Embrace Your Freedom

Glotzbach, a former president of Skidmore College, offers a guide that aims to help students take full advantage of their undergraduate education.

The author argues that a liberal arts education creates a “truly free person,” which he defines as “someone who is not only able to choose what to do but who also accepts responsibility for deciding what to think.” He emphasizes that a broad education is more useful than a narrow field of study, particularly as artificial intelligence is increasingly used to replicate more specific skillsets. His suggestions for kicking off one’s undergraduate years include writing a personal mission statement, establishing good habits, and engaging in self-care. Taking a “good risk,” he says, such as studying abroad, completing an internship, or attending public lectures can help students broaden their horizons. Students are also well served, he says, by learning from failures and persevering. He addresses free speech issues on campus, as well as the consequences of academic dishonesty in the age of large-language models, such as ChatGPT. Glotzbach encourages students to give back—to others, to their communities, and their colleges. The book’s final section is directed toward parents, reminding them that they still matter and that they offer crucial support. Ultimately, the author challenges readers to “make a lifelong commitment to becoming an informed, responsible, and caring citizen.” In this comprehensive guide, Glotzbach provides an informative overview of the undergraduate experience, and he passionately encourages students to “Make no small plans.” However, the book fails to consider first-generation students, working students, or students with marginalized identities. The guide also seems to condescendingly assume that young adults aren’t aware of the importance of sleep, diet, and exercise, or the consequences of using alcohol and drugs and having unprotected sex. Indeed, many of Glotzbach’s insights are simply common sense, such as “a solid work ethic will be highly valued by future employers.” Finally, the book’s monotonous format, with block after block of text without additional visual or interactive elements, may not hold the attention of some Gen Z readers.

A well-meaning but somewhat underdeveloped undergraduate manual.