Table of Contents
Introduction
Text Box: The Purposes of a College Education
Chapter 1: How Universities Work
Text Box: The History of the University
Text Box: A Student’s Guide to College Administration
Chapter 2: Choosing a College
Tip 1: You Can Get an Equivalent Classroom Education at All Reasonably Selective Colleges and Universities
Text Box: Nobel Prize Winners
Tip 2: The Key Distinction Is between Small Colleges and Large Universities
Text Box: Where Do Professors Send Their Children to College?
Tip 3: Reputation Doesn’t Matter as Much as You Think
Tip 4: The Main Importance of Reputation Is the Student Body It Attracts
Text Box: U.S. News Ratings
Text Box: Minorities and College Choice
Tip 5: Look for Signs of a Personalized Education
Tip 6: Consider the Cost
Tip 7: Differences in the Strength of Particular Departments Are Not Usually a Good Basis for Choosing among Colleges
Text Box: Choosing a Foreign University
Tip 8: Consider the Different Varieties of General Education Programs
Tip 9: Don’t Worry; Most Students Are Happy with Their Choice
Chapter 3: Choosing Classes
Tip 10: Consider Visiting Multiple Classes during the First Week of the Semester
Tip 11: Usually Trust Your First Impressions
Text Box: Choosing Classes
Tip 12: Go for Variety, Especially Early On
Tip 13: At Least Once a Year Pick a Class That Doesn’t Seem to Fit Your Interests
Tip 14: Take Classes with Heavy Writing Requirements
Tip 15: Take as Many Seminars and as Few Large Lecture Courses as Possible
Text Box: What Does a Good Lecture Look Like
Tip 16: Take Mostly Upper-Division Courses
Tip 17: Focus More on Methods than Topics
Tip 18: Seek Out Classes That Provide You with Continuous Feedback and Take the Feedback Seriously
Tip 19: Know the Status of Your Professors
Tip 20: Learn to Be a Critical Reader of Student Evaluations of Faculty
Tip 21: Ask Professors You Know What Courses They Would Recommend
Tip 22: Take Courses That Relate to Each Other
Tip 23: Study Abroad for at Least One Semester if Not an Entire Year
Tip 24: Don’t Succumb to the “Two Cultures”
Tip 25: Don’t Try to Get All of Your General Education Requirements Out of the Way in Freshman and Sophomore Year
Tip 26: Audit Classes That You Don’t Have Time to Take
Tip 27: Consider Independent Study Classes
Tip 28: Don’t Take Too Many Classes with One Professor
Tip 29: Don’t Be Afraid to Exceed Requirements
Tip 30: Unless You Plan to Major in Chemistry or Biology, Leave Medical School Requirements until Later
Tip 31: Either Take Foreign Language Classes Seriously or Try to Place Out of Them
Tip 32: Be Discerning in Choosing Internships for Credit
Tip 33: Take Prerequisites with a Grain Of Salt
Tip 34: Consider Graduate Courses
Chapter 4: Choosing a Major
Tip 35: Sample a Lot of Different Departments
Tip 36: Choose a Major That You Love
Text Box: Some Neglected Majors
Tip 37: Find Out What You Are Good At
Tip 38: Don’t Worry Too Much about the Job Prospects of the Major
Tip 39: Choose Smaller Majors
Tip 40: Choose More Structured Majors
Text Box: Women and the Sciences
Tip 41: Go to an Academic Lecture Given in the Department
Tip 42: Be Skeptical about Double or Triple Majoring
Tip 43: Write a Senior Thesis
Tip 44: Don’t Get Too Stressed Out over Your Choice
Chapter 5: Being Successful
Tip 45: Manage Your Time
Tip 46: Show Professors That You Are Working Hard
Tip 47: Join a Small Study Group
Text Box: What Grades Mean
Tip 48: Ask for Help
Tip 49: Don’t Let Your Instructors Suspect that You Are Taking Advantage of Them
Text Box: Grade Inflation
Tip 50: Learn the Rules of Critical Thinking and Apply Them Constantly
Tip 51: Professorial Shortcuts for Writing
Tip 52: Professorial Shortcuts for Doing Research
Text Box: Self-Care
Chapter 6: Interacting with Professors
Tip 53: Be Respectful
Tip 54: Be Curious about the Subject
Text Box: Interacting with Female Professors
Tip 55: Visit the Office Hours of All Your Professors at Least Once
Tip 56: Get to Know at Least One Professor Well
Tip 57: Find Out What Your Professors Research
Text Box: “Tenured Radicals”
Tip 58: Send E-mails Judiciously, Answer E-mails Promptly
Text Box: Writing an Effective E-mail
Tip 59: Avoid Complaints about Grades
Tip 60: Become an RA
Tip 61: Ask for Recommendation Letters from Professors Who Know You Well
Chapter 7: Learning outside the Classroom
Tip 62: Get Involved in Extracurricular Activities
Tip 63: Subscribe to an Intellectual Magazine
Tip 64: Read Academic Blogs
Text Box: Academic Blogs
Tip 65: Attend a Public Lecture Every Week
Tip 66: Spend Your Free Time in Coffeehouses
Tip 67: Make Friends with People Who Have Different Beliefs and Experiences
Tip 68: Get to Know Foreign Students
Chapter 8: Going to Graduate School
Tip 69: There Are Seldom Strong Reasons to Go to Graduate School Immediately after College
Tip 70: Learn More about the Career Graduate School Is Heading To
Tip 71: Graduate School Is Not Just Advanced Undergrad
Text Box: Getting Fellowships
Tip 72: Ask Your Professors’ Advice about PhD Programs in Their Field
Tip 73: PhD Programs Are Not for Training Teachers
Text Box: Types of Graduate Programs
Tip 74: Prestige Does Matter for PhD Programs
Tip 75: Talk to Current Grad Students
Chapter 9: Secrets of the Guild: Rules Professors Live By
Rule A: Reduce Thy Teaching Load
Text Box: The Campus Novel
Rule B: Publish or Perish
Rule C: Pamper Grad Students
Rule D: Limit the Effort You Devote to Undergraduates
Text Box: How to Improve Your Professors
Rule E: Play the Market
Acknowledgments
Recommended Reading