Cal Newport

Draws on firsthand interviews with outstanding students at universities across the country to examine the secrets of a successful college career, introducing seventy-five simple rules designed to assist students ace their classes, assume leadership positions, build a superb résumé, define their life goals, and have fun at the same time. Original. 17,500 first printing.

Simple Rules For Success From Star Students

How To Win At College

linda

I read Cal Newport’s How to Win at College because I wanted some easy pre-bedtime reading, and this book felt like a good fit. I’m nervous about going off to college and still “doing well.” I was also contemplating whether or not I should complete all the reading for a college course I am taking. I remember discovering How to Be a High School Superstar towards the end of my senior spring, after I had already gotten into college. While not everything was great advice (for me, at least), it is a resource I wish I had earlier. In particular, some tips really stuck out to me: for instance, the three day paper rule, or knowing that you can be a zen valedictorian (this might be another one of Newport’s books, btw).

I feel similarly about this book. I agree with about 80% of the content in here, and most of the underlying principles make a lot of sense. Initially, I started by listing out the tips that stood out to me, but this list quickly became too long. So I categorized them instead. 

A) The key to academic success is time-management 

4. Start long term projects the day they are assigned. 
12. Avoid to do lists by a) blocking out your class hours and free time b) assigning tasks to one hour blocks and blocking out an extra hour for errands/email.
40. Job hunting at college: Start contacting the individuals in charge of the job you want at least a month before the semester begins. 
73. Start fast, end slow. 

B) In academics and in life, be process-oriented 

56. The point is that she didn't care about getting a bad grade. Her concern was with understanding the material. This focus on learning for the sake of learning, not for the sake of grades
66. Don’t network. If you are curious about what this person does and why, ask insightful questions and demonstrate a desire to become more knowledgeable. Keep in touch via periodic email updates. 
75. Don’t have no regrets - feel more excitement about an opportunity than fear of failure; take joy in the process of putting forward your best. 

C) Seek out opportunities to differentiate yourself and cultivate a personal brand. Express gratitude. 

6. Apply to ten scholarships every year (great strategy, did not think of this at all before!)
18. Blow the curve once a term. Great strategy.
22. Pay your dues for the opportunities you receive: “If you think I can handle this, I would be happy to help.”
27. Write outside class, especially op-Eds. 

Most of Newport’s tips come as common sense - going to office hours, scheduling out free time, maximizing summers with research/internships, etc. Some tips felt a bit outdated (note the frequent references to AOL Messenger and this book’s 2005 publication date), and others I did not agree with. For instance, Newport says to skip the reading - to only read the introductions and conclusions, then skim everything else. I think that it is a great skimming technique, but most of my friends and I still do the required reading, even if we take less detailed notes. I have also found study groups to be tremendously helpful because they keep me accountable, and my friends are not the type to socialize while studying. Rather, we just sit together to do work silently. One tip that I vehemently disagreed with was “Do One Thing Better Than Everyone Else.” I don’t think this is a good goal to have, and I simply don’t think this is feasible at Ivy League universities: the pond is too big. I think a good tweak to this rule would be not just be doing something you are known for, but doing something that gives you joy.

We’ll see how next fall goes, and I’ll update this review when the time comes.

How To Win At College Simple Rules For Success From Star Students

Reviews