The thinking student's guide to college
Subtitle: 75 tips for getting a better education
By: Andrew Roberts.
Series: Chicago guides to academic life; Chicago guides to academic life
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Chicago; London
Language: eng
ISBN-13: 9780226721149; 9780226721156
Subjects: College choice -- United States; Education, Higher -- Aims and objectives; Universities and colleges -- United States; College student orientation; College students -- Conduct of life
Table of contents: title: The purposes of a college education; title: How universities work; title: The history of the university; title: A student's guide to college administration; title: Choosing a college; title: Tip 1: you can get an equivalent classroom education at all reasonably selective colleges and universities; title: Nobel Prize winners; title: Tip 2: the key distinction is between small colleges and large universities; title: Where do professors send their children to college?; title: Tip 3: reputation doesn't matter as much as you think; title: Tip 4: the main importance of reputation is the student body it attracts; title: U.S. news ratings; title: Minorities and college choice; title: Tip 5: look for signs of a personalized education; title: Tip 6: consider the cost; title: Tip 7: differences in the strength of particular departments are not usually a good basis for choosing among colleges; title: Choosing a foreign university; title: Tip 8: consider the different varieties of general education programs; title: Tip 9: don't worry; most students are happy with their choice; title: Choosing classes; title: Tip 10: consider visiting multiple classes during the first week of the semester; title: Tip 11: usually trust your first impressions; title: Choosing classes; title: Tip 12: go for variety, especially early on; title: Tip 13: at least once a year pick a class that doesn't seem to fit your interests; title: Tip 14: take classes with heavy writing requirements; title: Tip 15: take as many seminars and as few large lecture courses as possible; title: What does a good lecture look like; title: Tip 16: take mostly upper-division courses; title: Tip 17: focus more on methods than topics; title: Tip 18: seek out classes that provide you with continuous feedback and take the feedback seriously; title: Tip 19: know the status of your professors; title: Tip 20: learn to be a critical reader of student evaluations of faculty; title: Tip 21: ask professors you know what courses they would recommend; title: Tip 22: take courses that relate to each other; title: Tip 23: study abroad for at least one semester if not an entire year; title: Tip 24: don't succumb to the "two cultures"; title: Tip 25: don't try to get all of your general education requirements out of the way in freshman and sophomore year; title: Tip 26: audit classes that you don't have time to take; title: Tip 27: consider independent study classes; title: Tip 28: don't take too many classes with one professor; title: Tip 29: don't be afraid to exceed requirements; title: Tip 30: unless you plan to major in chemistry or biology, leave medical school requirements until later; title: Tip 31: either take foreign language classes seriously or try to place out of them; title: Tip 32: be discerning in choosing internships for credit; title: Tip 33: take prerequisites with a grain of salt; title: Tip 34: consider graduate courses; title: Choosing a major; title: Tip 35: sample a lot of different departments; title: Tip 36: choose a major that you love; title: Some neglected majors; title: Tip 37: find out what you are good at; title: Tip 38: don't worry too much about the job prospects of the major; title: Tip 39: choose smaller majors; title: Tip 40: choose more structured majors; title: Women and the sciences; title: Tip 41: go to an academic lecture given in the department; title: Tip 42: be skeptical about double or triple majoring; title: Tip 43: write a senior thesis; title: Tip 44: don't get too stressed out over your choice; title: Being successful; title: Tip 45: manage your time; title: Tip 46: show professors that you are working hard; title: Tip 47: join a small study group; title: What grades mean; title: Tip 48: ask for help; title: Tip 49: don't let your instructors suspect that you are taking advantage of them; title: Grade inflation; title: Tip 50: learn the rules of critical thinking and apply them constantly; title: Tip 51: professorial shortcuts for writing; title: Tip 52: professorial shortcuts for doing research; title: Self-care; title: Interacting with professors; title: Tip 53: be respectful; title: Tip 54: be curious about the subject; title: Text box: interacting with female professors; title: Tip 55: visit the office hours of all your professors at least once; title: Tip 56: get to know at least one professor well; title: Tip 57: find out what your professors research; title: "Tenured radicals"; title: Tip 58: send e-mails judiciously, answer e-mails promptly; title: Writing an effective e-mail; title: Tip 59: avoid complaints about grades; title: Tip 60: become an RA; title: Tip 61: ask for recommendation letters from professors who know you well; title: Learning outside the classroom; title: Tip 62: get involved in extracurricular activities; title: Tip 63: subscribe to an intellectual magazine; title: Tip 64: read academic blogs; title: Text box: academic blogs; title: Tip 65: attend a public lecture every week; title: Tip 66: spend your free time in coffeehouses; title: Tip 67: make friends with people who have different beliefs and experiences; title: Tip 68: get to know foreign students; title: Going to graduate school; title: Tip 69: there are seldom strong reasons to go to graduate school immediately after college; title: Tip 70: learn more about the career graduate school is heading to; title: Tip 71: graduate school is not just advanced undergrad; title: Getting fellowships; title: Tip 72: ask your professors' advice about PhD programs in their field; title: Tip 73: PhD programs are not for training teachers; title: Types of graduate programs; title: Tip 74: prestige does matter for PhD programs; title: Tip 75: talk to current grad students.