
College Success Concise
Amy Baldwin, University of Central Arkansas
ISBN 13: 9781951693664
Publisher: OpenStax
Language: English
Formats Available
Conditions of Use
Attribution
CC BY
Reviews





The book does an excellent job of including the essential/critical topics for students new to college. It has a comprehensive table of contents, index, and glossary. read more
The book does an excellent job of including the essential/critical topics for students new to college. It has a comprehensive table of contents, index, and glossary.
The material is current and error-free.
The stories, graphics, and suggested websites/apps are interesting and relevant. Some sections, such as personal finance, will become outdated but can be easily changed as needed.
The book is written to be accessible by new students and jargon/terminology is explained using plain language.
Consistent terminology and framework.
There are heavy text sections throughout the book that might be due to condensing the full version into a concise version. This area could be improved to make the book more useful for 1-2 credit college success courses and/or for use by faculty who want to incorporate college success into their courses.
Easy to follow, logical format.
There are no significant issues with the interface or navigation in the online and pdf formats.
No grammatical errors were found.
The text is not culturally insensitive; however, it could be more inclusive of a wider variety of backgrounds and experiences.
I have been looking for a shorter/condensed book for my 1-credit college success course. I plan to use this book for my online course this year. The topics are relevant, particularly the chapter on maintaining mental health and managing stress.
Pros: Has essential/critical topics for new students, well organized, written from the student perspective, and provides useful graphics and apps.
Needs Improvement: More graphics and stories that represent a wider variety of backgrounds/experiences.





The book is filled with a comprehensive overview of what it takes to be successful in college. read more
The book is filled with a comprehensive overview of what it takes to be successful in college.
Accurate and very up to date on college today.
The updated information, topics and data is relevant.
Clear and easy to read, learn and teach from.
Orderly
In order and can be broken down by topic/subject easily.
Excellent flow and order.
Clean and easy to navigate from one chapter/topic to the next. Not flashy or busy.
No grammar errors.
Appropriate and updated.
This book was excellent and jammed full of useful charts, subject, talking points and data that can be used in the classroom or online teaching. I have taught in this subject area for years and was impressed.





The “College Success” textbook is comprehensive and covers relevant topics such as Time Management, Planning Your Academic Pathway, Campus Resources, Studying, Notetaking, Test Taking, Understanding Civility and Cultural Competencies, Financial... read more
The “College Success” textbook is comprehensive and covers relevant topics such as Time Management, Planning Your Academic Pathway, Campus Resources, Studying, Notetaking, Test Taking, Understanding Civility and Cultural Competencies, Financial Literacy, Healthy Lifestyle as well as Planning Your Future. The textbook teaches students about navigating college and how to be successful.
The “College Success” textbook is Accurate and unbiased.
The content is relevant to college success and includes emotional and mental health which seems to be more relevant since the pandemic. The textbook can easily be updated to include emerging trends and technology.
The textbook is well written and user-friendly. Students can easily understand the content, samples, graphics, and pictures.
The structure is consistent and easy to follow throughout the textbook. The chapters are not overwhelming and easy to follow with consistent terminology.
The textbook is broken into sections that are easy to read with student profiles, examples, charts/graphics and pictures.
The chapters are arranged logically, clearly and flow. The textbook is well organized. As with most college success career planning is near the end. Some colleges, want career planning taught earlier in the semester and this chapter could easily be taught earlier and the material would still flow.
I saw no issues with the interface. The textbook is consistent, user-friendly, and easy to navigate.
The “College Success” textbook has no or few grammatical errors. The textbook was well written.
The textbook provides pictures, context, application, surveys, examples, and profiles embracing diversity. Diverse student experiences are highlighted throughout the textbook. Within the Understanding Civility and Cultural Competence chapter, students gain the understanding that they will interact with individuals from different backgrounds and ages.
I found that the “College Success” textbook is comprehensive and covers the relevant topics you find in most college success courses. The textbooks also provide students with useful links to apps that help them set goals, be organized, keep track of assignments and due dates; as well as other apps to be successful in college and beyond. I really liked the Develop Your “Why” segment which would go great with a video I currently use in my Student Development Courses. I will be looking at ways to change my online course to incorporate parts if not the textbook into my online course and eliminate the need for students to purchase a textbook.
Table of Contents
- Prreface
- 1. Transitioning to College
- 2. Managing Your Time and Priorities
- 3. Reading and Note-Taking
- 4. Studying, Memory, and Test Taking
- 5. Building Relationships
- 6. Maintaining Your Mental Health and Managing Stress
- 7. Understanding Financial Literacy
- 8. Planning Your Future
Ancillary Material
About the Book
OpenStax College Success Concise serves First Year Experience, Student Success, and College Transition courses, and can also be used as a supplementary resource in courses across the curriculum. With the input of hundreds of instructors and academic success experts, the authors carefully prioritized the most critical topics to align to briefer courses. The offering covers material such as college culture, time management, mindset, study skills, test preparation, financial literacy, health, and planning for the future. While much of the material is very similar to the original College Success book, this version was holistically edited and updated. Users will see additions such as a new section on group work and greatly expanded coverage of stress management and wellbeing.
While College Success Concise is a self-contained work with a logical flow and narrative, our open (CC-BY) license and multiple formats allow instructors and students to utilize content from the original College Success text, as well. Ancillaries such as the Instructor’s Manual, Test Bank, and Lecture Slides will specifically support College Success Concise.
Print copies of this book will be available for the fall 2023 semester. You can sign up to be notified when print copies are available.
About the Contributors
Author
Amy Baldwin, University of Central Arkansas