For the high-school graduate, the prospect of starting college can seem as daunting as entering a foreign country. But leading educator Malcolm Gauld, president of the Hyde Schools, has some straightforward advice for them in “College Success Guaranteed: Five Rules to Make it Happen.”
He will talk about his book at 7:30 p.m. Monday, August 8, at the New Canaan Library. Event co-sponsor Elm Street Books will sell copies of the book, which will be available for signing.
Written with honesty, insight, and a touch of humor, “College Success Guaranteed” originated from a speech that Gauld delivers every spring to college-bound seniors. Gauld expanded on his talk by interviewing college students and recent graduates about their experiences. The result is a book that includes candid feedback from students and graduates of dozens of colleges and universities in the United States, with a focus on the simple things to “do” after enrolling in college, as opposed to the “don’ts,” or negative actions to avoid.
Using a frank, occasionally irreverent approach, Gauld breaks his plan down into five rules: go to class, study, commit to an activity, get a mentor and don’t procrastinate. The rules may seem simple, but Gauld uses the words of actual students and recent grads to deliver essential information. Under studying, for instance, he analyzes the pros and cons of listening to music, how to “rip the guts out” of any book in two hours, group versus individual study and why three hours a day, five days a week is a basic formula that works.
“I have taught and coached teenagers for more than three decades and watched thousands of them go off to college,” says Gauld. “Some just take off like rockets from the get-go. Others either fail to launch or crash and burn before midterms. Independent time-management is the key.”
Gauld is president of the Hyde Schools, a network of public and boarding schools and programs dedicated to the development of character in students and families, with locations in Bath, ME, Woodstock, CT, New Haven, CT, Washington, DC, and Bronx, NY. An educator for over three decades, he is co-author of “The Biggest Job We’ll Ever Have,” written with his wife, Laura.
Admission is free, but reservations are recommended – call 203-594-5040 or email [email protected]. To preorder a book, call Elm Street Books at 203-966-4545.
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.