ABSTRACT

This concise and accessible resource offers new college students, especially those in science degree programs, guidance on engaging successfully with the classroom experience and skillfully tackling technical or scientific questions. The author provides insights on identifying, from the outset, individual markers for what success in college will look like for students, how to think about the engagement with professors as a partnership, and how to function effectively in that partnership toward achieving their pre-defined goals or markers of success. It is an ideal companion for science degree prospects and first-generation students seeking insight into the college experience.

  • Offers transferable problem-solving ideas and skills applicable for other disciplines and future careers
  • Provides new students with support and inspiration for their college experience
  • Includes guidance for successful interactions with professors, peers, professionals, and others
  • Encourages thoughtful determination of desired outcomes from the college experience and shaping one's actions toward accomplishing those objectives

chapter Chapter One|18 pages

On Encountering a Problem

chapter Chapter Two|13 pages

The Logic of the Problem

Good Thinking and Its Rewards

chapter Chapter Three|5 pages

Solutions in Words

Answering Short Answer Questions

chapter Chapter Four|6 pages

Making Textbooks Pay

chapter Chapter Five|29 pages

Solutions in Numbers

Basic Mathematical Procedures

chapter Chapter Six|12 pages

Practical Solutions

Science in the Laboratory

chapter Chapter Seven|13 pages

Spreading the Word

chapter Chapter Eight|6 pages

Persisting against Problems