by Jeff Gimpel ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2015
A useful handbook, especially for those who view college primarily as a conduit to a future career.
A stunningly comprehensive manual designed to help public university students maximize their GPAs and their college experiences.
Most college instructional guides focus on application strategies but provide little advice on how to excel at a college once admitted. Gimpel’s first book provides meticulous advice for succeeding academically at a public university. The problem for the average student is essentially twofold: in an increasingly competitive economy, grades have become an object of scrutiny for prospective employers. Also, tuitions have never been higher, saddling students with piles of debt in exchange for a potentially unmarketable degree. The author provides a detail-rich blueprint for both scoring high grades and completing a degree as quickly as possible, diminishing costs. As far as the speedy completion of a degree is concerned (the author finished a four-year degree in three years), the key is to test out of college courses (“credit by examination”), which allows a student to complete requirements more cheaply and quickly. Using transfer courses can accomplish this as well while simultaneously boosting one’s overall GPA. Much of the guide focuses on getting better grades, which involves carefully applied strategies for appraising and picking both professors and courses. Besides demystifying the sometimes-nebulous nature of college grades, Gimpel also makes a compelling case for their postgraduate significance, especially in a chapter entitled “Your College GPA and the Big Picture.” He also furnishes a sobering lesson on the real costs of a college education and the shocking surcharge attached to graduating late. Sometimes, the advice can be unyieldingly practical, emphasizing grades over education and personal development. The section devoted to “professor shopping” surely contains helpful tips, but it neglects to acknowledge the value of learning from a notoriously difficult instructor and succeeding (or even not) and the possibility of mentorship. Nonetheless, this is a savvy tour of the college experience that rightly makes the case that a disciplined, goal-oriented plan for university may benefit the student more than a more meandering approach.
A useful handbook, especially for those who view college primarily as a conduit to a future career.Pub Date: June 16, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9915357-0-5
Page Count: -
Publisher: GPAMaxx LLC.
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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