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28 of 32 found the following review helpful:
 Good Place to Start, but if you have an Learning Disablity, go deeperJan 06, 2011
By Robert Frost
"that black SMU chick"
*read the comments below this review for more info if you really need help! :D*
I saw the raving reviews for this book so I bought it. I must say, I rather enjoy it. It gives simple, concise advice. No BSing around. Only the bare minimum of what you need to make straight As. I agree with what everyone has said.
The problem comes when you've got a learning disability. I have reading and ADD. Some of Newport's advice simply will not cut it for me. For example, he talks about how you shouldn't waste time reading the assignment before class. Instead, go to class taking good notes (& of course there is a section explaining his minimalist approach to good notes). This plan of action is disatrious for an ADD student. We struggle to pay attention. We have a tendency to not "move on" to the next topic without an understanding of what we see. We miss the lecture, essentially. For me to NOT do the reading before hand is actually a strategy for failure. Reading material beforehand gives me understanding of the lecture so I can focus, ask questions, etc.
That was just an example of how some methods in this book may not work. So, unfortunately, not all of us can cut as many corners as Cal could... For some of us, we need to take time, but we can be smart about how the time is used.
So i you get this book and find that something is not working for you, don't blame yourself. Find a new strategy and check out other books.
But no matter who you are, if you are beginning your research on the most effective study plan FOR YOU, this book is an awesome place to start. It will give you a good foundation of no-nonsense, modernized concepts that permeate throughout the "how to study" book options.
Currently, I am using more of the "Guaranteed 4.0" system which is more detailed & I feel its effectiveness immediately (whereas Cal Newport's method makes me feel scared it may not work). I'm also reading "What Smart Students Know" since it is a classic. I would not be able to stomach these study techniques if it weren't for getting used to Cal's minimalism.
120 of 152 found the following review helpful:
 Don't do what I didSep 04, 2010
By Roberta
This book really got me excited about my second semester of college. Immediately before reading this, I had just finished reading and learning the method in Adam Robinson's "What Smart Students Know" - which Newport bashes rigorously in his introduction. I too was under the impression that Robinson expected too much of the typical college student, and Newport's book was totally the relief I was looking for.
What I loved about "Straight-A Student" was that it provided a great framework for understanding the system that you have to work within. The time and focus management, and organizational part have helped tremendously. It also separated out the difference between technical and non-technical courses and the methods by which you should approach them. Even the writing portion makes sense. My total approach to college and classes has been simplified by these things.
So why only three stars? Well, in my literature class I applied all the "big idea" methods and did great in all my discussions and essays. I couldn't believe how easy it all was. Then I took my first exam. It was hard for me let go of my usual "grind" ways and trust the process, so I decided to study half Newport's way and include half Robinson's way (which requires a lot less time than the author suggests). You couldn't imagine my dismay when I open the exam only to find that the questions were requesting very technical details of the reading material I demoted because neither the teacher nor students ever referred to them at all.
On the half of the questions that applied to the material I studied using Robinson's method, however, I didn't even have to think. I knew the answers and was able to answer easily. The problem is that getting half of an exam correct results in a failing grade - the first one lower than an "A" I received since I began school.
I really wanted to trust that this book would be the answer to my long study hours, and in truth, it has helped a great deal. My only inclination that something might not be quite right was in the introduction. Newport insists his method is superior to other popular authors. Usually I take this attitude to indicate that something is missing - and now I remember why. This book, in combination with Robinson's, will save you tons of time, increase your focus, and improve your grades. Just don't totally trust it as the only solution - there is no such thing.
147 of 190 found the following review helpful:
 Saved my college career and social lifeSep 27, 2007
By JT
I'm currently a student at Tufts University, and before reading this book I was a real "grinder" when it came to trying to get a good GPA. I really didn't have a stellar social life because, due to my previous study methods, I needed to study for hours on end in order to excel academically. I did well, but not insanely well, and it always felt like I was under a time crunch to finish my work.
But the most frustrating aspect of my early college career was the sacrifices I had to make to my social life to get an above-average GPA. Every time I tried to make time to go out and have fun, my grades suffered.
Enter Cal's book. After reading this book and applying his techniques, I was able to take the hardest course load I ever took (5 science/engineering courses), play rugby, and go out, on average, 3 times a week while pulling off a 3.8 GPA for the semester.
The techniques in this book will vastly improve your quality of life in college. His time management techniques are worth the price of admission alone. I HIGHLY recommend it, Two thumbs up.
10 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Newport Delivers the straight stuffJun 27, 2007
By Derek M. Gless
I've read many many books on this subject, and this is the best one I've found so far. Cal Newport does a fantastic job presenting his finds on how to get straight A's, without the BS that you'll get from 90% of the books out there.
The main source of information for this book was interviews with real, straight A students at schools like Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, etc... Newport sent out surveys around the country to these students, and even interviewed many in depth in order to devise the strategies that these students are using.
The book is broken up into three sections: Study Basics + Time Management, Quizzes + Exams, and Essays + Papers. In each section, Newport carefully outlines the strategies real students use to gain an academic edge. Some of these include how to plan out your day in only five minutes, how to win the war on porcrastination, and how to come up with killer ideas for essay topics. At the end of each section, the author presents a "Case Study" on one or two student, where he goes through a typical day/week with a college student who implements these strategies. At the end, I found myself feeling empowered and motivated, like there was no academic challenge I couldn't overtake.
And here's the real good stuff: the author shows you how to do this WITHOUT having to study for 16 hours a day, only get 3 hours of sleep, and spend every spare waking moment with your nose in your notes. In fact, Newport deliberately discarded any interviews with students who followed strategies such as this.
I'd reccommend this book to any student at any level who wants to learn how to live up to their full potential. It's easier than you think.
11 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Very motivating and encouragingFeb 19, 2011
By guttedsquid
I rate this book 4 stars only because there is tons of great study advice on his blog that should be included in this book! This book does have some "basic" advice in it as other reviews stated, but combined with the info on his blog and your own personal study habits you can really cut down on "grinding".
For instance, in this book Cal points out the pitfalls of highlighting: You have to go back and read it again, which wastes time. He also discusses taking notes in the QEC format, and mentions how having your readings for technical classes available during class make lectures easier to follow and understand. While QEC notes are great, it is hard to do this in class, even with a laptop. His blog mentions the "morse code method" where you essentially identify the components of your potential QEC notes by marking a dash next to main ideas in your reading material, and mark dots next to information supporting that idea. When I'm in class I jot down as many questions as possible. These questions capture big ideas of the lecture, and help me create a practice quiz for later. During slow moments in lecture I skim the reading and mark up my book with the morse code method. I then read the text after class (as recommended in this book) and take QEC notes based on the questions I captured during lecture, and the morse code marks I put in my book, which makes note taking that much easier. This is more efficient than highlighting, because it doesn't just say "hey this is important" but also says "this is a big idea, and this over here supports this idea."
One thing that is definitely lacking in this book is advice on how to deal with memorization. You've all been there: languages, cellular respiration, medical terminology, taxonomy and phylogeny, functional groups. I'd say that the best way to deal with this is quiz and recall (as Cal introduces in his book) with a twist. For chemistry, make a list of functional groups, write some elements and ions on some post-it notes, write some dashes for single and double bonds on post it notes of a different color, then Q&R the functional groups- rearrange the post-its until you've built each one without checking your textbook. Then save your post-its for later. Same goes for cellular respiration: write down the enzymes and substrates, and reorganize them in order until you've got it memorized. For taxonomy, I'd write the characteristics in jeopardy style questions on index cards, Q&R, and then group the cards into groups. Then shuffle and repeat. For terminology, write composite words on index cards for Q&R. In a notebook, fold each sheet of paper into two columns, and write the root (suffix, prefix, whatever) in one column, and the meaning of the root on the other. Q&R the meaning of the vocab word based on the roots in your notebook. For tissues bones, and other anatomical structures, scan pictures from a photographic atlas, shrink them to fit on the largest index cards you can find, and glue the image to your card. On the back of the card write the number and name of each structure. On the image, number each structure and then cross out the name of the structure if it is labeled. Then Q&R.
There are plenty of great things on his blog that when coupled with the information in his book really do cut down on the amount of time you spend studying. With respect to other reviews, I would also have to agree that this book is excellent for undergraduates, but probably won't help people who are in grad school. I haven't finished undergrad yet, but I assume its balls-to-the-walls-all-hell-breaks-loose with respect to the demands of studying, synthesizing information, and learning in grad school ^-^. There does seem to be more emphasis on nontechnical study tactics in this book, but if you adapt his advice to your courses you'll get a lot out of this book. For example, his advice for master problem sets is applicable to more than math courses. Chemistry and physics students would greatly benefit from these same strategies. His QEC notes are great for nutrition, psychology, physiology, and environmental science. The time management tips are great for a foundation, but I'm a bigger fan of his "visual panic schedule" which is published on his blog. While the case studies in his book are realistic and refreshing, the case studies on his blog are much more inspiring! I highly recommend the book, because there are a lot of useful tips that are *only* published in that book and do not reappear on his blog. BUT there is a lot of stuff on his blog that I find equally helpful (and there is more of it). Buy the book, and read the blog.
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