{"product_id":"9798216383062","title":"First Days of College 12 Decisions That Change Everything","description":"\u003ch1\u003eFirst Days of College\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003ch2\u003e12 Decisions That Change Everything\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSteven L. VanderStaay\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003eSelf-help \/ Personal Growth \/ Success\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach year, two million high school graduates begin college. Yet only about half graduate in four years. Nearly 4 in 10 leave without a degree altogether.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt doesn't have to be this way.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat most distinguishes students who succeed from those who don't are habits, mindsets, and strategies that any student can learn. This book is your guide to putting them into practice-beginning with the first days of college.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis college-success guide:\u003cbr\u003e- \u003cb\u003eFocuses on the first days of college\u003c\/b\u003e-a critical window when effective habits and mindsets form most readily.\u003cbr\u003e- \u003cb\u003eAnchors each chapter in a specific decision\u003c\/b\u003e students must make.\u003cbr\u003e- \u003cb\u003eTeaches the strategies\u003c\/b\u003e successful students actually use\u003cbr\u003e- \u003cb\u003eTackles hard truths\u003c\/b\u003e about student debt, dropout risks, and campus safety issues like alcohol-related accidents and sexual assault.\u003cbr\u003e- \u003cb\u003eAddresses the concerns of new students\u003c\/b\u003e-making friends, managing money, study strategies, and whether college is \"worth it.\"\u003cbr\u003e-\u003cb\u003e Provides a practical \"Playbook\"\u003c\/b\u003e of activities to immediately apply each chapter's concepts.\u003cbr\u003e- \u003cb\u003eConnects academic effort to personal purpose\u003c\/b\u003e-helping students root their work in their values, aspirations, and who and what they most care about.\u003cbr\u003e- \u003cb\u003eCombines research on learning \u003c\/b\u003ewith insights from those who work most closely with new students.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eSteve VanderStaay is a teaching and learning specialist at Western Washington University. He served for 12 years as Western's Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, a position which included responsibility for the university's first-year retention and academic success initiatives. His awards include a Spencer\/National Academy of Education post-doctoral research fellowship, an NSF grant for improving first-year student recruitment and success in Engineering programs, and a student nomination for Western's distinguished teaching award. He is based in Bellingham, Washington.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublication Date: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e09 July 2026\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImprint: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9798216383062\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFormat: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePaperback softback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePage Count: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e208\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWeight (oz): \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9.6\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51378284953740,"sku":"9798216383062","price":19.76,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/getimage_d3c4966b-f34c-4b88-8f8a-94da3511e74b.jpg?v=1783908368","url":"https:\/\/fh90cf-fv.myshopify.com\/products\/9798216383062","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}