How to Be a High School Superstar: A Revolutionary Plan to Get into College by Standing Out (Without Burning Out) [Paperback]

Cal Newport (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 27, 2010

Do Less, Live More, Get Accepted
 
 
What if getting into your reach schools didn’t require four years of excessive A.P.-taking, overwhelming activity schedules, and constant stress?
 
In How to Be a High School Superstar, Cal Newport explores the world of relaxed superstars—students who scored spots at the nation’s top colleges by leading uncluttered, low stress, and authentic lives. Drawing from extensive interviews and cutting-edge science, Newport explains the surprising truths behind these superstars’ mixture of happiness and admissions success, including:
 
·        Why doing less is the foundation for becoming more impressive.
·        Why demonstrating passion is meaningless, but being interesting is crucial.
·        Why accomplishments that are hard to explain are better than accomplishments that are hard to do.
 
These insights are accompanied by step-by-step instructions to help any student adopt the relaxed superstar lifestyle—proving that getting into college doesn’t have to be a chore to survive, but instead can be the reward for living a genuinely interesting life.
 

Editorial Reviews

Review

“As a former Ivy League admissions officer, I was overjoyed to see a book that hit the nail on the head regarding selective college admissions and how to take the process in stride. Students will find his book extremely useful and admissions officers will be relieved to see applicants who escape the cookie-cutter syndrome.”
 
—Dr. Michele Hernandez, author of A Is for Admission and president of Hernandez College Consulting and Application Boot Camp

“Disguised as a peppy college-admission guide, Newport’s book is actually a profound, life-affirming manifesto for ambitious high school students. Forgo the sleepless and cynical path to college acceptance. Instead, blaze your trail to the Ivy League by living a full life and immersing yourself in things that matter. Relax. Find meaning. Be you.”
 
—David Shenk, author of The Genius in All of Us
 
“This book should be on the shelf of every student who wonders how to stand out in the increasingly competitive race to get into a top college. His approach will not only help you win the admissions race, it will keep you sane while you run the marathon.”
 
—Joie Jager-Hyman, author of Fat Envelope Frenzy

About the Author

CAL NEWPORT is the author of How to Win at College and How to Become a Straight-A Student. He graduated from Dartmouth College and earned a Ph.D. from MIT. His writing has appeared in national publications, and he is the founder of Study Hacks, the Web’s most popular student advice blog.
 
www.calnewport.com

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (July 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767932587
• ISBN-13: 978-0767932585
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,353 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Education & Reference > College & University > Test Preparation > College Entrance

More About the Author

Cal Newport is a writer and a professor of computer science at Georgetown University. He is the author of four books and runs the popular advice blog, Study Hacks, which attempts to decode "patterns of success" in both school and the working world. His contrarian ideas on building a successful, meaningful life have been featured on TV, radio, and in many major publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and New York Post.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Worked for Stanford & Harvard December 1, 2010

By Victor Cheng

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I picked up this book because I'm a parent and was intrigued by the premise. Little did I realize that the approach described in the book is actually the approach I took (without realizing it) to get into Stanford many years ago and is the same approach my brother took to get into Harvard.

I also have a friend who was an application reader at Stanford. There's a remark in particular she made about the process that jumped out at me. Each reader will read several hundred applications. Most applications are boring. Most seem the same as the next. The readers often get bored by reading 400 applications in a row that all seem, well the SAME.

This significant point on this is the applications are STILL boring even if they are all impressive in the SAME WAY. This is a nuance in college admissions that I think is really lost on a lot people who apply. There are two ways to get into a top school: 1) be the smartest / most academically accomplished applicant, 2) be smart enough but really unusual / different in some unconventional way.

The Superstar book is the only book I've ever seen on the latter.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars How to be a High School Superstar August 1, 2010

By Dirk Grunwald

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm fifteen, and attend a college prep K-12 school, where from sixth grade up the focus is college, college, college. I started attending this school for high school only, after attending a more lax charter where the focus was on making a difference in society through charity, not necessarily on competition in academia, in that until high school, I never received grades.

My dad got me this book last week. I read the whole thing in one day, and I loved it. My school puts so much pressure on math and physics, and I'm friends with so many people who go to summer school to take more of those classes and who actively enjoy them. Since the start of freshmen year I'd been trying to get better at those subjects because that was what everyone around me perceived as important, but I have very little interest in physics and only a bit more in math. I actively enjoy biology, language arts, social studies, climate science and genetic engineering, but because of the pressures of my school life I didn't focus on them as much as I knew I wanted to.

After reading this book, I've felt sort of free to not try and master a subject that I know I would be miserable studying. Instead, I'm turning my attentions back to genetics, biology and climate sciences.

Before reading this book, I was stressed out and unhappy. I'm entering sophomore year, and I was planning on doubling up Chemistry and Physics classes during the year so I could gain an edge and stand out on college application forms. Now, though, with the full permission of my father, I probably will not be taking high school physics. Instead, this year I'm signing up for AP Biology.

This book is definitely a must-read.

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Quick read. Well worth it. July 27, 2010

By Ptipirneni

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I initially stumbled upon Cal's blog six months ago, searching for techniques that might help my kids. In fact, what I found was a veritable treasure chest of techniques, that could be applied by individuals of any age. I have since adopted many of his approaches and have found them useful in my work.

I suspected that this book would not have much substance beyond what could be found on the Study Hacks website. After all, even a person like Cal, can only have so many great ideas. Regardless, I ordered the book if for no other reason to support and reward Cal's hard work in writing useful and original content.

I read the entire book in one sitting of a few hours. As I expected, much of the substance is already on the website.

However, it is still worth buying this book. Cal pulls the whole message together into an overall framework, and elaborates on many of his points with relevant examples. Even loyal Study Hacks readers will be better able to execute on the approach after reading the book.