The GPAMaxx Guide to Acing the Public University - Softcover

Jeff Gimpel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0991535707 ISBN 13: 9780991535705

Publisher: GPAMaxx LLC, 2015

Synopsis

In this first-of-its-kind strategy guide for current high school students and anyone else who plans to attend a public university, students get the know-how they need to tackle college the smart way before they even set foot on campus.

With the ratio of students to academic advisors at public universities averaging around 300:1, new college students can't expect much help on campus with academic planning. It's critical for them to arrive for their first semester with the know-how they need to navigate college successfully on their own. But they usually don't.

Numerous resources exist to help students gain admission to college, but managing the transition from high school to college is a different story. Until now, it s been largely up to students to figure out the rules of college academics through trial and error after college begins. As a result, many students make serious mistakes in their academic decisions that hurt their GPAs, prevent them from graduating on time, increase college costs, and limit their opportunities during and after college.

Acing the Public University tackles head-on the crisis of inadequate academic advising for students at public colleges. It shows public-university-bound students in a do-it-yourself, paint-by-numbers manner how to be their own academic advisors.

First, students get the background knowledge they need to navigate college academics successfully by themselves. They learn the ins and outs of college-level grading, degree plans, fulfilling degree requirements, professor shopping, and much more. The book then sets out step-by-step, easy-to-follow strategies that students can use on their own to develop a custom-tailored college completion game plan and select courses.

In the course of Acing the Public University's 250+ pages, students get the tools they need to make smart academic planning decisions on their own. After acting on what they learn in the book, they can start college with a game plan and on track to maximize their GPAs, graduate on time, complete college more cost-effectively, and use college as the springboard to the future they want.

With more than half of all college graduates under 25 jobless or underemployed, and with education costs at record highs, it's more important than ever to do college right. Use Acing the Public University to get the edge for success in college ... and beyond!

About this title

About the Author

Jeff Gimpel is the founder of GPAMaxx and an attorney.

From Kirkus Reviews

A stunningly comprehensive manual designed to help public university students maximize their GPAs and their college experiences.

Most college instructional guides focus on application strategies but provide little advice on how to excel at a college once admitted. Gimpel’s first book provides meticulous advice for succeeding academically at a public university. The problem for the average student is essentially twofold: in an increasingly competitive economy, grades have become an object of scrutiny for prospective employers. Also, tuitions have never been higher, saddling students with piles of debt in exchange for a potentially unmarketable degree. The author provides a detail-rich blueprint for both scoring high grades and completing a degree as quickly as possible, diminishing costs. As far as the speedy completion of a degree is concerned (the author finished a four-year degree in three years), the key is to test out of college courses (“credit by examination”), which allows a student to complete requirements more cheaply and quickly. Using transfer courses can accomplish this as well while simultaneously boosting one’s overall GPA. Much of the guide focuses on getting better grades, which involves carefully applied strategies for appraising and picking both professors and courses. Besides demystifying the sometimes-nebulous nature of college grades, Gimpel also makes a compelling case for their postgraduate significance, especially in a chapter entitled “Your College GPA and the Big Picture.” He also furnishes a sobering lesson on the real costs of a college education and the shocking surcharge attached to graduating late. Sometimes, the advice can be unyieldingly practical, emphasizing grades over education and personal development. The section devoted to “professor shopping” surely contains helpful tips, but it neglects to acknowledge the value of learning from a notoriously difficult instructor and succeeding (or even not) and the possibility of mentorship. Nonetheless, this is a savvy tour of the college experience that rightly makes the case that a disciplined, goal-oriented plan for university may benefit the student more than a more meandering approach.

A useful handbook, especially for those who view college primarily as a conduit to a future career.

About this edition

• Publisher: GPAMaxx LLC
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0991535707
• ISBN 13: 9780991535705
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288