Customer Reviews

Thriving at College: Make Great Friends, Keep Your Faith, and Get Ready for the Real World!

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Thriving at College is exactly what the title sounds like: a book about how to do well in college. It is divided into four parts, covering faith, relationships, personal character, and academics. Within each section, author Alex Chediak breaks down common mistakes which college students make. These chapters include, "Treating College as if It Were High School," "Refusing to Grow Up," "Being a Flake," and "Living For Grades."

As a junior in college, I feel that Chediak gives excellent advice. He truly understands problems that college students face, whether they're freshman or seniors. He addresses head on the problem of students seeing college as a time to have fun and goof off, explaining how academics should be the priority over video games and Facebook, as well as how to stand firm in Christian faith even in a secular college. He also strikes a balance in his views. While he may start a chapter explaining why students should put more time towards classes and less time gaming, he may end it by reaching out to students that do nothing but sit with a textbook in their nose all day and who only strive to make that 4.0 GPA.

Beyond this, he also hits on issues that some might avoid. He reminds students that their college years are the years when they become full adults. You start thinking for yourself and start making your own decisions. For this reason, he recommends that students not call their parents to confer on every issue that comes up. He cautions against parents bailing their children out of credit card debt. While he acknowledges there are times to seek parental advice, and certainly doesn't recommend making every decision alone, he currently sees a world where students too often call home to escape responsibility.

The thing which really makes Thriving at College work is that Chediak is a current college professor, teaching engineering and physicals at California Baptist. He sees all of the problems that he describes. He is also able to describe proper ways to interact with professors - especially when students start feeling a sense of entitlement.

This is a great read for high school graduates who are preparing for their first year at college. It is also something that current students could learn from as well.

4/5 stars

I received this book free from Tyndale. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

By Alex Chediak (Tyndale House Publishers, 2011)

This 327-page book is filled with helpful advice, wise words, and useful insight on how to successfully perform well in college and beyond. This book is divided into four sections that include emphasis on college, relationships, character, and academics. Drizzled with facts, common mistakes and how to avoid them, and Biblical wisdom, this book is a valuable tool and a wealth of knowledge for soon to be college students, current students, or recently graduated students. There are discussion starter questions at the end of each chapter, which enable the reader to spur their mind regarding their thoughts on these inquiries. This book is sprinkled with letters from college students that express their concerns and perspectives about the college experience, followed by thorough responses penned by the author.

The author highlights that the goal isn't just to get through college, but to embrace the right opportunities while developing yourself into who God want you to be and about working to fulfill God's purpose for your life. This book touches on the imperativeness of efficient time management and prioritizing, in addition to how it relates to your academic and personal goals. Thoughts and information about relationships and dating is presented in this book, which is provided with a godly perspective in tune with effective use of time. This book goes past advising the reader, but also making the reader ponder their own lives and what they aim to achieve according to God's purpose for their life. With this book's ability to greatly impact the reader and teach them to develop healthy habits early into their college life, it would make an exceptional gift that would give the reader a great advantage as they delve into college classes.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Tyndale House Publishers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255vf: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

I wish I had read this book before I went to College. In many ways the author try to stress the importance of holding up with our faith. In a light an easy written style, Mr. Chediak shows in a Christian perspective which are the common errors that the student should avoid when entering into a College life, in order to succeed and live the best experience of his/her life, while getting ready for the real world.

The book is divided in four main sections: College Matters, Relationships Matters, Character Matters and Academics Matter. On each one Alex goes deep in the analysis of the common mistakes, giving guidance and suggesting different approaches to overcome common situations. He speaks with the authority of being a professor and living in a daily basis observing the struggle of his students.

I have a fifteen and a thirteen year old daughters. The older is only talking about colleges now and definetely I will make her read this book. And the type of wisdom that is presented in this book can be applied not only for College situations as well as for many other situations in life, at any age we are. I definitely recommend this book to any Christian that wants to keep his/her standards according to the Word of God. It deserves to be in the permanent library of any serious reader.

Thanks, Mr. Alex Chediak, for such a masterpiece.

This book was written by Mr. Alex Chediak and published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. in 2011 and they were kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing through their blogger book review program.

Dr. Chediak's book is precisely what it claims to be: An earnest and careful exposition of what a young college bound Christian person can expect from his or her time in a university . . . and what to do about it. The content is intentionally current and meaningful, and as a recent college graduate myself I do not hesitate to say that this book offers information that I desperately needed when I was in school.

College is and should be an intimidating idea for students and parents alike for more than a few important reasons. Dr. Chediak is thorough in his coverage of all major questions and their respective answers from a distinctly Christian perspective. The book contains advice for community college students, Christian university students, and secular university students in a particular and concrete manner. It is this no-nonsense approach that constitutes Thriving at College as a must-have for anyone interested in what a successful college cultivating experience can mean.

Yes, I am too old for this book. And no, I didn't mean to request review copy of it. But one stray click committed me. So here I am.

As it turns out, Thriving at College by Alex Chediak is excellent! While the casual (but proper!) writing style is tailored for the latest set of college-bound neophytes, this book is filled with wisdom that is relevant at any age.

Chediak does an amazing job at crafting a culturally-relevant argument regarding one's worldview and character impact his or her presumed first foray away from home. (He says this book is the closest he can get to "taking you to coffee." I think he's right.) If you can think of a topic you'd like to discuss with your kids before college, he touches on it in this book: apologetics, idolatry, life balance, choosing friends, interacting with faculty and (perhaps most importantly) the opposite sex . . . the list continues, but I'll stop typing so you can buy this book and read it. :)

Time is also spent on the importance of growing during college -- including how not to be a flake! -- the goal being functional independence as soon as you cross the stage to get your degree (or even before).

I wish Thriving at College had been around when I went to college; it would have saved me a lot of growing pains! Hopefully it can accomplish that goal for a new crop of young adults. Certainly I will give this book as a graduation gift to many people in the future.

In exchange for my honest opinion, I received this book free of charge from Tyndale House Publishers.

This book is practical, and fun to read. It has advice on just about anything one might encounter in college, and looks at things from a biblical perspective. The advice offered is good not only for college students, but really for anyone who wants to live intentionally.

My review of Thriving at College by Alex Chediak is way overdue, as I got this book last spring before school was out. I've had a terrible time getting through this book, not because it's a bad book, but because it is so chalk-full of fabulous information that I kept getting hung up reading and re-reading so much of it to be sure and take in as much as I could while making notes to use it as a tool to share with my children as they prepare for college.

As I began reading this book, I realized right away that I would be using it as a learning resource for college prep. After 9 years in college, I could certainly relate to and fully understand most, if not all of the situations, challenges, incidents, feelings, relationships, study tips, schedule hints, and lifestyle/faith survival skills. That's probably another reason why it was such a slow read for me.

But how to pass these sometimes hard-learned tips onto my own kids? Well, here is the answer. This is a well-written and personalized guide to living , surviving and thriving during the best years of your life (so far), keeping the faith, developing meaningful relationships, choosing the right major and how to study for it. This book is a complete guide on how a christian student can be successful in college.

While this book came onto the market last spring (April 2011) at the perfect time to give new graduates, I believe it would certainly be well received as those new college students begin their semesters, as well as for high schoolers (especially homeschoolers!) preparing for college at any time.

*I received this book free from Tyndale in exchange for a review- no other compensation was received and opinions are my own.

As an instructor in a technical/community college, I ordered this book for my Kindle hoping to find some tidbits to help in motivating my students. While I wasn't disappointed, the book is geared more towards a specific audience, those with a Christian mindset who are headed for a four-year school. At the same time, it has applications for all students who are ready for it, especially those who look at their lives as belonging to God and who are desirous of developing and using the gifts He gave them.

Divided in to four major areas (faith, relationships, character, and academics), Thriving in College is replete with good advice for young people and their parents, especially the part about failure to launch. I see it all the time, mainly because of a societal phenomenon known as helicopter parents, those who hover around their children attempting to control and direct their lives. Chediak raises the interesting point about there being no mention of teenagers in the Bible, just adults and children with no pushy helicopter parent in sight.

The author shares some practical information of use to all students regardless of age, area of study, or type of college. Included are tips on scheduling study time, developing specific study skills, and completing an internship. When choosing a major, he warns against getting involved in a career field just because parents think it's prestigious, especially if the student's gifts are in another area. "To God all legitimate vocations have equal dignity."

In summary, this is a well-written book with lots of food for thought. For example, while reading it, I gained some insight into the difference between recreation and entertainment. I'd never given much thought to these terms before, but now I see them as different in purpose. The former is meant to refresh and restore strength, spirit, and energy while entertainment is "amusement or diversion provided especially by others."

If you to thrive in college and graduate as a well-rounded, intelligent, articulate, flexible person," then read this book. And make sure your parents read it too.

Author Alex Chediak, in his book Thriving at College, contends that many if not most Christian High School students are ill prepared for College life. Too many enter higher education with little to no preparation for the sudden change in responsibility and freedom. Mr. Chediak includes himself in this description and thus has written Thriving at College as if he were writing to a younger version of himself. The result is a practical and edifying book that all prospective and even current college students (at least those in their early years of college) should read and expect to profit from.

Chediak pulls no punches when it comes to his expectations for professing Christians who enter College. He references a study that shows nearly 70% of professing Christians will "chuck their faith" and stop attending church during the ages of 18-22. Why do so many seemingly turn their backs on their faith? Chediak gives a number of compelling reasons. For some, the Christian faith was never really theirs to begin with. For others, the pressures (more so but not unique to secular schools) from unbelieving professors, the temptations of sin, the lack of personal responsibility, etc. can all culminate in a weak foundation (the foolish man who built his house on the sand), resulting in so many who turn away from the claims of Christianity. For this reason alone, Thriving at College is worth the read. Alex Chediak encourages his readers to put together an action plan now in order to prepare spiritually for the real dangers Christian young people face when leaving home for college. He rightly exhorts his audience to commit to finding a church home in which to worship, to read and study God's Word on a daily basis, to set apart a time for prayer, and to seek out fellow Christian students who are also serious about their faith. With a firm foundation in place, a Christian can thrive spiritually in a college and dorm setting.

Not only can College students chuck their faith, they can also fail to thrive by refusing to grow up, and parents are not exempt from at least some of the blame. The problem of so-called "Helicopter parenting" (those parents who refuse to allow their sons or daughters to fail or pay the price for their failure) is mentioned by Chediak as a prime explanation for why so many College students fail when away from home. (As a current High School teacher, I can identify all too well with this issue). Rather than teaching their child to learn to take responsibility and yes, even to learn from their failures and pay for the consequences, now when a crisis is met, all that is needed is to call Mom or Dad to see if they can fix the problem. It is for this reason that I too would recommend Thriving at College, not only for young people, but also for their parents.

Incoming (and current) college students will find Alex Chediak's advice on the proper use of time to be most helpful. In a chapter entitled "Treating College as if it were High School," the author elicits sound counsel regarding the importance of setting and sticking to a schedule. Rather than treating down-time as an opportunity for constant entertainment (he also has a chapter called "Wasting Opportunities"), the student who seeks to thrive will recognize that time is valuable and that his or her calling at this point is to be a student who seeks to glorify God as a student. While Chediak recognizes the need for recreation and rest, he also notes how the many distractions that students face (from technology-especially Facebook, video games, socializing, etc.), can quickly lead to failure. Using his own sample schedule as a guide, students will be better equipped for how to make better use of their time, including how many credit hours to take, how much time to study for each course, when to start on homework, how to approach your Professors when you have a question or concern, and even how to schedule in those times of rest.

Readers will also benefit from Mr. Chediak's direction on such topics as credit cards, employment while in College, seeking a potential spouse, how to choose a major, and other issues dealt with in a thorough yet easy to read manner. I was especially appreciative of his handling of whether or not to attend a Christian or Secular Institution. While Alex Chediak sees more benefit in attending a Christian College or University, he does not fall into the trap of becoming overly dogmatic. Each student's situation is unique, and there are a number of reasons for why a Christian might choose to attend a Secular school.

Thriving at College is a stimulating read that can be beneficial for students and parents alike. Study questions at the end of each chapter make this ideal for an individual or small group setting. Christian High Schools might even consider incorporating this book in a Senior Bible class, as so much of the material would even be beneficial to apply while in High School. However it is used, Thriving at College is sure to equip Christian young people with biblical and common sense tools for making College a time to succeed. I highly recommend Alex Chediak's superb work.

For high school graduates everywhere, just a couple months remain before that first year of college kicks off. After the accolades and the fun are over, the sense of accomplishment and new-found responsibility will set in. Then everything that you still have to prepare for and do prior to moving into the dorm will come crashing down. I know, I've been there.

With all the textbooks you'll soon be purchasing, wouldn't it be nice if there was just one textbook for how to survive the college years? Well, now there is. Alex Chediak, a college professor and true "insider", has given us a new book, "Thriving at College". The book is designed for Christian young adults in particular as they prepare for college. Alex doesn't just want you to survive, he hopes to help you thrive.

The book is laid out in a helpful format. It's clear, easy to read, and very practical. He discusses such matters as finances and choosing your major, as well as relational items like how you shouldn't stay too connected with your old high school friends, as that can distract you from your real purpose. He also deals with navigating relationship issues, prioritizing your time and classes, who to befriend, and how much time to spend on your homework -- warning, we're talking a lot of time!

Sprinkled throughout the book are his own personal experiences, real life stories shared from others, questions and answers, and various facts and figures. Did you know that more than 40% of college grads are still living with their parents three years later? Or that 70% of young adults who attended a Protestant church regularly in high school will stop attending church at all for at least one year between the ages of 18 and 22?

Going to college, as a Christian, can really be a test of your faith (as the above statistic indicates). Chediak's book will arm you with practical advice and answers to common criticisms of Christianity. He also offers sound biblical teaching on how to own your own faith.

I've met Alex, and can attest that he's a great guy. He's also written one of the most helpful books on singleness and marriage that I've read (see my review here). His advice on dating and relationships in college is extremely helpful. Alex also speaks from years of experience both in the college setting and in other venues working with Christian young people.

"Thriving at College" covers the whole gamut of the college experience. It truly has something for everyone. Study tips, schedules, eating advice, how to deal with your parents -- all of this and more are addressed. Yet the book isn't very long, and doesn't have to be read in order. The chapter contents are clearly enough indicated that it can be used as a manual, to be referenced when needed. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter allow for its use as a book that parents read along with their children, or for use as a small group study in the summer before college.

I have no hesitation in recommending "Thriving at College" for any high school graduate. It would make a great gift for a graduate you may know. And if you're the soon-to-be college student, use some of that graduation money and pick up a copy of this book. It will be one of the most helpful textbooks you'll buy, and the cheapest!

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Tyndale House Publishers for review. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.