College Rules: How to Study, Survive and Succeed in College (2nd edition)

Journal of College Student Development, Mar/Apr 2008 by Manyango, Wilfred M

College Rules: How to Study, Survive and Succeed in College (2nd edition) Sherrie Nist-Olejink and Jodi Patrick Holschuh Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2007, 304 pages, $14.95 (softcover)

Reviewed by Wilfred M. Manyango, Richland College

A great deal has been written from different perspectives about student success and survival in college. Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, Whitt, and Associates (2005) explore the roles of the institution in helping student succeed, in Student Success in College: Creating Conditions that Matters. In The C Student Guide to Success, Ron Bliwas (2007) addresses strategies to help underachieving students succeed. Donna Goldberg and Jennifer Zwiebel (2005) take this even further. In their book, The Organized Student: Teaching Children the Skills for Success in School and Beyond, they explore strategies that will take students through K-12 and college. CaI Newport (2005) provides testimonials of top students on succeeding in college in is book, How to Win at College: Surprising secrets for Success from the Country's Top Students.

There is no doubt about it-student success is crucial to institutional success. If a student succeeds in college, the institution and society benefit. More important is the academic success of the student. An academically successful student not only increases his or her potential for a good job, but the college dropout rate decreases and institutional stakeholders are happy.

Academic success, however, is not automatic. Students have to develop certain habits, change attitudes, and perform tasks that will help them become academically successful. Research (e.g., Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005) has shown that students who utilize campus resources are the most likely to have academic success. To aid in this endeavor, institutions have created tutoring programs, learning centers, and other activities to enhance students' academic success.

A major component, however, of student success is the student himself or herself. The student will have to be engaged in order to succeed. It takes a concerted effort on the part of the student who wants to succeed. In high school, many students are surrounded by a safety net of teachers and counselors who readily provide the needed assistance to enable the student to succeed (Nist-Olejink & Holschuh, 2007). However, in college students are often expected to be more independent and to develop the skills needed to be successful. Many students, however, do not know how to proceed.

A new addition to current literature on student success in college is College Rules! How to Study, Survive and Succeed in College, 2nd edition, by Sherrie Nist-Olejnik and Jodi P. Holschuh. This book seeks to educate students in a "thorough and humorous way" about surviving in college. Nist-Olejink and Holschuh provide insights on how to deal with homework, study for tests and exams, reading and remembering, writing research papers, etc. Basically, it is a manual of how to survive in college, written in a language to which students can relate.

The book has some unique features and sidebars. Besides addressing the different issues students face in college (studying, writing papers, etc.), the book is organized using short chapters, each with an easy to read format. Each chapter begins with a question to stimulate the thinking of the reader. The reader has an opportunity to relate the contents of each chapter to famous quotes, humorous highlights, and true stories. At the end of each chapter, the authors summarize the contents in few sentences.

The book, containing 24 chapters, addresses every aspect of the college student's life. In sections on selecting classes, deciding on a major, making an appointment to speak with a professor, time management, developing study habits, writing research papers, and avoiding plagiarism, the authors attempt to provide the student with a road map to succeeding in college.

This book appears to be specifically geared towards the undergraduate college student, though professors, graduate students, and others might benefit. It could also serve as a great resource for parents. It might give them a glimpse of what their children are going through and that might help them as they seek to offer pieces of advice to their students. Students in every stage of their academic career can benefit from the insights the chapters offer.

This version, an update of the first edition, includes three new chapters on student beliefs, academic presentations, and frequently asked questions. In addition, new features such as the side bar and the integration of technology throughout the text attempt to make the resource more relevant.

Overall, while the book does address its stated objectives, it might become a bit overwhelming to read. The chapters are short, but the presence of many different features might be distracting and the style of information presentation presented in every chapter makes concentration a challenge for the reader.

A buzzword in higher education over the past few years has been student engagement. The National Survey on Student Engagement (www.nsse.iub.com ) and its companion, the Community College Survey on Student Engagement (www.ccsse.org ) have revealed the importance of engagement on the part of students to their institutions. Many students are not engaged because they do not understand the basics of being in college. Some of them are unaware of the processes involved in selecting classes, working with professors, developing study habits, writing papers, and accessing the basic resources offered by the institution. A book such as College Rules helps provide the roadmap for these students to navigate their way through their academic journey.