Dear Student,

More than ever before, a college education is an essential step in preparing you for almost any career. While only a few years ago many well-paying jobs required only a high school diploma, most employers today require that job applicants have some form of education beyond high school. This can be an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, or a diploma or certificate of competency in a particular vocation.

As the cost of higher education increases, some people are questioning whether a college degree is worth the cost. Yes, college is expensive. We know, however, that the benefits of a college education far outweigh the price tag—not only monetary benefits like a better salary but overall improvement in the quality of life such as better overall physical health, more confidence, and greater earning potential for children you have or might have in the future. Of course we can all name a few exceptions: World-famous entrepreneurs Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Steve Jobs of Apple were college dropouts who still managed to be highly successful. Such success stories are rare; most of us can’t depend on a combination of luck and brilliance to catapult us into fame and fortune.

While you might have many reasons for being in college, we hope your primary goal is graduation. And you will be more likely to graduate if you have a successful first year. When we were in our first year of college, college success courses were, by and large, nonexistent. Colleges and universities just allowed new students to sink or swim. As a result, some students made it through their first year successfully, some barely survived, and some dropped out or flunked out.

Today, most colleges and universities offer college success courses to provide essential help to students in navigating their way through the first year and charting a path toward graduation. You are likely reading Your College Experience because you are enrolled in a college success course. Although this book might seem different from your other textbooks, we believe that it could be the most important book you read this term because it’s all about improving your chances for success in college and beyond. This book will help you identify your own strengths as well as your needs for improvement.

As college professors, researchers, and administrators with many years of experience working with first-year students, we’re well aware that starting college can be challenging. But we also know that if you apply the ideas in this book to your everyday life, you are more likely to enjoy your time in college, graduate, and achieve your life goals. Welcome to college!

John N. Gardner

Betsy O. Barefoot