While most college guides focus on the struggle to get into highly selective universities, a Dartmouth alumnus has penned a book advising college students on how to get the most out of school once they get there.
Calvin Newport '04 explains how to maximize the college experience, both in and out of the classroom, in his new book "How to Win at College: Surprising Secrets from the Country's Top Students."
"How to Win at College," which consists of 75 tried-and-true tips from college students who have succeeded at their respective schools, offers an alternative approach to the plethora of books on how to survive college. According to Newport, current college guides are of two types: how to survive college and basic college handbooks. In Newport's opinion, the typical college guidebook addresses how to merely get by in college, instead of how to succeed. "How to Win at College" tells you what you can do to thrive, as opposed to survive, Newport said.
"The analogy is most college guides are the equivalent of writing a weight loss book called 'How Not to Get Fatter Than You Already Are,'" said Newport. "'How to Win at College' is like a business book -- it's the no-nonsense advice."
While the book's tips primarily address academic and studying pursuits, Newport emphasized that the book is helpful not only to students who spend the majority of their time studying, but also to students who have an active social life.
"Having practical advice on how to work better is going to free up more time and you can be a more social, normal happy individual," Newport said. "I threw out interviews from students who seemed like they were grinds. I wanted people who stood out, people you'd like to have a cup of coffee with."
The tips in the book come from Newport's interviews with successful students at the country's top schools, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford and other top schools across the country. Newport's definition of a successful student encapsulates achievements not only in the classroom, but outside it as well.
"I started with Rhodes and Marshall scholars," said Newport, "and avoided valedictorians. I wasn't necessarily looking for students who made the best grades, but who had also had held leadership positions or worked on interesting projects."
Newport, who is currently a computer science graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, conducted the interviews and wrote the book during his junior and senior years at Dartmouth. According to Newport, this gave him time to apply the tips to his own college career.
The book's website, www.howtowinatcollege.com -- which features a panorama of Baker Library -- includes excerpts advocating avoiding daily to-do lists, studying in 50-minute chunks and using summers to explore nonacademic interests.
"It's so surprising that no one's covered this angle for college before," Newport continued. "It's surprising that this book doesn't exist for college. It exists everywhere else. People like advice that's going to help them meet their potential."
