College can be an interesting, transformative experience if one takes advantage of the opportunities that it presents. Steve Mott and Susan Lutz give some suggestions on how to make the most of one’s college experience in The College Survival Instruction Book. But don’t be fooled by the title-Mott and Lutz don’t present college merely as an ordeal to be survived, but as an opportunity to expand one’s horizons, meet new people and just have fun. In the introduction, they stress that the finite number of ideas they present are not meant to impose limits on the possibilities of a college career, but to spark the reader’s own ideas.
Some of the suggestions that Mott and Lutz give – such as their tips on packing for a dorm room – are useful only to incoming freshmen, but some are useful to seniors, such as “Take a graduate level class – especially if you are considering graduate school,” “Save philosophy classes for your senior year when you’re at your introspective best,” and “develop a ritual for 21 birthdays and enforce it within your circle of friends.” The book not only contains some good ideas for staying safe on campus, keeping your grades up, dating, and maintaining a good relationship with your roommate, but it also contains plenty of suggestions for ways to have fun, such as “travel at least 100 miles to see a concert,” or “organize a daily primal scream during finals week.”
This book shows that a college student’s education does not necessarily have to be limited to the classroom. It contains some suggestions for ways to take advantage of the opportunities a college student has to familiarize him- or herself with other cultures now that he or she is away from home, such as “attend every ethnic festival you can find” and “introduce yourself to someone who does not look like you, talk like you, worship like you or trace ancestry to the same continent.” But don’t feel obligated to learn only about the outside world – you can also use the opportunity to learn more about the area of your own campus; for example, the “history and architecture” and the “flowers and trees” of your campus.
One thing I like about this book is that many of the suggestions it contains go beyond the stereotypical ideas of things a person does in college, such as “Make a film. Have a gala first-showing party,” “start a word-processing business,” “develop a new all-campus event and pitch it to possible sponsors,” and “start a club and secure university funding.” Not only are all of these good ways to expand your education, they will also spice up your resume.
So if you have any friends or relatives starting college this summer or fall, give this book to them or check it out yourself. Mott and Lutz, being college graduates themselves, are obviously well-acquainted with the heavy reading load of a college student – their book is only 126 pages long, with plenty of white space on those pages. Add The College Survival Instruction Book to your summer reading list.

Author