All of your hard work in high school has paid off: you have a solid GPA, numerous extracurricular achievements to your name, and an acceptance letter from an excellent college. Now what? What can you expect from the college experience, and how can you get the most out of it? This book will answer your questions and help you find real and lasting success in college.

Deans at America's top institutions—including Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, and Columbia—join John Bader to tell you what you need to know to have a rich and rewarding college experience. With wisdom, reassurance, and an insider's perspective, this lively and timely guide will help you develop strategies such as:

Acknowledgments
Introduction: Facing Freshman Year
Featuring Guest Essays by
brenda bretz, ph.d., Senior Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, Dickinson College
Strategy #1. Focus on Learning, Not on Grades 13
Featuring Guest Essays by
thomas a. dingman, ed.m., Dean of Freshmen, Harvard University
leah blatt glasser, ph.d., Dean of First-Year Studies and Lecturer in English, Mount Holyoke College
Strategy #2. Build an New Relationship with Your Parents
Featuring Guest Essays by
kathryn stuart, d.m.a., Dean of Studies and Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, Oberlin College
matthew lazen, ph.d., Director of Studies, Butler College, Princeton University
raima evan, ph.d., Assistant Dean, Bryn Mawr College
Strategy #3. Work the System by Understanding the System
Featuring Guest Essays by
margaret bruzelius, ph.d., Dean of the Senior Class and Lecturer in Comparative Literature, Smith College
michele rasmussen, ph.d., Associate Dean and Director, Academic Advising Center, Duke University
cole m. crittenden, ph.d., Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students, Princeton University
Strategy #4. Approach the Curriculum Like a Great Feast
Featuring Guest Essays by
anya bernstein bassett, ph.d., Director of Undergraduate Studies and Senior Lecturer, Committee on Degrees in Social Studies, Harvard University
marcy kraus, ph.d., Dean of Freshmen, University of Rochester
george levesque, ph.d., Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Yale College, Yale University
Strategy #5. Understand That Majors and Careers Are Not the Same Thing
Featuring Guest Essays by
george levesque, ph.d., Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Yale College, Yale University
m. cecilia gaposchkin, ph.d., Assistant Dean of Faculty for Pre-Major Advising and Assistant Professor of History, Dartmouth College
joseph holtgreive, ed.m., Assistant Dean and Director of the McCormick Office of Personal Development, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University
Strategy #6. Don't Just Work Hard—Work Smart
Featuring Guest Essays by
leora brovman, ed.d., Advising Dean, Columbia University
adina glickman, m.s.w., Associate Director, Center for Teaching and Learning, Stanford University
Strategy #7. Learn from Diversity at Home and Abroad
Featuring Guest Essays by
janet a. tighe, ph.d., Dean of Freshmen and Director of Academic Advising, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania
raima evan, ph.d., Assistant Dean, Bryn Mawr College
Strategy #8. When You Are Failing, Understand Why
Featuring Guest Essays by
john t. o'keefe, ph.d., Director of Advising and Academic Support Services and Class Dean, Wellesley College
leah blatt glasser, ph.d., Dean of First-Year Studies and Lecturer in English, Mount Holyoke College
Strategy #9. Cope with Failure by Rebuilding and Forgiving 202
Featuring Guest Essays by
john t. o'keefe, Ph.d., Director of Advising and Academic Support Services and Class Dean, Wellesley College
thomas n. chiarolanzio, m.a., Associate Dean, Georgetown College, Georgetown University
Strategy #10. Plan Boldly for Life after College
Featuring Guest Essays by
anya bernstein bassett, ph.d., Director of Undergraduate Studies and Senior Lecturer, Committee on Degrees in Social Studies, Harvard University
andrew n. simmons, Assistant Director for Pre-Health Advising in the Honors Program, University of Rhode Island

List of Contributors
Index

""In Dean's List, John Bader draws on advice from deans at leading universities'including Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, and Columbia'as well as over a decade of experience as a dean at Johns Hopkins University to present strategies designed to help new college students succeed. From ""focus on learning, not grades"" to ""learn from diversity at home and abroad,"" the 10 approaches outlined in Bader's book will aid graduating seniors, first-generation, and non-traditional students alike in having the most productive and rewarding college experience possible.""