What type of books should i read to become smarter in college?

Answer 1

Everything you can get your hands on...

Ok, seriously...get a good foundation by reading Bible stories, because a lot of the classical works (Shakespeare, Hawthorne, Melville, etc) use references to Biblical figures, events and overall themes (Moby Dick, for example, starts with "Call me Ishmael" - know the Bible story behind Ishie and you have a better understanding of the character). Plus, the themes from Bible stories (good vs evil, inner conflict of characters, etc) are basic themes that you're going to find in all literature - and you'll get extra points from teachers for being able to make connections from what you're studying to what you already know.

Get your hands on a good copy of Bullfinch's "Mythology" and Edith Hamilton's book (often used as a college text) titled "Mythology". Reason? The same as for Bible stories.

Then bone up on GOOD, classical children's lit - Madeline L'Engle's "Wrinkle in Time" series, Wizard of Oz (yes, it's not just a movie with Judy Garland), Alice in Wonderland, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Grimm's fairy tales (and other fairy tales), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Harry Potter, and others. Read the children's lit with an eye backward to the Bible stories and mythology - see what connections you can find.

Tackle classical literature - start with "Everyman" and "Beouwolf", get into "Dante's Inferno", "Paradise Lost", "The Decameron", "Canterbury Tales" and then Shakespeare (It might be easier with Shakespeare to read "Stories from Shakespeare" by Marchette Chute). Get into American lit and read Poe, Hawthorne, Melville, Steinbeck, Hemingway and others. Your librarian and/or English teachers can help guide you in the right directions.

Literature, of course, isn't the be all, end all of college success, but it is a strong foundation.

Be sure to include works from other fields as well - Joseph Campbell "The Hero With a Thousand Faces" is a plus to have read before getting into college, and having a familiarity with world and US history, being able to use a map and globe and know where major countries are located and what they are known for will be a big help.

Read the US Constitution and your state constitution, as well as the Declaration of Independence. Know the difference between democracy, republic, monarchy, theocracy, communism, capitalism, socialism, etc.

Read a good book on world religions - actually, a "Dummies" or "Don't Know Much About" book would be just fine. In college, unless you go to a religious institution, you're going to come across a lot of people from different social, economic, cultural and religious backgrounds. The best thing to do is to have some knowledge in advance about who they are and what they believe, and then be willing to listen to what they have to say about themselves and how they view the world.

Good luck, and happy reading!

(btw, you can find full texts of most of the classical works online, for free at http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page )

Answer 2

Interesting! I think mate selection is evolutionary. Wouldn't it make more sense to select a partner that will provide for you, and the family? When moving up the ladder of life, one must continuously look up, not down. If you are a well educated woman, chances are, you will marry someone who is well educated too. If you are middle-class, you want to marry someone who is hard working and share the same values as you do... If you are a lawyer and marry someone that works in McDonald's, obviously the power dynamics in the relationship will be unbalanced and most likely, it will create problems in the future. Rich men marry "poorer" woman all the time, but in this day in age, a lot of wealthy men are going for ladies who are college educated and professional... I think these rich men want to get away from the gold diggers... Good question though!

Answer 3

Greek Philosophy
Political History

Answer 4

technology, science, arts, business, try to read them all, then decide which one can make you feel smarter.

Answer 5

try Sophies World. it is on philosophy and my sister had to read it in her humanities class