Hacking College: Why the Major Doesn't Matter -- and What Really Does

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Hacking College: Why the Major Doesn't Matter -- and What Really Does
Language: English
Authors: Ned Scott Laff, Scott Carlson
Source: Johns Hopkins University Press. 2025.
Availability: Johns Hopkins University Press. 2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Tel: 800-537-5487; Tel: 410-516-6900; Fax: 410-516-6998; e-mail: hfscustserve@press.jhu.edu; Web site: https://www.press.jhu.edu/
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 240
Publication Date: 2025
Intended Audience: Students; Teachers
Document Type: Book
Guides - Non-Classroom
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Majors (Students), Academic Advising, Student Personnel Services, Educational Strategies, Student Interests, Educational Resources, Mentors, Higher Education
ISBN: 978-1-4214-5075-9
Abstract: College is a complex, high-stakes game, according to authors Ned Scott Laff and Scott Carlson, but students can learn how to win it. "Hacking College" offers college advisors, faculty, and staff in student and academic affairs a groundbreaking guide to rethinking higher education so that students can succeed in an increasingly complex world. Drawing from extensive research and real student experiences, this essential book exposes the hidden challenges and bureaucratic traps that undermine student success, from convoluted transfer processes to a single-minded emphasis on majors. Each chapter provides actionable strategies to help advisors lead students to tailor their education to their aspirations. Through vivid case studies, Laff and Carlson advocate for a proactive approach to education--encouraging students to "hack" their college experience by crafting a personalized field of study. This method challenges the traditional focus on declaring a major and empowers students to link their personal interests with academic pursuits so that their education aligns with future career and life goals. Enriched with insights on how to find underutilized institutional resources and foster meaningful mentor relationships, "Hacking College" encourages students, educators, and institutions to transform passive educational experiences into dynamic journeys of discovery and self-fulfillment.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Access URL: https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/12921/hacking-college
Accession Number: ED671623
Database: ERIC
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