How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less
by Cal Newport
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Book Summary Information
Author: Cal NewportEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-12-26
ISBN: 0767922719
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780767922715
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less
Book Review: The ONLY real college success book that lives up to its title!
Summary: 5 Stars
For perhaps the first time in my life, I finally found a book that truly lives up to its title. Personally, I dont review many books, but I just had to let everyone know that this book is AMAZING!
Well...maybe i'm getting ahead of myself. You should also check out his other book too!
I've read a few other books on college. However, they were bloated with too many pages, a boring writing style that failed to capture my attention, and were generally repeating common sense that students have heard way too many times.
However, what sets this book apart is that, unlike 99% of college success books, the advice isn't biased. It doesn't involve one person's experience, but instead from fellow straight-a students. In fact, it isn't even written by a professor! The great part about this is that, although not every last tip will apply to everyone, it gives you a good pool to work with when formulating methods to get ahead in college. Personally, I found 95% of the stuff applicable to me.
That being said, I found this book to be helpful because it follows the simple phrase: "Study smarter, not harder". Even with this simple phrase in mind, everything branches out to include often surprising "secrets" that WILL improve your college experience. Although much of it is common sense, Cal describes it in such a manner so that you can easily understand it, why it is important, and become inspired right away! Cal also writes very well that I found it very hard just to put the book down! He writes in such a manner like he is an older sibling who is passing on his knowledge to his younger brother or sister. Its really funny and definitely a far cry from those monotonous "college success" guides.
Even then, this book more than delivers on its title. Although good grades in college are no doubt important, college is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is full of new experiences waiting to be discovered. With this in mind, Cal proves to the reader that good grades are not the entire point of college. He defeats this common mindset by telling the reader to keep a good balance that were used by the straight-A students he interviewed. He used the phrase "star students" to describe them. These were people who actually HAD a life outside of the classroom: They had stellar grades, good friends, and were immersed in extracurricular activities. In essence, these students wanted to "stand out" right from the beginning. This piece of advice will definitely be hard to come by with other books. A's B's and C's are NOT the "currency" of academia.
An important thing to remember is that this book is more in depth than his previous book. Even so, i'd buy BOTH books!
If you are skeptical like I was at first, do two things:
1. Read the introduction.
2. Check out Cal's blog on college success. Its updated frequently: http://calnewport.com/blog/
Good luck and have fun!
***UPDATE***
December 22, 2008
3.7 GPA for my 1st semester of college. I had tons of free time on my hands! This book was the single best investment I made thus far in my college career!
More How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less reviews:
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Summary of How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less
Looking to jumpstart your GPA? Most college students believe that straight A?s can be achieved only through cramming and painful all-nighters at the library. But Cal Newport knows that real straight-A students don?t study harder?they study smarter. A breakthrough approach to acing academic assignments, from quizzes and exams to essays and papers, How to Become a Straight-A Student reveals for the first time the proven study secrets of real straight-A students across the country and weaves them into a simple, practical system that anyone can master. You will learn how to:
Streamline and maximize your study time
Conquer procrastination
Absorb the material quickly and effectively
Know which reading assignments are critical?and which are not
Target the paper topics that wow professors
Provide A+ answers on exams
Write stellar prose without the agony
A strategic blueprint for success that promises more free time, more fun, and top-tier results, How to Become a Straight-A Student is the only study guide written by students for students?with the insider knowledge and real-world methods to help you master the college system and rise to the top of the class.
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