For the incoming Class of 2012, college guides published by the Princeton Review and U.S. News and World Report are familiar bedtime reads. But after decisions are finalized and flights booked, students may wish they had similar manuals on what to do after fitting their linens onto extra-long mattresses.
In their new book on undergraduate life, Professor of Political Science Peter Feaver, Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek and Anne Crossman, Trinity '00, attempt to fill the bookshelf void of post-orientation guidance.
"Getting the Best Out of College: A Professor, a Dean, and a Student Tell You How to Maximize Your Experience," which appeared in bookstores nationwide May 1, offers students advice on topics ranging from study skills to building relationships with professors to navigating the on-campus social scene.
"The book is different from other college books on the market because of our three different perspectives," Crossman said. "I was a recent grad when I started the process, so my perspective was pretty fresh."
Published by Ten Speed Press, the book is the product of 10 years of both extensive work experience and conveniently timed workouts. Feaver and Wasiolek first discussed collaborating on a publication on the treadmills in the Wilson Recreation Center. They continued their "slightly oxygen-deprived" talks in Wilson and on jogs along the Duke University Golf Club's course, eventually taking trips to the bookstore to evaluate their competition, Feaver said.
"We saw row upon row of books about how to get into college and prepare for the SATs and very little about what to do once you got to college," Feaver said. "Sue and I had the same basic philosophy, which was that it's important where you go to college, but it's way more important what you do at college."
To combine their skills and experiences, Feaver wrote mainly about academics and Wasiolek wrote about extracurricular involvement and student life. But their heavy workloads-Feaver acting as special adviser for strategic planning and institutional reform on the National Security Council staff and Wasiolek overseeing student life at Duke-prevented them from turning out a publication quickly.
"I was working at the White House with very little free time," Feaver said. "I had to go to my family and keep up with graduate students and lingering Duke obligations, so I had very little time to write."
To accelerate the process and add the perspective of a recent undergraduates to the book, he invited Crossman, a freelance writer and the wife of one of his former students, to help.
With Crossman on board, Feaver and Wasiolek were able to share their experiences and professional anecdotes by phone, oftentimes on commutes home from work. This "novel way to write" translated interviews into coherent chapters and brought out each author's unique views, Feaver said.
"We had the same basic philosophy, but we didn't always agree on particulars so we'd have to either hash something out or compromise," Wasiolek added.
Senior Harley Gould, who researched colleges on the Internet before enrolling at Duke, said she would still appreciate advice on college life despite her three years of university experience.
"I wish that I had received more information on time management, picking extracurriculars and course advising," she said.
But freshman Molly Himmelstein was less specific in her expectations of what her and her peers hope to gain from books on college life.
"We rely on the insight of other students who have been in our place," Himmelstein said. "By utilizing the advice of our predecessors, these books virtually teach us as incoming freshmen how to fix our mistakes before they happen."
By compiling anecdotes from Feaver's academic advising sessions and Wasiolek's daily interactions with students, Crossman filled the book's pages with experience and humor and avoided a one-sided perspective, the authors said.
"I imagine some Duke students will recognize themselves in some parts of the book," Feaver said. "But it's not just for Duke students. It's for students going to college anywhere."
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