The First Days of College (Paperback)

Steven L. VanderStaay

ISBN 13: 9798216383062

Published by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, New York, 2026

About this Item

Paperback. Each year, two million high school graduates begin college. Yet only about half graduate in four years. Nearly 4 in 10 leave without a degree altogether.It doesn't have to be this way.What most distinguishes students who succeed from those who don't are habits, mindsets, and strategies that any student can learn. This book is your guide to putting them into practicebeginning with the first days of college.This college-success guide:- Focuses on the first days of collegea critical window when effective habits and mindsets form most readily.- Anchors each chapter in a specific decision students must make.- Teaches the strategies successful students actually use- Tackles hard truths about student debt, dropout risks, and campus safety issues like alcohol-related accidents and sexual assault.- Addresses the concerns of new studentsmaking friends, managing money, study strategies, and whether college is "worth it."- Provides a practical "Playbook" of activities to immediately apply each chapter's concepts.- Connects academic effort to personal purposehelping students root their work in their values, aspirations, and who and what they most care about.- Combines research on learning with insights from those who work most closely with new students. What most distinguishes students who succeed from those who don't are habits, mindsets, and strategies that any student can learn. This book is your guide to putting them into practicebeginning with the first days of college. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9798216383062

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The First Days of College (Paperback)
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, New York
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798216383062
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Each year, two million high school graduates begin college. Yet only about half graduate in four years. Nearly 4 in 10 leave without a degree altogether.

It doesn't have to be this way.

What most distinguishes students who succeed from those who don't are habits, mindsets, and strategies that any student can learn. This book is your guide to putting them into practice-beginning with the first days of college.

This college-success guide:
- Focuses on the first days of college-a critical window when effective habits and mindsets form most readily.
- Anchors each chapter in a specific decision students must make.
- Teaches the strategies successful students actually use
- Tackles hard truths about student debt, dropout risks, and campus safety issues like alcohol-related accidents and sexual assault.
- Addresses the concerns of new students-making friends, managing money, study strategies, and whether college is "worth it."
- Provides a practical "Playbook" of activities to immediately apply each chapter's concepts.
- Connects academic effort to personal purpose-helping students root their work in their values, aspirations, and who and what they most care about.
- Combines research on learning with insights from those who work most closely with new students.

About the Author

Steve VanderStaay is a teaching and learning specialist at Western Washington University. He served for 12 years as Western's Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, a position which included responsibility for the university's first-year retention and academic success initiatives. His awards include a Spencer/National Academy of Education post-doctoral research fellowship, an NSF grant for improving first-year student recruitment and success in Engineering programs, and a student nomination for Western's distinguished teaching award. He is based in Bellingham, Washington.