How to Succeed in College and Beyond: The Art of Learning / Edition 1

by Daniel R. Schwarz

Overview

How to Succeed in College and Beyond is an insightful, inspired guide to the undergraduate experience that helps students balance the joy of learning with the necessity of career preparation.

• Features a wealth of advice for getting the most from an undergraduate education, especially inthe areas of arts and humanities, written by an experienced educator and mentor
• Covers the entire undergraduate experience, from high school preparation, applications,financial aid, each undergraduate year from freshman to senior, junior year abroad  course selection, and extra-curricular activities, to independent study, honors essays, graduate school, dissertations, and career searches
• Discusses the benefits of pursuing an arts and humanities degree including how to write effectively, speak articulately, and think critically and  discusses how to balance the joy and practicality of education in terms of getting vocationally-focused qualifications.
• Packed with information that is as helpful to students as it is to their parents, teachers, and advisors, this guide is a indispensible resource for prospective and present undergraduates

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781118974858
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	02/16/2016
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Daniel R. Schwarz is Frederic J. Whiton Professor of English Literature and Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow at Cornell University. He is a highly-regarded, author, a master teacher, an influential literary critic, and a regular contributor to the Huffington Post on Higher Education. His recent books include Reading the European Novel to 1900 (2014), Crises and Turmoil at the New York Times, 1999-2009 (2012, 2014), and In Defense of Reading: Teaching Literature in the Twenty-First Century (2008), both published by Wiley Blackwell.

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

1 Introduction: How to Succeed in College and Beyond: The Art of Learning 1

Part I Beginnings 13

2 How to Prepare for College 15

3 The College Olympics: How to Choose the Right College and How to Get the Right College to Choose You 24

Part II The College Experience 39

4 Twenty Suggestions for Incoming College Freshmen 41

5 Nineteen Suggestions for College Sophomores 52

6 Suggestions for College Juniors: Balancing the Joy and Practicality of Learning 57

7 Making the Most of Your Senior Year in College 66

8 Planning for the Future: Suggestions for Seniors Graduating from College 72

Part III Further Essentials 79

0 Seventeen Suggestions for How to Choose Classes in College 81

10 The Greek System: Should You Join a Fraternity or Sorority? 87

11 More Thoughts on the College Experience: Brief Observations and Suggestions 98

12 Growing Young Adults: What Parents Need to Know About Their Children in College 105

Part IV The Value of the Humanities 109

13 Why Study the Humanities? 111

14 Do the Humanities Help Us Understand the World in Which We Live? 117

15 What to Do with a Bachelor of Arts in English 124

16 Does It Make Sense to Pursue a Humanities Doctorate? The Pros and Cons of Graduate Education in the Humanities 131

Part V Perspectives of a Professor 141

17 Are Teaching and Research Mutually Exclusive? 143

18 The Classroom as Opportunity: Teaching Students How to Enjoy and Understand Literature, Read Closely, Write Lucidly, and Think Independently 148

19 Changing the World One Step at a Time: Comparing Contemporary Students with Those of the Explosive 1968-1970 Period 162

Works Cited and Select Bibliography 174

Index 181

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This should become required reading for current and prospective college students (and their parents) who want the inside scoop from a legendary professor on why college remains a wise investment, and a doorway to a fuller life. It offers practical, step-by-step advice on issues from finding a mentor, to student debt and rising tuition costs. Schwarz bolsters his wise commentary with testimonials from current and former students, as well
as other professors and administrators.”  Daniel Morris, Purdue University

"A feast of common sense at a time when common sense is not so common. The friendly conversational style of Schwarz's book will make it a valued companion as students and their parents navigate what looks from the outside like a mysterious terrain. He brings it down to earth." Stanley Fish, Florida International University

“There are many books on the college admissions process, but this invaluable book surpasses all of them, addressing not only the admissions process but also the entire college experience. Chapter by chapter, Professor Dan Schwarz takes the reader—whether a high school senior or a college undergraduate—from freshman through senior year as well as advising on how to prepare for graduate schools and post-college employment. He also offers parents wisdom on how to deal with their children’s college experience.  Informed by painstaking research and drawn from decades of personal experience teaching and advising college students, Schwarz, a much-honored and beloved Cornell University professor, understands the obstacles and opportunities young adults face and what they need in order to grow and flourish, not just in their college and professional careers, but in their lives.” Lisa Esposito Kok, Independent College Consultant