The problem with higher education today is that colleges are not transparent about their students academic lives, so families dont know what their students should experience or accomplish in college. This book is part on-the-ground college insider tell-all memoir and part study skills Bible. Its brutally honest, relatable, and entirely free of jargon, and alerts parents to a huge problem in American education today that high school doesnt prepare students to thrive in college. Offering explicit study skills solutions for the academic, financial, and mental health problems caused by this unfortunate reality, this book helps students, parents, teachers, and administrators have more rewarding experiences in schools, to the great benefit of themselves and their school communities. It shows students how to learn more and earn better grades in less time so that they can make the most of their college investment, parents what they can expect from their kids college experiences, and administrators what the schoolwork is really like at the level below or above their current professional context. Every parent will recognize their college-bound children in several of the chapters.

Paul Smith Rivas is the director of Smith Rivas Study Skills& Academic Coaching. He studied literature in Mexico City, backpacked from Spain to Syria via Morocco and Wales, performed stand-up comedy in Spanish in Buenos Aires, and traveled from Argentina to the United States by bus.

ForewordJeff LandeckPrefaceAcknowledgmentsPart 1: The Big PictureChapter 1- IntroductionChapter 2- Seven Rules for Getting Your Moneys Worth and Having an Awesome Time in CollegePart 2: Common CasesChapter 3- Kids with No PlanChapter 4- Kids with Ill-Conceived PlansChapter 5- Kids Who Dont Apologize or Write Thank-You NotesChapter 6- Kids Who Dont Test WellChapter 7- Kids Who ProcrastinateChapter 8- Kids with ADHDChapter 9- Kids with Slow Processing SpeedPart 3: Special CasesChapter 10- Kids Who Think Learning Styles ExistChapter 11- Unmotivated KidsChapter 12- Hard CasesChapter 13- AthletesChapter 14- Women with Low ConfidenceChapter 15- High-Performing KidsPart 4: Study Skills SolutionsChapter 16- Time ManagementChapter 17- ReadingChapter 18- NotetakingChapter 19- TestsChapter 20- PapersPart 5: Next StepsChapter 21- ConclusionAppendixAbout the Author