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

The college application process is grueling, but it's nothing compared to what many students put themselves through in order to prepare for it, filling their lives with AP ® classes, sports, music lessons, clubs and activities until they are at the point of nervous breakdown. But there is a better way to achieve your goals, and it's not just for valedictorians. Cal Newport's third book, How to Be a High School Superstar: A Revolutionary Plan to Get into College by Standing Out (Without Burning Out) is a packed full of innovative ideas sure to help any student reach their goals, whether or not they include college. It is aimed at the high achiever who is aiming for an Ivy League or "tier one" school. This could be a little intimidating to the average student content with UCONN or WPI, and might seem to make the book irrelevant to the student thinking of skipping college altogether and moving right into the world of trade or entrepreneurship, but this book has something to offer all students. The basic message of the book is this: Don't wear yourself out taking as many classes as you can and being involved in every club and sport. Instead, leave yourself enough free time to explore your interests. Cultivate one interest and make it into something special that will make you stand out among the other applicants and get you into the toughest schools, even if your grades and scores aren't stellar. Newport calls this the "relaxed superstar approach," and he shows you how to really do this, breaking the process down into three principles, explained and illustrated with real life examples of students who got into top schools: (1) underscheduling--making sure you have copious amounts of free time to pursue interesting things, (2) focusing on one or two pursuits instead of trying to be a "jack of all trades," and (3) innovation--developing an interesting and important activity or project in your area of interest. This fruit yielded by this strategy, an interesting life and real, meaningful achievements, is sure to help not only with college admissions, but getting a job, starting a business, or whatever your goals. Newport recognizes the tremendous potential of youth and testifies to what teens can do if they set their minds to it. Modern American teenagers underestimate themselves and are underestimated by society. With his refreshing philosophy, practical tips and unique insights, Newport's book can help them break through the mediocrity of modern teen culture and do great things. This may include getting into a great college, but it also include whatever ambitious goal you may choose.

***THE BOTTOM LINE*** I definitely recommend this book. It has good, unconventional advice on how to succeed as a high school student without being a social reject. This advice will probably NOT be common sense to the type-A students out there who have been raised thinking the successful students do homework from 6p-12a every night. If you know a student who wants to get into an elite university, this book provides evidenced techniques for succeeding toward that end. ***A FULLER REVIEW*** I picked this book up for my brother, who's in high school. Secretly, I--being a university Freshman--wanted to read it too. The book's lessons can be life-changing if you listen and have faith in Newport's advice. I was the opposite of relaxed in high-school. I was stressed, involved in service clubs I didn't care about, and taking 6 AP courses each semester my senior year. I got a 30 on my ACT, which was certainly nothing spectacular in the eyes of most elite schools. Not surprisingly, my laundry list of unremarkable endeavors, A average in AP courses, and mediocre standardized test scores did NOT get me into Harvard, MIT, Yale, Dartmouth, Columbia...(seriously, the list of elite schools to which I applied and was rejected is embarrassingly long). This book explains, in explicit detail, why my attempt at getting into the elite universities was flawed, and it also explains the optimal way to try to get into elite universities. For high-school students, the book gives excellent advice for lowering stress (e.g. stop working at a certain time each day, do some thinking/reading in solitude, don't give up your entire life for school, etc.). The book also gives excellent advice for improving grades (i.e. note-taking methods, studying strategies, etc.) and advice for doing interesting things outside the classroom. It is a very balanced approach to high-school life that, when executed correctly, will make a student more impressive AND leave her with more free time than the alternative (i.e. my approach described above). For the general public, this book contains valuable lessons about creating a more interesting life. The rules still apply, if you're creative enough to seek the applications. Not working past a certain point in the day, pursuing endeavors that are innovative, and cultivating a reading habit are among the many broadly applicable tips Newport gives throughout the book. My main critique of the book is that it doesn't explicitly spell out how much of your free time should be used for interesting pursuits versus totally social activity (e.g. hanging out with friends). I suppose the author leaves it to you to discern that Friday and Saturday nights are good times to interact with other humans. This book was definitely worth the few days it took me to read through it. If you're interested in becoming interesting (and perhaps getting into an elite university), this book will spell the process out for you.

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.

It's amazing

A perfect give for a young student.

It was a good read with useful information on " the relaxed superstar method". It doesn't apply to the local context here, but the methods can be extrapolated for most high school students who want to do interesting things and find more free time with their hectic schedules. Overall, I think it's a great resource for parents and secondary school kids who are already doing well in their studies and want to make time to aim for top colleges worldwide.

good and engaging book

its a book to read once .