Making the Most of College : Students Speak Their Minds

Richard J. Light

1 Excellent book for well prepared students.
I found this book a valuable addition to readings we will assign to our graduating seniors. In my role as Head of an Independent Day School, we like to assign our students a common reading for all our older high school students to discuss. This book fills the bill in a great way. It is full of ideas, some of which seem a bit obvious at first glance.

Yet when I ask whether we at our high school are actually putting these ideas into practice, I realize we are only using a few. Starting this year we will implementing several of the author's ideas, ranging from studying in groups outside of class to more specific instructions for how to revise papers.

My guess is other schools with students who will be attending many different colleges, especially stronger colleges, will be able to put many of the excellent ideas from this book into practice. The author's arguments seem well documented. It is well worth reading for any good student, and probably for their parents too. I will be asking our faculty members, and all seniors and juniors, to read it this coming year.

2 Not really for students...
As a professor, I found the book excellent, both for its many insightful suggestions and as a reminder of the student experience. If I were evaluating this book for faculty, I'd give it five stars.

But the book's title and marketing indicate that this is a how-to book for college students. That's deceptive: It is a summary of findings by Harvard's self-assessment team. Suggestions for students are good when they come, but they're spread between suggestions more useful to college faculty and administration. As an example, one idea is to schedule discussion classes just before dinner, so that students in the class could eat together afterward and possibly continue discussion. That's a great idea for administrators, but students can't make much use of it. The book would be stronger if it were separated for the two potential audiences.

The book also suffers from not being up-front about its origins: It summarizes findings of an assessment project at Harvard, but you won't find it described until you reach the appendix. I realize that fewer copies would be sold if they admitted this in the introduction. But until I reached the appendix, where the project's major questions were finally described, I was left wondering why the book's organization was so lopsided. Particularly, the part on campus diversity was much longer than I expected; it wasn't until I reached the appendix that I learned why. (The appendix was one of the best parts. In fact, I recommend reading it first.)

I'd certainly recommend the book to faculty and administrators from any college. The work is clearly based on extensive, well-done interviews, and the analysis is both well-organized and rich in ideas. Just recognize it for what it is.

3 For all first year students at Drake - - required reading.
Working with a group of Deans, we chose this book as a common reading for all of our new, first year students for academic year 2002 -2003.

Our goal is to have groups of 20 first year students, led by regular faculty members, all reading and discussing "Making the Most of College." Our curriculum committee reviewed about eight competitors and decided this was the most useful book for new college students. Professor Light will speak to all of our new first years when he visits here in the fall.

So far student response has been very enthusiastic. Our honors students seem especially captivated by the various suggestions.

The particular suggestion in this book that many students seem to "resonate" to is the author's suggestion that students find classes where they are able to "make some connections" between what may sometimes be relatively abstract academic work in classes, and something in their own backgrounds or personal lives.

This suggestion has seemed to encourage faculty to plan their classes to cover all of the usual substantive topics, yet to try to "build in" some time for students to relate the readings to their own experiences as well. This may be not at all easy in certain classes in math or the sciences, yet certainly we believe any faculty member in the social sciences or humanities will help students by making this effort.

So far the adoption of this book has been a success on campus, and I am very pleased that many students have actually "re-named" it, and now refer to it as "Making the Most of Drake." The author should take that as a great compliment.

4 College freshman from Birmingham finds this book helpful.
I am just starting freshman year here in Birmingham, at UAB, and plan to major in math. I expect this will be hard.

The suggestions in this book, which was recommended by my high school college counselor over the summer, have given me several ideas about how to succeed in freshman year.

I plan to get to know at least one professor each term, plan to choose classes that have many short homeworks instead of one long one, and plan to track how I spend my time, and plan to work in study groups outside of class. I just hope other students are willing to do this too.

This book seems to have many practical suggestions for me as a new college student, and I enjoyed reading it.

5 Not helpful to most students
I was required to read some of this book as part of the U. of Washington's "Freshman Interest Group" program, and I find it difficult to believe that it is getting so many good reviews. Though I'm sure Prof. Light means well, it is little more than a summary of statistics gathered during his student interviews, and many parts of the book don't even seem to be addressed to students. The only "advice" offered is based on statistical trends from his research with the result that it is extremely vague. Furthermore, the book is so impersonal in tone that there was nearly nothing I could relate to as an entering college student. Some accounts of individual students' experiences are used, as well as direct quotes from the interviews, but for the most part, these are chosen just because they enthusiastically back up one of Light's points. If these heavily sugar-coated quotes reflect the majority of the student interviews, I have a hard time believing they were very candid. Though I don't mean to completely lambast this book, because it could be of value to college teachers or administrators, and it does have a few interesting sections, I can't imagine it actually helping very many students. The sections on diversity, effective classes, and effective mentoring are completely useless from most students' perspective.

6 A faculty member at Marian College found this book great.
I teach biology at Marian College. This is a small liberal arts college in Wisconsin, with many first generation college students. Very different from Harvard. Friends recommended this book, and so I got it and found it incredibly helpful and fujll of many ideas.

At our college we struggle with retention. About half of our students end up graduating. We are trying to improve our student retention level, especially in the sciences. I found Richard Light's suggestions for helping students to really dig in to their work, especially in the sciences, wonderful advice.

One, specific suggestion from this book that I plan to implement immediately is the "one minute paper" idea that Light presents. It is easy, no cost for students or for me, and will give me immediate feedback about what students do understand and don't understand. My strong impression is that my students will benefit enormously.

I would make this required reading for faculty. And students would certainly benefit since many suggestions are directed to them. It is enormously helpful.

7 A faculty member at Marian College loved this book.
I am a biology professor at Marian College and read this book hoping to get some ideas for retaining more students in biology. I heard Richard Light present his ideas, and the book confirmed the many excellent ideas that he presented.

At our college we worry a lot about student retention. And Light's ideas in this book for increasing retention, especially in a very small liberal arts college like mine, which is so different from a Harvard, were absolutely compelling. I would recommend this book as required reading for all faculty who teach undergraduates.

While the research may have been based at Harvard University, it couldn't be more obvious that the book presents findings that are useful just about everywhere. In fact, my college has a retention rate of about 50 percent. It is emphatically not an Ivy League School. Yet I will be using Light's suggestion of the "one minute paper," and various other suggestions from this enormously impressive book, to engage my students moire vigorously with biology.

It is a great read for a faculty member. Full of suggestions for both faculty and students everywhere, that are pretty easy to implement.

8 A wonderfully helpful book for me as a first year student.
My college suggested all new students at my university buy this book. I am thrilled they did. The author gives many suggestions for taking the best advantage of opportunities to get a good start in the choices I will make.

The three best ideas in this book are:

1. Make sure to make an effort to take at least one small class each term, and to get know at least one professor each term. I am amazed how obvious this is, yet I see that many of my friends who arrived here at college do not actually do it. This book gives several suggestions for how to get to know professors.

2. Connect the classes that I choose to take here at college with some of my personal interests in life beyond college. I love the example in this book of the young woman who did ballet dancing before college, and was therefore encouraged to study biology when she was struggling to deal with her own stress fractures in her legs. I found this example actually inspiring.

3. Choose professors who give lots of opportunities to make, in the author's words, "mid-course corrections." Thanks to reading this book, I chose an English class where I am asked to write a short paper each week, and I get feedback so I can improve my writing. Some of my friends ignored the advice and instead are choosing courses that only require one, final paper at the end of the term. There is no way they can "improve" the way they write because the only feedback they will get comes after the course ends.

Overall, my guess is that the advice from Making the Most of College will apply to just about any student at any type of college. There is certainly nothing in this book that applies to specific places - - just an enormous number of suggestions that I found very helpful.

A great book, fun to read for me as a new,first year student. It gave me more advice, and better advice, than my advisor here at my college. I hope all my professors read it too.

9 An utter disapointment
I found this book to be dismal. I recieved it as a gift, but I found the advice to be narrow...perhaps "Making the best of Harvard" would have been a better title. The opinions stated are fully based on research there, and allow no room for other teaching/housing/living styles.

10 A Must Read for Every College Freshman!
This book is a report on an assessment project initiated by Harvard and directed by Mr. Light. The project assesses how various aspects of life at college - both in and out of the classroom - contribute to an overall learning, growing experience for the undergraduate.

Mr. Light places great value on listening to what students had to say about their own college experiences. In fact, by conservative estimate, perhaps at least one third of the content of this book is material quoted from the students who were interviewed. The book contains countless candid comments, observations and reflections from students regarding their experiences at college. The findings are recounted in anecdotal form which makes for interesting and engrossing reading. This is not a dry reporting of findings - it is, rather, filled with personal stories from the lives of students. At least one "overarching theme" was revealed through the interviews: that of "the interplay, the complex interaction, among different parts of campus life." (p. 209)

Who is this book for?
� of equal benefit to students, faculty and administrators
� provides potentially useful advice and suggestions for all parties involved in the education process of undergraduates
� While some of the material presented would seem to be advice directed toward students, it can also prove helpful to faculty and administrators as a way to give some insight to the mind, emotions and life of the students they are there to serve.

Because it is anecdotal and personal with many lengthy quoted stories from students, this book is an easy and enjoyable read. It would be quite accessible for students and might make a good read for freshman orientation classes. I'd certainly suggest any college bookstore sell and prominently display this book at the opening of each school year. However, for this purpose, I would want to see a paperback version with a colorful cover to appeal to students.

Content summary:

Following an introduction, chapter 2 ("Powerful Connections") discusses how beneficial it is for students to integrate various aspects of their lives in college.
Chapter 3 ("Suggestions from Students") reviews many of the different kinds of extracurricular activities students partake in.
Chapter 4 ("The Most Effective Classes") looks at various ways that pedagogy can contribute to effective learning. Some concrete ideas are mentioned that faculty reading this might incorporate in their own classes. This chapter also takes a specific look at issues related to science and foreign language classes.
Chapter 5 ("Good Mentoring and Advising"): the most important advice for students: get to know at least one faculty member reasonably well and have that faculty member get to know you reasonably well. (p. 86)
Chapter 6 ("Faculty Who Make a Difference") looks at what "good" teachers do.
The remaining three chapters (one third of the book) deal with issues of diversity on American college campuses. I found these chapters exciting and almost inspiring! I can see students reading these chapters and being inspired to take active steps to build personal relationships across ethnic, racial and religious lines. Chapter 7 ("Diversity on Campus") discusses the ways diversity provides for rich learning experiences both inside and outside the classroom. Chapter 8 ("Learning from Differences") begins with an extensive look at religious differences (of personal interest to me). There are several kinds of learning noted here that can take place through an exposure to religious diversity. This chapter also discusses the value of diversity in living arrangements to add to the learning experience. In fact, much of this learning does not take place in a religion class but, rather, in the larger context of the college campus. Chapter 9 ("What College Leaders Can do") reinforces the findings of the prior two chapters by stressing that the college sets the pace and models the encouragement to look on diversity as a positive and potential learning experience.

11 A wonderful book for a mother.
This book is ideal for me as a mother who is sending my daughter to a large college and I just want to know what she will face. The author has laid out a bunch of choices very clearly. Excellent clarity. All new for me. I recommend this book highly.

12 Superb book - a scientist writes clearly about education.
I read "Making the Most of "College" both as a faculty member at a major university, and also as the parent of three children. It is great. I recommend it highly and especially appreciate Light's capacity to write about college in a way I have never seen before.

My own interest is in helping undergraduates to succeed at my university. I have heard Light present his work several times at higher education Conferences, yet they were always full of survey details and regression equations and crosstabs. Great science, yet not always accessible to readers like me who are not statistically trained.

In this book, Light has clearly made the effort to write in a way that presents all his findings, and does so in a way that is easily and enoyably readable to a history professor like me. His anecdotes are full of both wisdom and insights about why some classes work especially well, what students can do to choose classes and professors and activities wisely, and what professors like me can do to facilitate the whole process.

For me the key finding is how faculty can help students to connect their academic work in classrooms with their 'real-world' interests. Light offers specific suggestions and examples both for me as a professor, and also for my students. Thank you Professor Light!

I especially love the anecdotes throughout the book. And while all of my colleagues have recommended this book to me, I notice a couple of reviewers seem to think those anecdotes aren't 'scientific' enough. They seem to want an academic, research report written for statisticians. Full of equations and survey details. My reaction is, with great respect, exactly the opposite. Having seen several reports and an earlier book Light has published that are full of graphs and equations and survey details, I was so pleased to encounter a wise, readable book. Without equations.

This is not a research report - - its strength is precisely that it is based on solid research, yet is now a beautifully written book about the college experience.

I bought a copy of this book for each of my own children, and also have urged our president to get a copy for each faculty member. The author may be at Harvard, yet his suggestions for choices that both students and faculty can implement to "Make the Most of College" certainly apply at my university, and I suspect they apply at most others.

The book's excellence reflects how finally a scientist has figured out how to write clearly for non-scientists about the most important experience they might have -- their years at college. Light has turned survey data and interviews into a highly readable book. I recommend it strongly.

13 probably useful but certainly not scholarly
That this book is garnering the rave reviews that it seems to be getting is a crushing indictment of modern education. Light serves up a list of what should be very obvious suggestions for parents, teachers, and students: make personal connections with faculty, personalize advising, smaller classes better, lotsa good education happens outside of classes or in tutorials, good writing counts,etc. etc. but one gets the feeling from both him and earlier reviewers that this is all somehow new and different for the author and his audience. How very strange and very sad. beyond that, it is hard to "place" the book. In the introduction we are told that the book is based on extensive interviews with "more than sixteen hundred undergraduates", but the numbers keep shifting -sometimes there are vague references to "hundreds" sometimes to "forty" or "fifty". Sometimes we hear that something was "barely statistically significant" -but we GET no statistics, sometimes we hear about percentages, but we get no sample size. This is particularly disconcerting in that the author identifies himself at one point as a statistician. maybe he feels that numbers will scare off his audience (an odd thought given that he emphasizes rigour as a factor that ATTRACTS and satisfies students)but his technique of giving us pages of anecdotes makes it hard not to wonder how much he is picking his illustrations for pre-conceived points. The reference section doesn't help much as the vast majority of citations refer to un-refereed reports, public speeches, theses, and dissertations. Nowhere do we get a clear picture of any precise methodology, and nowhere do we get any real instruments of assessment. A truly telling quote from one of the few journal citations reads "And of course if you believe that participation speeds learning, as most people do, this task raised the level and maintained it at each session". I say "truly telling" because this seems to capture Light's overall standard of evidence -anecdotal common sense is quite sufficient. Maybe, but then why all the coy mentions of his samples? Why the periodic invocation of (undocumented) statistics? The problem becomes increasingly of concern as we move into the author's argument for "diversity" on campus. It is clear from the outset that Light thinks that "diversity" is good, but he never really tells us what this means, and his technique of telling us nice two paragraph stories further reinforces the impression of special pleading. I would feel much more comfortable about this whole book if either it contained a true statistical appendix or made reference to refereed publication of the results. As it stands all I can say from my own anecdotal personal experience is "that which is true ain't new, and of that which is new, we are given barely a clue".

14 I Coulda Used This
I was a horrible student at a mediocre college. But with a few directions as found in "Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds," I might've had a much more successful time.

I wasted time. I avoided my teachers. I didn't utilize the resources we had abundantly available. I didn't talk with academic advisors. I chose my classes at the last minute.

Sure, my experience, in many ways, might be considered typical, but at megabucks per semester, your experience should be better.

Buy this book. Sneak away from your parents, teachers... but read it. Apply Richard Light's ideas and methods, and ensure that college is more than high school.

I fully recommend "Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds."

Anthony Trendl

15 This is a MUST for students, parents AND educators
Read MAKING THE MOST OF COLLEGE: STUDENTS
SPEAK THEIR MIND by Richard Light . . . this is a book
that is definitely NOT for everybody . . . but if you're a high
school or college student, a parent of either, or a teacher or
administrator at any level of education, then you should
obtain a copy and devour it as soon as possible! . . . Light,
a professor at Harvard's Graduate School of Education,
researched students at that institution for over 10 years . . . but
what he has to say applies to virtually any school at any level.

I've been teaching for some 30 years--can you believe it? (I was
a child prodigy, of course, having started at the tender age of
7. NOT.) . . . Yet even I managed to get several ideas that I plan
to implement just as soon as I can.

I liked the author's use of verbatim quotes from
students . . . in addition, his overall findings made sense to me:
1. Learning outside of classes, especially in residential settings
and extracurricular activities such as the arts, is vital.

2. A large number of students say they learn significantly more
in courses that are highly structured, with relatively many quizzes
and short assignments.

3. Professors increasingly are encouraging students to work
together on homework assignments.

4. Some undergraduates, when asked to identify a particularly
profound or critical experience at college, identify a mentored
internship not done for academic credit.

5. For most students the impact of racial and ethnic diversity on
their college experience is strong.

6. Students who got the most out of college, who grew the most
academically, and who are happiest organize their time to include
activities with faculty members, or with several other students
focused around accomplishing substantive academic work.

7. I was surprised by students' strong attitude toward writing.

8. A large majority of undergraduates describe particular
activities outside the classroom as profoundly affecting their
academic performance.

9. Students talk about [foreign] languages with special
enthusiasm.

16 Further Good Advice
Bought the book, "West Point" by Norman Thomas Remick, to understand the real importance of higher education to America, as another reviewer suggested. THEN read "Making The Most Of College". Worked for me. Completely revolutionized my thinking about college.

17 An original model for the future of our educational system?
:
Reporting from research involving over 1600 in-depth personal interviews, Prof. Light presents fascinating information on what works and what doesn't in our educational system.
:
Though apparently intended for college bound students in planning for and choosing a college, it also has the potential to benefit teachers, school counselors and administrators, legislators and parents, through important insights that can positively shape the manner in which we choose to educate our children.
:

College bound students learn from the book's presentation of the voluminous experience of others in most aspects of college life. They learn how to prepare themselves so they can get the most benefit once they enter college, and how to take advantage of the most useful tools for succeeding.
:
Prof. Light's meticulous research is the fruitful result of collaborations over many years, and is reported to already have influenced many colleges in forming their curriculums and attending to their student body's learning needs.
:
I recommend it as required reading for college bound students and for anyone interested in making our educational system more effective.

18 making the most of college: students speak their minds
A Book About College Life Unlike Any Other.

Reading this book actually made me a bit emotional. I bought it as a gift for two nephews now at two colleges. It is the best gift I could have given them. I say emotional because if only I had known some of the simple ideas and suggestions that Light offers in this book, I myself would have done lots of things differently many years ago when I was a student. Well, too late for me now.

Since I now do some teaching, I have followed Light's work on improving college life for many years. In fact, his two publications that he distributes for free that were written in the early 1990s give all the statistical and scientific technical back-up for his findings in this, his new book.

Yet I am a lot less interested in the details of his survey and interview response rates, and stratified random samples, and other such technical back-up, all of which are in his earlier reports that he mailed to me for free when I requested them, than in his substantive findings and suggestions.

That is why both of my nephews love this book and have made active choices at their colleges already, by using it.

Light offers an enormous number of actionable suggestions in this book. Some are for students. Others are for faculty. Here are those that my nephews, as the current students (I am the old guy in the family) found most useful and actually acted upon this term:

1. Choose courses that at least try to link rigorous and abstract ideas, say in economics or political science or history, with something the kids personally care about. One of my nephews changed the economics course he chose at his college. He found a new one that deals with labor issues, and that is what happens to interest him.

2. Find courses that require some writing. Yet where the professor doesn't assign a long, final paper - - rather he or she assigns a series of shorter papers so that my nephew is able to make, in Light's terms, "some mid-course corrections" that actually lead to improvement and substantive learning. My other nephew did just that when choosing a world history course. It requires him to write just a two page paper to hand in each week. My nephew was a bit stunned when the professor mentioned Light's book, and said he found the suggestion for many short papers with some feedback to the students a compelling idea, which he had decided to implement.

3. The third point is my own, not from my nephews. At a time of political correctness that often drives me crazy, the author obviously made herculean efforts in preparing this book to strike a fair-minded balance in his three chapters about "how students can make the most of the new racial and ethnic diversity on so many campuses." It is not left wing or right wing - - just thoughtful. It sure made me thing hard. And the students' anecdotes about the good and the not so good about diversity, are riveting

When I started the first chapter, I expected to see some left wing drivel. I was wrong. I honestly couldn't even figure out Light's own, personal politics as I read through his suggestions and dozens of anecdotes about racial and ethnic diversity. What I did figure out is that there are a handful of very specific things that my nephews could do, and that hopefully their campus leaders WILL do, to benefit from the diversity on their campuses. Whether it is a summer mailing that brings students from different backgrounds together to discuss a common reading (I wish that common reading were the common sense ideas in THIS BOOK), or implementing a policy of "inclusion" wherever it is possible, or several others in the book, I just hope my nephews' Deans get and read this.

One last thought. I express admiration whether it is to Light or to his editors for the quality of the writing. It is stunningly crisp and clear. Lots of active verbs. Crisp, short, easy to understand sentences. Fun to read. Having seen his earlier, more statistically based work on this same area, I would not have guessed he could pull this off. This book is just unlike any other, and my nephews have both benefited big time.

19 Connect Courses, Professors, Advisors, Life, and Students!
Having heard one university president state that his school's approach to optimizing college was to "find good students and neglect them," Professor Light was stung into researching what makes college memorable, helpful, and stimulating. His method was to conduct hundreds of one-to-three-hour in-depth interviews with graduating seniors and alumni of Harvard College over ten years. He personally conducted over 400 of the interviews, and his trained students did the rest. As a statistician, he was then able to take the richness of the responses and turn it into quantitative observations.

These observations revolve around the questions of:

(1) ". . . what choices can students themselves make to get the most out of college?"

(2) ". . . what are the effective ways for faculty members and campus leaders to translate good intentions into practice."

The weakness of the study is that Professor Light argues that the results apply to other colleges, as well, because others have told him that these conclusions make sense to them and he hears similar responses at other schools he visits. That point is clearly debatable. Also, the right answer for one student may be quite different from a good answer for another student. Such analysis should not be carried too far beyond its sample base!

The best part of the book is that there are lengthy quotations from students about epiphanies that they experienced.

I see the main application of this book to be raising choices for students, professors, advisors, and administrators. Whether anyone takes these choices or not, they at least will have avoided making self-limiting decisions by default.

The book is full of stimulating ideas. Let me share a few with you.

(1) Students who "make connections between what goes on inside and outside the classroom report a more satisfying college experience." "Good advising can have a profound impact." My favorite story was a young woman who was a ballerina. She was experiencing many injuries as were other young women. With advice, she ended up doing research projects on how animal bones and bone development are affected by physical stress. To her surprise, she developed a career interest in becoming an orthopedic surgeon who worked on this kind of issue.

(2) When starting college, many students need to develop much better time management and study skills. Of especial importance is spending long enough on each task in one sitting. Grades do not seem to be negatively affected by up to 20 hours a week of outside work or extracurricular activities, except for intercollegiate athletics.

(3) Get connected to other students in as many ways as possible, including studying with others after preparing your own work, taking smaller (less than 16 student) classes, and having roommates with different backgrounds from your own.

(4) Get mentoring from professors and advisors to help with seeing how you allocate your time, asking better questions, improving your writing, communicating more precisely, learning the tools of your discipline, adding the insights of other disciplines, and working on the professor's professional research and writing.

(5) Be exposed to cultural, religious, and belief diversities to help you evaluate your own background, and to develop a more open attitude towards others.

(6) Take as much science and as many foreign languages as humanly possible.

(7) Administrators should intervene in organizing student lives in order to actively create these types of experiences.

Having been a Harvard undergraduate many years ago, I certainly agree that these observations reflect my own experiences there with one major exception. My extracurricular activities never had any connection to my class work, and I can see now that that was a major missed opportunity. On the other hand, I did get experience in solving business problems as an undergraduate in my extracurricular activities that have served me well in my professional career. But there was no opportunity then to take that hands-on learning into the classroom. To his credit, my senior tutor did ask me to help him look at starting a business after I graduated. So Harvard College must have improved in this way since then. I'm glad.

I hope that all college and universities will undertake their own versions of this research (apparently at least 20 schools have done so already). In that way, parents and students can increase the likelihood that their major investments in time, effort, and money will create the most positive influence possible. Well done, Professor Light!

After you read this book, I suggest that you share it with a high school junior. These insights will mean even more if they can become part of the process for selecting a college or university to attend.

Follow the trails of curiosity and excellence wherever they take you!

20 This book has good and bad parts.
In Chapters 1 - 6, the author makes practical suggestions for succeeding in college. The most important of these are developing writing skills, participating in extracurricular activities, and connecting with professors. These suggestions are well worth the discounted price of the book.

But in Chapters 7 - 9, the author makes a political pitch for ?diversity?, i.e. racial quotas, affirmative action, and political correctness. His evidence does not support his assertions. He lumps all minorities together. But Asian students neither need nor want special treatment. The author misclassifies all students of Hispanic decent as ?Latinos? even though Hispanics students from Cuba or South America are materially different from those from Mexico or Puerto Rico. Apparently, all ?Latinos? look alike to him.

Stripped of the political rhetoric, the author is referring to black students. , The underlying major premise of his argument is that black students have a right to special treatment. He ignores the fact that such preferences are unlawful and unconstitutional. He accepts the racial fantasies of Henry Louis Gates and other black radical professors at Harvard.

This would have been a better book if the author had limited his discussion to education. His argument that a good education means acceptance of the values of the left wing of the Democratic Party is rubbish.

21 Interesting Approach
As a NJEA educator from New Jersey who is frequently advising students about college, I find this book to be a very useful piece of work by the author. It goes without speaking that it would be well written, and it provides interesting anecdotes. The only missing link is that it does not really get into making the reader understand the, dare I say it?, "philosophical" importance of higher education to the needs of both the individual and America. I recommend a book called "WEST POINT", by Norman Thomas Remick, that in plain language brings the real importance of higher education into clear focus for any high school student or teacher. That aside, "MAKING THE MOST OF COLLEGE" is a very interesting approach and a superlative 5 star effort by Mr. Light.

22 A Must and a Good Read
It is hard to characterize this book without using cliches:
A must read, should be on every college professor's bookshelf, should be required reading. But these are all true for this book. In simple terms, Light's research as summarized in this highly readable book provides the much needed substance to unite academic and student affairs in a way that will allow professors and administrators to IMPROVE STUDENT LEARNING AND COLLEGE SUCCESS.
About 12-15 years ago I attended a workshop by Dr. Light and it changed my professorial life. Now as a dean, I am going to try to find a way to buy a copy of this book for every faculty member in my college.

23 Interesting, but not solid
This book has been billed as representing the significant results of an extensive research project. In actuality, the author presents a clearly explained list of practical suggestions for professors and advisors to use when trying to improve the quality of students' college experience. These suggestions are compelling, in large part because of how Light presents them. However, as research, Light's book is weak. The book gives little explanation of his research design, Light does not share is data collection instruments, and he gives no information about his method of data analysis or the results. Consequently, the reader cannot determine whether Light's list of suggestions is based on sound research methods or whether he assembled a list of suggestions based on some interesting things he heard some students say. The difference between these two is critical to the validity and reliability of his claims.

24 A must read for college bound families
As an admission officer for a selective liberal arts college, I know I am biased about this subject, but this truly is a great book offering insights about an effective four year college education.

Professor Light does an excellent job of weaving a tapestry of tales from college students about the seminal events of their collegiate experiences. Having just read the Game of Life and The Shape of the River which were primarily statistical analyses, the first hand account style was both fresh and easy to comprehend (although some empirical data would have been nice).

The chapters on interaction with faculty are problably the most useful for families and prospective students, while the final chapters on diversity are most applicable to colleges themselves. Of course what other colleges have the ability to shape a diverse class like Harvard? Some of the ideas presented are great for schools who are 20-30% multi-cultural.

Students and families who take the key lessons from this book to heart and utilize it when selecting a college will find an institution that will be value-added and will make a difference in the student's life.

25 Fabulous Book
This was an absolutely wonderful book. I only wish that I had read a book like this when I was going to college. It is practical, well thought out and a true resource. I highly , highly recommend that parents, kids on their way to college read this and discuss it.

26 Brilliant and useful
Overall, an excellent book. Well written, and interesting. The advice is very down-to-earth, and many ideas can easily be implemented in any college classroom. Especially Light's chapter on the role of student writing in college, filled with advice on specific classroom techniques, will help anyone teaching composition or using writing as a substantial element in a college course, even if they have considerable experience.

27 The Bowling Alone of Education
Professor Richard Light, long known around Harvard for his dedication to his students, has written a book which accomplishes the rare feat of being engaging for both his academic colleagues and the rest of us, students, parents and anyone concerned about the undergraduate experience. He has done for education what Robert Putname did for sociology in Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community: bring a rigourous statistical approach to bear on an important social issue, and then explain the results with lucid language and clear lessons learned.

28 A Must Read for Every Educator
Richard Light has written a volume that every college educator, high school principal/teacher, and parent should read. His insights into the college experience, ranging from living arrangements to coursework to volunteer experiences are drawn from hundreds of interviews with current and graduated Harvard students. Although at first glance, the reader might want to make the assumption that Harvard students are different from the norm, quite the opposite is true. Light's lecturing at various higher education institutions has come up with correlations from large state universities and small liberal arts colleges alike.

The main crux of the study isn't overly shocking - students need close contact with faculty and other students who will challenge their minds and engage their hearts. Attention from others is the key correlating factor to having a successful and rewarding college experience. Of particular interst are the chapters on diversity and on study skills; both might be of particular interest to high school educators in terms of equipping high school students with the personal and study skills necessary to succeed in college.

29 Excellent educational advice for students and faculty alike
This small volume is an excellent compendium of practical advice for students, faculty, and university administrators on how build strong educational environments. The author, Richard Light, is a professor of education and an educational researcher, and the conclusions he presents are powerful because they are based on more than ten years of detailed interviews with students.

The students were asked to describe their best teachers, the classes that had the greatest impact on their lives, the social experiences on campus that have been most valuable to them, and the things that universities could do to further strengthen the educational environment. What makes a great professor? (It's not theatricality.) What makes a great class? (It's not the quality of the PowerPoint slides.) What makes for great advising? (It's not telling students to get their requirements out of the way.) How can teachers constantly improve their classes? (It's not by handing out an evaluation form at the end of the term.)

Light places particular emphasis on the social environment that universities provide for their students. This is something that has been woefully neglected for more than a generation on many large campuses, and attention to it by faculty is badly needed. I am an advocate of decentralized residential colleges within large universities, and such colleges can provide precisely the kind of environment that Light recommends: stable, rich, genuinely diverse, and full of opportunity.

One popular topic is notable for its absence: technology. There is no discussion of teaching via the web, nothing about distance learning, nothing about video conferencing, yadda, yadda, yadda. The message is clear: outstanding education comes from personal contact, not remote access.

If you are a college professor, this book may be the only general-purpose "education" book that you will ever need. And if you are a student, or the parent of a student, this straightforward guide will help you "make the most of college."

30 Excellent book on education and learning techniques!
This book is hot off the press and I highly recommend it. Although this book is written by a Harvard Professor, it seems to me that the ideas and suggestions are beneficial to all students, teachers and parents. The book is full of learning tips and techniques, such as the benefits of group study, teachers using one minute comment sheets, etc. The tips are useful for teachers who are determined to provide the best learning environment possible for their students. It gives concrete suggestions as to what works, not just for Harvard students but for everyone. Although this book is geared towards college, I would be thrilled if my teenage son's high-school teachers put into practice these suggestions. As a parent reading this book, I think you gain a better understanding of what to look for in a school and college, as well as ways to encourage your student to excel. For students this book could be used as a tool to find out how other students learn and what study methods they find useful as well as what isn't so useful. Students reading this book are actually learning from others like them, what works. The numerous anecdotes by students make the book an enjoyable read. I wish the author had included even more anecdotes because it makes the book come alive with real suggestions, situations and feelings from students and teachers. I also found that the author didn't shy away from the issue of diversity in the classroom, but rather emphasized the positive as well as the negative effects. It seems very even-handed. I like this book because it addresses issues in the classroom today and gives concrete suggestions of how to be successful and make the most of education and learning. Faculty and teachers can benefit from the suggestions, and so can any student who makes choices. I hope my son will read it and show it to his teachers.