Making the Most of College is an excellent book which will be of practical help to students and teachers alike. It shows close attention to the ways students learn; what they tell the interviewers, the author's own experience and that of other teachers together provide a rich account of the college experience. I will buy the book and use it, and be grateful to Richard Light for his sensitivity and creativity as a teacher and teacher of teachers. -- Martin Trow, University of California, Berkeley
*1. Introduction *2. Powerful Connections *3. Suggestions from Students *4. The Most Effective Classes *5. Good Mentoring and Advising *6. Faculty Who Make a Difference *7. Diversity on Campus *8. Learning from Differences *9. What College Leaders Can Do * The Assessment Project * References * Acknowledgments * Index
Richard J. Light is Professor in the Graduate School of Education and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Making the Most of College is an excellent book which will be of
practical help to students and teachers alike. It shows close
attention to the ways students learn; what they tell the
interviewers, the author's own experience and that of other
teachers together provide a rich account of the college experience.
I will buy the book and use it, and be grateful to Richard Light
for his sensitivity and creativity as a teacher and teacher of
teachers.
*Martin Trow, University of California, Berkeley*
Light, a Harvard professor with 30 years of experience teaching at
the college level, explores those elements of college life that
make it an enriching experience for students...[and] offers
specific suggestions from students on how to deal with typical
situations...Parents and students either in college or headed there
will find this book a valuable resource.
*Booklist*
The book recounts...in 100-some excerpts from interviews with
Harvard College students...revealing vignettes about how
undergraduates make the most of their precious hours inside the
classroom and beyond. Because the stories convey in students' words
how they study, learn, and react to their peers within a
residential college, it is memorably unlike anything else parents,
students, soon-to-be undergraduates, and educators have read.
*Harvard Magazine*
Some useful themes emerge from [Light's] decade spent interviewing
more than 1,600 undergraduates: in-class and out-of-class
experiences are significantly connected; strategies successful in
high school don't always work well at college; good advising is
crucial; students must ask for help when they need it; 'students
are enthusiastic when classes are structured to maximize personal
engagement' and they enjoy interdisciplinary courses. There are
some surprises, too: students Light spoke with demand high writing
standards and favor unpredictability in their professors' political
opinions. A major portion of the book argues that the benefits of
diversity on college campuses have been underestimated and that
awkward culture clashes can ultimately provide a positive, if at
the time uncomfortable, learning experience.
*Publishers Weekly*
Valuable and practical...An outstanding publication dealing with
education and society. Filled with advice and illuminated by real
stories of students' self-doubts, failures, discoveries, and hopes,
[this] book is a blueprint for academic success...Students' actual
responses are woven throughout, creating a revealing text unlike
anything else parents, children, matriculating freshmen, and
educators have read. This rich account of college life is
recommended for all.
*Library Journal*
Based on 10 years of interviews with Harvard students, the book
distills their wisdom and quotes them liberally on such matters as
choosing classes, studying, diversity on campus, and the importance
of writing...What they have to say would apply on most campuses.
These are people who talk thoughtfully but approachably about
managing their time and making connections with others. Many make
it clear that they've confronted their share of self-doubt and
missteps...A good read for students, teachers, and parents.
*Christian Science Monitor*
Harvard Professor [Richard Light] reveals secrets from his 10-year
study of successful students. [Making the Most of College] offers
practical advice to school administrators, parents and, most
importantly, to the students themselves.
*Newsweek*
Light's conversational, easy-to-read book is a primer for students
and families investing in college and hoping to get their money's
worth. Some schools, such as the University of Washington, have
distributed it to all incoming freshmen.
*Hartford Courant*
[Making the Most of College] is receiving excellent reviews both
inside and outside academe. Already, at least seven colleges have
ordered copies by the hundreds and, in one case, thousands. The
title was recently No. 12 in Amazon.com's educational books
category...Mr. Light's recommendations sound straightforward
enough: Encourage collegial work. Urge students to get involved in
extracurricular activities. Foster and promote diversity. Get
students to form study groups. The list goes on. Scholars and
administrators who have read the book say it is the research behind
such recommendations, not just the personal touch, that makes Mr.
Light's work valuable.
*Chronicle of Higher Education*
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