Does anybody know which books are good to read before starting freshmen year in college?

Question

I am entering college this fall and I atleast want to read a few books that might help me.

Answer 1

You will not know until you register for classes and you go to the bookstore.. Usually your college bookstore will already have a list of the books needed for your class that the teacher sent to them. They usually send the information to the bookstores a few weeks before class. Not all teachers do this, but most of them do. Others wait until the first day of class to get you a syllabus that outlines all the required reading material.

Answer 2

If nothing else, read "An Incomplete Education" by Judy Jones and William Wilson. It's funny, opinionated, breezy, irreverent, so take it with a grain of salt, yet it gives a pretty reliable preview of what to expect in college course content. Ballantine Books, New York, 1987. After nearly 20 years, still good.

[Don't worry about reading books preparing you for the college experience. They have a short shelf life, because trends change so fast. Talk to people who are attending right now, not people who attended 20 years ago and wrote books about it.]

For Social Science majors (or anyone who dreams of an ideal society) "Plato's Republic" deals fascinatingly with key questions and paints a picture of an ideal society worthy of any science fiction writer telling of an ideal world somewhere in the stars.

For people planning on majoring in science, I would recommend collections of essays by Isaac Asimov or J. Stephen Gould. Again, these would be good for anyone wanting to explore scientific questions. "Asimov's Guide to Physics" if read through with attention and comprehension is good prep for a basic physics course, through-- not concentrating that much on working problems-- it is no substitute for an actual course. Familiarity with the concepts in this book can make a letter grade's difference, or even the difference between passing and failing elementary physics, and is a good brush-up on high school physics if you've had it, a poor but perhaps adequate substitute if you have not.

If you are interested in generally developing as a thinker or a writer on American topics, I would recommend "The Best American Essays Of The [Twentieth] Century" by Joyce Carol Oates.

But the most important book you could learn and absorb, from the standpoint of learning to think and reason well, is "A Guide To Critical Thinking". I can't remember the author, but just get a good text on critical thinking (preferably not a stuffy one, as there are a number of books that hilariously lampoon thinking fallacies.)
Critical thinking, unfortunately, isn't in style now, but I think it's an important tool in acquiring an education, and one ultimate aim of education, also, is improving our thinking skills.

I could go on listing books, but the first book I listed, "An Incomplete Education", lists good sources and their relative importance and value.

Answer 3

Outstanding Books for the College Bound

Answer 4

What are you wanting to know? To experience college life you have to do it. There really isn't anything to "study" before you go, don't over analyze the college experience.

If you are wanting to get a "leg up" on some things for example, English. Check out what they may cover especially Literature. If it's History, the course description is what you will be learning and going to lectures for.

Also, try talking to some Alumni or sophomore's!

Answer 5

Hi, yes there are lot's of great books. One thet come to mind is, "What Color Is Your Parachute", Richard Nelson Bolles; "Wishcraft" by Barbara Shers, and many others. Go to google.com too! Good LUCK! Oh yeah, and eat more peanut butter!

Answer 6

DEcide what courses you're going to take, find out what the books for those courses are, buy them and read them. WHAT A BORING SUMMER THAT WILL BE!!

Answer 7

First year of College for Dummies.

Answer 8

If you email your profs, they would be *glad* to tell you what you may want to brush up before you start their classes. The bonus to that is that they'll remember you as a "good" student. Believe me - when kids email me in the summer, I always remember who they are.

Answer 9

Try reading your text books.