Thinking Critically in College:  The Essential Handbook for Student Success – Book Review

“Nearly every first-year college student discovers that college courses are more academically challenging than they expected, and certainly harder than classes in high school. Professors expect students not just to absorb material, but to analyze and synthesize it, to consider multiple perspectives, to evaluate conflicting evidence, and then to apply what they’ve learned in new contexts.

Thinking Critically in College explains how to do all this and more.

Unlike most college prep books—which advise you to go to office hours, get enough sleep, take good notes, and learn how to get along with your roommate—this one actually shows you how to do the work your professors will assign and explains how to tackle common academic challenges. This accessible and comprehensive handbook covers metacognition (thinking about how you think); basic critical thinking skills; college-level reading, writing, and quantitative reasoning; how to think about academic disciplines; decoding actual assignments from college courses and tackling research projects.

Written in a personal, engaging style that draws on the author’s experience as a professor and academic advisor for more than forty years, Thinking Critically in College is an indispensable guide to doing the work of college for students from all academic backgrounds. 

For more information about Thinking Critically in College:  The Essential Handbook for Student Success, as well as presentations and workshops for faculty and students and information about Professor Newman’s College Success Coaching services, see this website.”