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

***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.

(My perspective: Independent Educational Consultant)"How to" books generally don't attract me, but this one seemed relevant and had positive reviews. While it took me a while to get through it, I really liked it. I liked it so much that I'm probably going to recommend it to my freshman and sophomore students.Newport's premise is what the subtitle suggests: there's an easier way to impress admissions officers than the typical go-go-go "grind" approach. He calls it "the relaxed superstar lifestyle" and breaks this lifestyle down with three key laws, which compose the meat of his book:The Law of UnderschedulingThe Law of FocusThe Law of InnovationI won't spoil the content for you. Go read it! He organizes his book by explaining and illustrating the given law and then offering practical suggestions for how to live by that law. The bottom line goal is to develop deep interests that yield "accomplishments that are hard to explain, not hard to do." These accomplishments help you stand out on college applications.Three notes of my own I'll make:First, I actually thrived on that harried, competitive, achiever lifestyle. Just for its own sake--not for the sake of getting into any specific college. My self-esteem was healthy (too healthy?) when it came to college admissions, so I did things typically because I wanted to do them, rather than because I was trying to impress colleges. If you genuinely LOVE the packed-schedule lifestyle, then don't change who you are.Second, part one of this book has excellent study skills tips. That's the part that sort of slowed me down. I wasn't expecting to read a study skills book. It is all part of his action plan to make underscheduling possible. I'd recommend reading that section of the book to anyone who wants to be more efficient as a student, regardless of college admissions feelings.Third, as a Christian, I'm going to put a little Jesus in this. If you're not into that, feel free to move along, but I wanted to include this note for any Christian students out there who haven't yet connected their college planning to their faith. Newton doesn't do this, nor did I expect him to. Newton's audience is understood to have the motivation of getting into "realistic reach" schools. Nothing wrong with that! But, as a Christian, I believe there's more motivation to it. All we have, including our time, is from God. We are stewards of that time. Developing and pursuing deep interests can not only be impressive to colleges but also can likely lead to better stewardship of one's time (assuming, of course, that the deep interest isn't something immoral--ha!). Having an underscheduled calendar can open up opportunities to glorify God with one's abilities and talents in ways that otherwise wouldn't have been possible. When we opt to invest our time in activities that we're not actually interested in and that we're only part of to impress others, we're likely cutting ourselves off from better ways we can bring glory to God.Bottom line, I highly recommend this read, especially for early high school students.

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.

A perfect give for a young student.

It's amazing

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 .