Introduction

Everybody knows that college is expensive – it doesn’t take a fancy degree to understand that. And yet somehow or another most people who are able to get into college find a way to pay for it.  The premise of this book is that, as hard as it is to select and pay for college, most people figure that part out.  The deceptively hard part – the part that in our opinion most people get wrong – is getting their money’s worth.  Yes, paying tuition is a challenge.  But making the most of that tuition is harder still.

As a prof, a dean, and a recent grad, we have advised thousands of students on how to get into the college they want and how to get out of college what they need.  We have learned that few students (and even fewer parents) appreciate a fundamental secret: it matters less where students go than what they accomplish once they get there.  

There are lots of books telling students how to get into the college they want and how to pay for it once they do.  This is not one of those books.  This book begins where they leave off.

Bright, eager students work unbelievably hard to get into college and are willing to shoulder an enormous financial burden along the way.  Then, after that huge investment of time and money, those same students settle for a mediocre college experience.  Some even graduate without the skills or glowing recommendations they need to succeed at the next level.  Every spring we hear the graduate groan, “I wish I had known that as a freshman.”  But, not you.  This book is, in a way, an antidote to the uneven advising that afflicts most colleges—even the most prestigious ones.

Designed to help you start well and finish strong, this book is aimed at the incoming first-year student, beginning with the most common freshmen concerns about dorm life, leaving home, and deciding the fall schedule.  But we guarantee that even seniors will find helpful tips as we discuss how to decide between the summer internship or paying job, how to balance the desire for an attractive GPA with a respectable course load, when and how to ask professors for that glowing recommendation (and how to actually earn one), and how to make memories as an undergrad that you’ll enjoy remembering.  After decades of collective experience advising students, we have learned—and watched others learn—these lessons the hard way so that you don’t have to.   

Since parents tend to believe the purpose of college is to gain an education, while students tend to see it as a right of passage into adulthood that includes a few classes, we have built our chapters to appeal to both points of view.  The chapters explore both curricular and extracurricular topics and are organized somewhat chronologically, based on how students will most likely encounter them, which enables them to be read at random or as a progression.

What qualifies us to help you get the best out of college is a distinctive blend of perspectives and a shared passion for making higher education worth the price tag. Peter Feaver has won two teaching awards as a professor of political science at Duke University.  He is prominent in research and public policy—making circles in the area of American foreign policy—but he has written this book because some of his most rewarding experiences have been interacting with students inside and outside the classroom.  Sue Wasiolek, assistant vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Duke University, is know as “Dean Sue”—a seasoned administrator who has been mentoring students and troubleshooting student life for twenty-eight years.  She has regularly taught classes during that time but is best known on campus for her deep engagement with students in the extracurricular parts of their college experience. Anne Crossman, a recent Duke Alumna, founded a student group as a freshman to mentor first-year students as they slalom through the college scene.  She is also passionate about helping students achieve their best, and taught both public high school and college students before retiring to become a full-time mom and author.

Most importantly, we are people who have spent a long time helping students get more out of their college tuition than they would have otherwise.  We are honored to be joining you in your journey.