Thriving at College: Make Great Friends, Keep Your Faith, and Get Ready for the Real World!

To give you some background knowledge, I'm a recently graduated high school student in Pennsylvania (I'm writing this review from my mom's account). This fall, I am attending Virginia Tech for engineering (obviously a few states away). As I neared high school graduation I became more and more worried for the next season of life. Questions such as "Will I survive engineering?", "Will I fall into worldly desires?", and "How lonely will college be?" flooded my mind. But when my pastor gave me a copy of Thriving At College I was quite surprised. As I began reading I realized that this was more than just any old book. Not only has Chediak answered dozens of questions I've had about college throughout senior year, but he has also given me crystal clear direction to living a Christ-centered life. I have never been so enriched with purpose and direction in my life. Chediak's Thriving at College isn't just for guys either; it's very clearly a co-ed book. I was incredibly thankful for this because I now know what qualities to look for in a girl (with purpose of a long term relationship). Chediak asks and answers crucial questions in a logical and analytical manner. I'm only halfway through the book and I've already purchased 10 copies and given them to my close Christian friends. Not sure what living a Christ-centered life looks like in the next season of life? Not sure how to approach the opposite sex, professors, your faith, or your classwork? Thriving at College is the second best tool out there and has built my confidence tremendously.

We ordered this book and two others from amazon.com as gifts for a college freshman care package. When the three arrived, I saw how THICK this one was and immediately told my wife, "That one's not the winner." Well, I was wrong.Before delivering the books, I read significant chunks of each to confirm they were all audience-appropriate. What I learned was that while the other volumes are good ... "Thriving At College" is EXCELLENT. I pored through this in a couple of days and spoke immediately to our youth pastor. We changed our plans and bought 8 more copies of this one for our high school seniors and staff.The frankness about adolescence and maturity is timely and refreshing for our youth fellowship. The excerpts from student questions are real, very practical advice. ALL of the chapters are relevant. Maybe I would have liked a little more talk about handling some other specific "challenges" (alcohol temptation, sexual temptations beyond hooking up with the opposite sex). But these are indirectly addressed in the rest of the book.I even dare say, some non-Christian seekers/visitors will benefit greatly from reading this. They might not know God personally but they come to fellowship semi-regularly and want to succeed in life. Who knows, if they follow even half of this book's useful "secular" advice which is doled out winsomely - maybe they'll dig harder into the spiritual side of life as well. And of course if you know a Christian student going off or who just entered college- this "coffee chat" with Alex is worth FAR MORE than its modest price!

Thriving at College is a guidebook for students already in college or entering college. Many students enter college ignorantly, thinking that college is similar to high school. This book touches on common issues and mistakes faced by college students and how to avoid them. The 10 most common mistakes college students make are listed and thrive principles are given on how to avoid making these mistakes. At the end of each chapter, discussion questions are listed.I had second thoughts about reviewing this book. All this changed after I read the Preface. I knew this was going to be a good read and it did not disappoint.Many of the mistakes students make while in college affect their after-college life and plenty of good knowledge can be learned from this book on how to avoid such mistakes. What I like about the book is the practical tips on the dos and don'ts in college. While not all the tips mentioned in the book applies to everyone especially since the book is pretty US-centric, they are important and should be kept in mind. In Appendix 1 of the book, tips on how to choose a college are given. I found them very helpful and will definitely be keeping them in mind the next time I visit an education fair!This book is especially handy for those who have yet to go to college and for parents who want to help their kids avoid common mistakes college students make. As the author is someone who has gone to college and who is a college professor, I agree with what Alex and Brett Harris said in the Foreword: Alex Chediak "understands this (the college issue) better than most". I think that he is certainly in a good position to give college advice.Overall, Thriving at College is crammed with advice and information. As someone who has yet to go to college, I found it extremely helpful and eye-opening. College sounds like an exciting place to be at, but it is littered with pitfalls that has brought many a person away from his religious roots. However, principles and rules given in Thriving at College will always remain as what they are: principles and rules. It is up to the reader to take up the initiative and act on them.

This is a great book for college bound students or for high school students. It applies to any person who wants to glorify God in how they relate to others and trying to stay true to God as they go to college which tends to be very secular now. Basic, solid info written in a easy to read format. We are on our second reading with our son. Have purchased it for graduation gifts for a couple of years now and have just put in my third order of at least 5 books per order. You can read the entire book front to back or just pick out a chapter to read and it will be helpful.

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This was a good read. The author goes into great detail into many facets of college with some very wise advice and amusing anecdotes.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is about to start (or even those who have already begun) their college journey. It describes, explains and gives great advice about many of the events (be it personal, academic or spiritual) that come with life at college. Very well written, relatable and enjoyable - you won't regret buying it.. I sure didn't!