Title: The Community College Experience (4th Edition)
Author: Amy Baldwin & two more
Publisher: Pearson
ISBN-13: 978-0321980151
Part of the Experience Series, The Community College Experience, 4/e applies the GRIT framework to guide students through college and into rewarding careers—get in, get through, get out, and get paid. Recognizing that success takes more than knowing what to do, the book emphasizes developing personal GRIT. Presented in a practical, real-world context, it offers research-based strategies, tips, and tools to help students make informed decisions and find support. Students get in and get through college with strong academic, social, and transitional skills, and get out and get paid with a mindset geared toward graduation and meaningful career achievement. (100)
Title: The Latino Student’s Guide to College Success (2nd Edition)
Editor: Leonard A. Valverde
Publisher: Greenwood
ISBN-13: 978-0313397974
The Latino Student’s Guide to College Success: Second Edition, Revised and Updated offers a comprehensive roadmap to thriving in college. The first section covers essential topics like choosing a college, applying, developing study habits, using campus resources, and planning for graduate school. The second section shares eight inspiring stories from Latino graduates, while the third lists institutions with high Latino graduation rates and those with the largest Latino undergraduate populations. This updated edition reflects recent economic and demographic shifts and adds six new chapters exploring how technology and evolving cultural trends are shaping the Latino college experience today.
Title: Common Sense Tips for College Student Success: A Read-and-Find Reflection Guide for High School Graduates
Author: Garrett M. Carter
Publisher: Independently published
ISBN-13: 978-1791771775
This fun, interactive guide helps first-year college students thrive by covering 30 essential topics like campus resources, organization, habits, and more. Written by a college instructor, it offers practical, common-sense advice tailored to new students. Each topic includes a page of tips, a word search to reinforce key ideas, and space for reflection. Designed with reluctant summer readers in mind, the book is quick to finish but packed with lasting value. Its creative format makes college success approachable—proving that a little common sense really can go a long way.
Title: The Community College Advantage: Your Guide to a Low-Cost, High-Reward College Experience
Author: Diane Melville
Publisher: Sourcebooks
ISBN-13: 978-1402279829
The Community College Advantage: Your Guide to a Low-Cost, High-Reward College Experience is a practical strategy guide designed to help students make the most of their time in community college. Whether you're aiming to transfer to a top four-year school or gain an edge in the job market, this resource offers tips, worksheets, and step-by-step guidance to maximize your experience. Learn how to navigate classes, connect with instructors and peers, and build life skills for success beyond graduation—all while following a path that costs less and pays more.
Title: Polished: College, Class, and the Burdens of Social Mobility
Author: Melissa Osborne
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
ISBN-13: 9780226833040
Polished offers a revealing exploration of the emotional toll experienced by first-generation and low-income students navigating elite colleges. As they adapt to unfamiliar academic and cultural environments, these students often face a painful dilemma: conform to fit in or stay connected to their roots and risk social isolation. Based on interviews with 150 students at 18 top institutions, sociologist Melissa Osborne shows how well-meaning support systems can reshape student identities in unexpected ways. The book highlights how emotional strain—without strong institutional support—can lead to alienation, mental health struggles, and difficult choices around belonging and upward mobility.
Title: Economic Challenges in Higher Education
Authors: Charles T. Clotfelter, Ronald G. Ehrenberg and 2 more.
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
ISBN-13: 9780226110509
Over the past two decades, American higher education has faced major changes, including demographic shifts, rising tuition, and evolving labor markets. While college enrollment grew by about 50%, sharp tuition increases sparked criticism of inefficiency and institutional greed. As the 1990s unfold, academic labor shortages may emerge in certain fields, raising concerns about the supply of new Ph.D.’s. Written by experienced economists and educators, this book examines three key economic issues: trends in undergraduate enrollment, faculty supply, and college operating costs. It offers valuable insights for education scholars, policymakers, and academic administrators alike.
Title: Educated Out – How Rural Students Navigate Elite Colleges–And What It Costs Them
Author: Mara Casey Tieken
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
ISBN-13: 9780226841359
Both engaging and accessible, Educated Out raises timely and important questions about how rural identity intersects with education and social mobility. Through the stories of nine first-generation students from rural areas who attend an elite college, Mara Casey Tieken reveals how geography impacts college access, campus experiences, and life after graduation. These students face emotional and practical challenges as they navigate environments far removed from their hometowns. Tieken critiques a system that demands rural students leave home to succeed, while communities lose talent in the process—highlighting the deep inequalities built into higher education.
Title: Degrees of Risk -Navigating Insecurity and Inequality in Public Higher Education
Author: Blake R. Silver
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
ISBN-13: 9780226834764
Degrees of Risk offers an ethnographic exploration of how insecurity shapes the college experience for many students at public universities. Challenging the myth of higher education as a place of stability and privilege, sociologist Blake Silver reveals how uncertainty, anxiety, and individualism permeate student life. Based on interviews with over 100 students, Silver shows how choices about majors, funding, and course formats often feel overwhelming—especially for low-income and first-generation students. The book highlights how background shapes college navigation and proposes a more inclusive model that promotes stability and equity across student populations.
