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07-16-2012, 11:54 PM
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#1 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 44
| Best Books to Read Preparing for College
I am preparing to be a freshman in college and want to read some books that will benefit me and help me do well and get good grades in college. I am not a fast reader, and struggle when taking notes. I have found many books on Amazon, but don't know which are the best because I don't have enough time to read them all. What are some of the best books to read to do well in college and prepare you. I am currently reading What Smart Students Know. I am not looking for books like novels to read, just how to do the best in college and I ultimately want to get straight A's which I know is very difficult.
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07-17-2012, 12:40 AM
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#2 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: University of South Carolina '15
Posts: 1,338
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Don't waste your time reading "Success" books. They all tell you things that you already know. (Schedule your time wisely, prioritize, be nice, study, etc.)
The best thing to do right now is just relax and enjoy your summer. If you really want to get an academic start, I suppose that you could go ahead and order your textbooks for next semester and start looking through those. (I personally found along the way that outlining the first couple of chapters in textbooks both helped me fulfill my desire to get a jump-start on classes and helped me have less stress at the start of the year with less work.)
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07-17-2012, 07:01 AM
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#3 | | Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 375
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Relax now, so that you will have no excuse not to work your arse off later.
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07-17-2012, 12:57 PM
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#4 | | New Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 23
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I'm going to be a freshman as well! And I have the same idea. Currently, I'm reading The Secrets of College Success. Im no done reading it, but I would most definitely recommend it!
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07-17-2012, 01:18 PM
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#5 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Michigan State '13; Michigan '15
Posts: 8,783
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There is NOTHING you can find in one of those books that can't be found here on cc. Don't waste your time or money with them. You can ask for help on here if you need it and we don't charge  | |
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07-17-2012, 04:26 PM
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#6 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 44
| Improve Reading Speed and Better Note Taking Strategies
My comprehension is horrible and am a slow reader. How can I improve this and also do better not writing word for word what is in the text book. That is pretty much how I used to take notes. I need to learn something new like a new strategy.
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07-17-2012, 05:16 PM
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#7 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 95
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I highly recommend Study Skills for Dummies. Great book.
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07-17-2012, 09:30 PM
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#8 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,346
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No book will prepare you for college nor will it help you get straight A's. Just go into college with a positive attitude and a strong work ethic.
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07-17-2012, 11:53 PM
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#9 | | Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 648
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There is a lot of great information in Cal Newport's blog and books. Easy to google - available on Amazon. Highly recommend his strategies, especially his reading comprehension and paper organization methods.
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07-18-2012, 01:58 AM
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#10 | | Member
Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Crabcakes and Football
Posts: 855
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I agree with AUGirl. Don't stress out about it man. You were obviously smart enough to get into your school so you must be doing something right. Definitely read some stuff if you think it'll help you, but for the most part I'd say doing well in college is pretty intuitive stuff. Different people have different strategies for studying.
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07-18-2012, 08:29 AM
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#11 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 160
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I read Cal Newport's book, How to Be a Straight-A Student, before going to school for the first time.
There was some good info in there, even beyond what I would have known intuitively, but at least for me there was still a rough period of adjustment, where I was trying hard and spinning my wheels.
Plan need a little time to adjust, be willing to work hard to get good grades, and don't work harder than you have to for them.
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07-18-2012, 10:41 AM
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#12 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 206
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I'm going to third Cal Newport's books. He's definitely a bit anal so I worked on a watered down version of what he does.
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07-18-2012, 01:37 PM
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#13 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,373
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Making the Most of College by Richard Light.
You might also be able to find your class reading lists online and start reading through some of the material now to get a head start.
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07-18-2012, 04:02 PM
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#14 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Beardsley
Posts: 1,841
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I would check out Cal Newport's website, instead of buying any unnecessary books. You can easily get all the information you need from the internet.
Also agreed with all the people who recommended getting your next semester's books early to get a jump start on your work. You'll be really grateful you did at the end of the semester | |
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07-18-2012, 04:11 PM
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#15 | | Junior Member
Join Date: May 2012 Location: UT Austin '15
Posts: 93
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You really don't need to read books to prepare for college. I didn't even know people did that. It's like a job in the real world. Nothing you study really prepares you for that job, you just jump in and learn most of the things you need to know while on the job. So... stop being lame and enjoy your summer. Reading books is one thing, but READING BOOKS ABOUT SCHOOL? REALLY? REALLY BRO?
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