What the Best College Students Do Hardcover – August 27, 2012

I'm a sophomore student of Computer Science. I'm glad and feeling lucky for discovering this recently published book. This book takes an unconventional approach in helping college students like me to success in both learning and grades. Instead of merely providing specific guidance and methods for optimal studying and taking tests, it includes numerous interesting examples about people who've succeeded both in academic terms and life afterwards. It reveals the patterns of how successful individuals developed an unique, insightful, creative and critical mindset, which helped them to achieve their ultimate successes not only in school but in life. This book emphasizes the importance to become a deep learner, someone who learns with motives far beyond the grades. It also emphasizes the importance of general education, as it broadens perspectives of thinking and that it happened in most successful individuals author has investigated. Nevertheless, the two are just examples of the many more valuable emphases in the book. In addition, the last chapter of this book provides useful and specific advice on getting good grades and achieving deep learning simultaneously.This book is written in a style that provides valuable and often interesting life stories of many people, while weaving with author's rigorous insights and also solid research findings. It's a definitely worthwhile read not just for students who wants good grades and become successful later on in life, but also for anyone who wants to become a creative and critical thinker with deep learning capacities that maximizes chances for success in any area. It's also a worthwhile read for all professions associated with education, as it once again reveals some of the major shortcomings of today's education system. It may empower educators with the knowledge on how to develop the important qualities and traits author endorsed that'll benefit students greatly. One place for improvement for this book would be organization of contents, as it's sometimes easy to get lost in the sea of stories, losing track of the main points author is trying to convey. But overall, it deserve five stars.

I picked up this book in pursuit of straight A's. What I got instead was a chance to completely change the way I view education and learning. The goal of this book is not to teach you how to make the grade (although there is advice for doing that at the end of the book) but to show you a process and viewpoint of education that leads to growth and success in life after school. Although the book is not perfect it did change my life, and perhaps save a doomed to fail college career. Here are some of the main things I liked and disliked about the book.Liked: (note the length of discussion of each of these topics varies)-How it encourages learning, growth, self discovery and curiosity over success and jumping through hoops (grades)-Encourages one to take control of your own education.-discussion of intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation-focusing on good questions over correct answers-explanation and discussion of strategic and surface learners vs deep learning-the benefits of taking responsibility for outcomes and focusing on the ability to change the future-why self compassion is more important than self esteem-discusses attitudes towards failure and why certain ones are better-how embracing the unknown and changing your language can make you solve problems better-the mindful process of deep learning-effects of prejudice on learning and how to overcome it-how living in a different culture effects learning-the effect of competition and comparative thinking on learning-how viewing the world as flexible can enhance learning and growth-7 levels of thinking, from basic to most advanced-effective ways to learn (can be used to make good grades)Disliked:(Mostly personal preference)-that there were many long winded stories. While at some times I found them inspiring and useful, others times I got nothing out of them, probably just my mood at the time though.-that there was no clear outline of the principles in the book and how to apply them, of course if one pays attention they can make their ownI gave this book a 5 out 5 stars because I feel it changed my life for the better, especially in regards to college. I believe that if you apply the principles in this book, it will help you get more out of college, and life.God Bless!Cody

This is an excellent book which should be read by everyone interested in learning, whether they are pre-college, in college, or post-college.The central point of the book is that real, lasting, and impactful learning requires (a) a strong motivation to learn, fueled by curiosity and/or desire to make difference in the world and (b) a learning approach which emphasizes deep understanding, multidisciplinary breadth, integration of knowledge (i.e., connecting the dots), and application of knowledge in the real world. Trying to get good grades with minimal effort usually results in a superficial and temporary semblance of understanding, not real, lasting, and impactful learning.Such learning requires time and effort; such learners will usually go beyond assigned coursework and will naturally do things like ask novel and penetrating questions, read critically, conduct thought and physical experiments, be imaginative and creative, deliberately expose themselves to situations which they're not used to, rely on effort rather than 'natural ability', take reasonable risks, and learn from failures rather than be defeated by them.I plan to re-read this book - it's that good.