Preparing for

SUCCESS

Preparing to

STUDY

Preparing for

LIFE

In this chapter you will explore

Confessions of a

COLLEGE STUDENT...

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MINDY DEUEL, 40
Kalamazoo Valley Community College

fewer than 2 percent of Americans of traditional college age attended college. Today, new technologies and the information explosion are changing the workplace so drastically that in order to support themselves and their families adequately, most people will need some education beyond high school. College is so important that more than 67 percent of high school graduates (approximately 18 million students) attend. Because higher education can be essential to your future earning power and your overall well-being, we are committed to providing a set of strategies you can use to do your best. That’s what this book is all about. As you’re settling into your new college routine, we want to welcome you to the world of higher education. The fact that you are reading this textbook probably means you are enrolled in a first-year seminar or “college success” course designed to introduce you to college and help you make the most of it. In this chapter, we’ll discuss how you fit into the whole idea of college. We’ll consider why the United States has more colleges and universities than any other country in the world. We’ll also help you explore the purposes of college—many that your college might define for you. But even more important, we’ll help you define your purposes for being here and offer many strategies to help you succeed.

So what is the college experience? Depending on who you are, your life circumstances, and why you decided to enroll, college can mean different things. College is often portrayed in books and films as a place where young people live away from home in ivy-covered residence halls. We frequently see college depicted as a place