★★★★★ 4
Wish I had read this sooner
Format: Paperback
This book is not that revolutionary, but very helpful. It essentially tackles three main problem areas for college students: 1) time management skills, 2) studying and exam prep, and 3) essay writing. Some of these are common sense things that many people resist implementing. If you are struggling with college, or are a high school senior unsure of what to expect in college, this book is very helpful.
The true value in this book, for me at least, was in providing the satisfaction that these strategies worked. I would often start out a semester by doing the things listed in the book. I would manage my time, study effectively for exams, thoughtfully plan out papers and assignments. Halfway through the semester, I always had straight As. But as finals crept up, I would panic. Since every other student spent hours in the library studying, I abandoned the effective strategies to follow suit. As a result, my final exam grades were inconsistent and my final papers were always rushed. This book gave me the satisfaction of knowing that I can trust these time saving strategies. You do not need to spend hours and hours on projects to get a good grade. It's okay to not spend hours in the library studying for a final. Trust that these strategies work, and enjoy your stress-free semester.
But, the book does have faults. While this book provides very useful information, I feel it misses two aspects of the college experience that can have a large impact on your grade: presentations and group projects. (Also the dreaded group presentation). While you can implement some of these strategies in these situations, it would be nice to know how top students manage working in group project settings, especially those that require research. I can't tell you how many times I've been in a group project where half the group doesn't show up to meetings, members refuse to do their work, or people drop the class halfway through the project. I still haven't figured out an adequate way to deal with these situations besides just doing the work myself at the last minute.
Bottom line, this book is well worth the money. Whether you are a college senior or a high school senior and everything in between, this book will help you as long as you faithfully implement the strategies. But do search out other resources for help with managing group projects.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2012
