ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors cover the myths you’ve probably heard about college and go over how and why they’re not true. This is crucial to do, too, because some of these myths are so pervasive and destructive that students who believe them often give up on college entirely or never even make it to their first day. The Dartmouth researchers found that the adult brain is just as capable of learning and expanding as younger brains. Here’s how they put it: The adult brain retains “a robust capacity for reorganization with learning. Like a muscle that grows with use, the brain appears capable of expanding the functionality of networks involved in learning”. People often discount the value of hope, thinking it’s a sentiment best left to Sunday morning sermons. Yet, many studies have discovered that developing hope actually increases students’ graduation rates.
