Issue
27(1)
A
Survival Guide for Students.
(2004). Karen Levine and Alan Gelb.
Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar
Learning. 249 pp. $14.95. ISBN # 1-40183-226-1.
Review
by: Ember
Keithley
Advisor
College
of Business
and Technology
Western Illinois
University
If you
had the opportunity to tell new students a few things about college
life, what would you tell them? The authors of A Survival
Guide for Students attempt to do just that. Here the authors
cover a diverse range of topics including self esteem, goal setting,
motivation, learning, studying, organization, communication, money
and overall student health and well being. They inform students
that "this book is very focused on helping you deal with the demands
being made on you" (p. 24).
Levine
and Gelb challenge students to think in a broader context through
the use of what they call "The Seven Guiding Principles" (p. 12).
They ask readers to "determine what you value most in your life"
(p. 12) by looking at the things they care about and arranging
their time and activities accordingly. These are principles the
authors suggest should serve as a framework throughout students'
lives.
Success,
motivation and goal setting are well-covered in the book. I especially
liked that the authors remind students that the college experience
is completely about them and their futures. They encourage students
to set realistic goals for themselves and state that the "deepest
form of motivation is the intrinsic sort, where the desire to
achieve comes from within you, not what your mother or your father
or your grandfather has to say" (p. 56).
The
book is small (4 ½" X 7 ½") and is a "quick read." Still, it covers
a very wide range of topics. I liked that the book focuses on
students and strategies they can use to prepare for college life
and beyond. However, I was not as fond of the authors' use of
fellow student commentaries. Some of the student stories and suggestions
were not as helpful or constructive as they should have been.
Some stories only highlighted the negative without providing students
with the coping strategies needed to deal with similar circumstances.
The
audience for this book is specifically students. The authors sought
to help students navigate through their college careers and be
successful in life. This book is a good resource for advisors
to remember the range of new experiences our students encounter
on our college campuses and the uncertainties they face. It also
teaches and reinforces these same life skills for us as academic
advisors.
