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

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