myths About Study Abroad 268
Top 9 Tips for Taking Out Student Loans 272
10 Tips for the Senior Thesis 277
9 MOVING ON
The 10-Step Program for Thinking About Grad School 284
Top 10 Tips for Getting Bang-Up Recommendations 289
8 Tips for Finding a Job 294
Top 13 Tips for Acing the Job Interview 298
Top 10 Tips for Paying Off Your Student Loans 303
10 THE END—AND THE BEGINNING
The 3 Most Important Tips 309
Top 10 People We'd Like to Thank 311
Web Resources 313
Index 317