You’re smart enough to know college doesn’t come with instructions.
Learn how to design your own education—before orientation starts.
Everyone tells you college will “open doors,” but nobody explains how. College You reveals the hidden logic behind higher education—the mental habits, strategies, and relationships that turn tuition into transformation.
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Think like an insider from day one.
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Choose courses that build real power, not just credits.
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Master the art of learning from professors, not just passing their classes.
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Most graduates can’t explain what they learned or why. You can.
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The difference between drifting and designing is awareness. College You helps you define purpose, choose mentors, and create meaning before the semester even begins
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Purpose: Clarify what you want from college before it starts deciding for you.
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Mastery: Learn how to learn—how to extract insight from every class, every encounter.
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Connection: Find mentors, allies, and intellectual partners who change your life.
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“If every student read College You before freshman year, higher education would be transformed.”
— Dr. Chiara Bacigalupa, Professor of Education
“I wish I’d had this book at 18. It explains what I had to learn by trial and error.”
— Stanford Graduate, Class of 2022
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You’ve earned your spot. Now earn your education.
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Call to Action 1 -- Buy at Amazon
Call to Action 2 -- Download a free chapter
Don't Just Survive -- Thrive!
Plenty of "survival guides" might help you survive the dorms and navigate the college's various policies. College You is different. The book goes far beyond mere survival, showing you how to thrive at college, to squeeze every last drop from the experience, so you get an education that sets you up for a lifetime of success.
Your authors have 50+ years experience in higher education, including at world-class research institutions, small elite liberal arts colleges, and mid-tier and top-tier public universities, as well as community colleges. College You offers advice you can trust, supported by research.
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Chiara Bacigalupa is Professor and Associate Dean in the School of Education at Sonoma State University. She has a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Minnesota, an M.A. in Educational Psychology from California State University Northridge, and a B.A. degree in Philosophy from University of California Santa Cruz. In her 30 years of working in higher education, Dr. Bacigalupa developed two minors, a major, and a master’s degree program; developed and chaired a new Department; coordinated a university-wide first-year learning community; and developed a first-year learning community for the SSU School of Education. College You is an assigned text for hundreds of incoming first-year students at Sonoma State University.
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Antonia Bacigalupa Albaum is completing her Ph.D. in Higher Education at Indiana University. She has a Master’s Degree in Counseling; Student Personnel from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and a Bachelor’s degree from UC Irvine, majoring in International Studies. She was Student Engagement Coordinator for Santa Rosa Junior College in California.
Contact
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