How To Thrive at College

My dad never went to college and graduated from The School of Hard Knocks. But, these days, as more and more students go through the motions and put off adulthood -- even a college education can be a bumpy ride. That's why it's a good idea to take Alex Chedniak's new book "Thiving at College" to heart. He knows what he's talking about. He's not only been there and done that, but he's a college professor who's seen firsthand what separates the bumblers from the thrivers. He says the key question is not "what do you want to do when you graduate?" -- but, "what do you want to be?" Reading his book will give you a running start on being a productive, fruitful college student who is ready for a career and adulthood.

Mr. Chedniak has boiled everything down to 10 key mistakes that college students make. Personally, I struggled with all of them and could have made better use of my time at school. Now, I have three teenagers all lined up for college, and don't want them to fall into the conventional wisdom that school consists of fun times in between the drudgery of classes. According to the book, one key is to be more intentional in your decision making. This includes decisions about friendships and relationships, taking a variety of classes, getting to know your professors, and becoming more functionally independent. By taking on responsibility and developing good habits, you'll build character and find yourself more confident about God's plan. You'll also find there's still plenty of time for fun.

But what about the high school junior or senior who just isn't sure about what they want to do? Early on in the book, the author remembers being unclear about his own career path and how he went to college almost by accident. Now, he wishes he could take his former self out for coffee and explain a few things. High schoolers need to sit down with his book at Starbucks. It's packed with advice that will help young people (like my oldest daughter) brainstorm their college plan. It's not a time to be passive or over-confident -- but a time to discover what you enjoy and what you're really good at. This is such an important time of life, I think you'll see this book is worth a week's supply of skinny vanilla latte's. It's so good, I'm going to borrow a powerful prayer from the Preface to use in my daughter's graduation ceremony:

"It is my prayer for you, the Christian student, that you won't just survive college but thrive in college. That you will not just keep the faith, but dig deeper than you thought was ever possible. That you will not just choose an academic pursuit, but will discover your calling. That you will not just have fun with friends, but cultivate lifelong relationships of substance with those who most provoke you to trust and love God, to put away childishness, and to make wise choices."