At last! Because of popular demand, I've put together a big list of some of the best books on study skills, time management, and college success out there. Enjoy!
Ramit's Book-Buying Rule: If you're "thinking about" buying a book, just buy it. Don't waste 5 secs debating. Even 1 idea makes it worth it.
— Ramit Sethi (@ramit) November 5, 2015
Before you begin, please note that the order put the books on the list is arbitrary and not a ranking. I will be adding to the list from time to time. If you have any books that you think should be included, please let me know!
Disclosure: All of the links to these books are affiliate links. If you use one of these links to buy a book, I'll earn a commission for your purchase. Thank you.
Best Study Skills Books
When it comes to books on study skills for college, Dr. Cal Newport's How to Become a Straight-A Student is one of (if not) the best. If you're looking to improve your grades, but aren't sure where to start, this book's for you. I highly recommend reading this book because by the time you finish it, you'll have mastered Newport's breakthrough approach.
This is a must read for the advice on time management alone, which is worth more than the cost. As of now, there are hundreds of 5-star reviews testifying Newport delivered on his promises.
In 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), you'll learn how to study smarter. But that's far from all. Frank also shows you how to improve your focus, take better notes, make writing papers more painless, stay organized, overcome procrastination, and more!
Oh, and he also shows you how to read your textbooks faster and more easily. For the value you'll get for price, this one's a total steal. Join over 700 five-star reviewers and learn how to get better grades faster!
I read this book by Peter Hollins after I read the first 6 books on this list. I thought I already knew a lot about learning, but Hollins still impressed me. I think I learned just as much (if not more) about the science of learning in the first two chapters as I did from the other books on this list. Hollins covers the ideal conditions for learning, memory retention, mistakes in learning, active learning techniques, and much more.
If you're pressed for time but want to improve your grades, this book is your best bet. Better still is the price tag. If you're on a tight college budget, note that this one costs less than $5!
This book is an absolute hidden gem. You’ll learn all about studying with mind maps (a very powerful learning technique) of course, but there’s so much more than that here. It's not just about using mind maps. Krasnic covers an entire system of learning he calls The Concise Learning Method. Even if you don't end up using mind maps, it's worth getting this book just for Krasnic's insights on effective studying.
Here's another excellent book on learning. Carey’s work covers the science of learning more in-depth than most other books. It's most comparable to Make It Stick by Brown (down below). I highly recommend reading both Make It Stick and How We Learn around the same time, as they compliment each other well. Personally, I read Make It Stick first, and then followed it up with How We Learn afterwards. You can't go wrong either way though!
Dr. Oakley’s A Mind For Numbers is another masterpiece that should be required reading for any college student who wants to learn how to study better. The advice applies to learning in virtually all areas, not just math and science. With over 600 five star reviews on Amazon, you don't want to miss out on this one.
Isn't the goal of studying to make everything stick for your tests? Peter Brown delivers page-after-page of usual content on how to learn successfully. You'll learn how to learn faster and remember longer.
When it comes to choosing what advice to listen to when it comes to getting better grades, there's only one simple rule to follow: If Stella Cottrell says to do something, you can't afford not to!
While I'm steadily gaining more readers from outside the US, the majority right now are American students. Those from the US might not be familiar with who Stella Cottrell is, so let me give you some quick highlights:
- Stella Cottrell holds a BA and D Phil in history from Oxford University, and a BSc in psych from the Open University in the UK
- Cottrell also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Bedforshire for her contributions to lifelong learning
- Cotrell has been a big advocate for social inclusion in higher ed for years
It'd be a huge mistake to think that this book (or others by Cottrell) won't benefit you if you're not from the UK. Palgrave study materials have a reputation for excellence, and The Study Skills Handbook doesn't disappoint. This book is clear and to the point and is packed with information.
Moonwalking with Einstein reads like a story (and it is), but still delivers tremendous information. Foer shares his experience training with top “memory athletes” and shares many of their best kept secrets.
Best College Life and Fun Books
Another book by Cal Newport makes the list here. Are you a college student looking to get the most out of your college experience? Cal will shows you how!
Let me start by saying this: nutrition is important for everyone. But it's especially important during your college years. This might be the most important book on the list for you if you don't have a plan for eating a healthy diet (I think most of us fall into this category).
Let's not even bring up the freshman 15...
When it's your first time away from home, it's important to not forget to eat healthy. What you get in this books are inexpensive, time-efficient, and simple recipes to keep you healthy in college. Don't miss out!
This book is the number #1 best-selling Sudoku book on Amazon (at my time of writing this).
For me, the thought of Sudoku puzzles alone triggers nostalgia. I'll never forget bringing a book of Sudoku puzzles along on every long car ride and family vacation. We used to spend a week at a cabin on a lake where you had to bike a mile or two into town to get phone service or internet. Wouldn't it be great if life was always as easy as sitting by the water listening to nature while doing Sudoku puzzles?
I recommend doing puzzles like Sudoku at least once a week to keep to stay sharp. Even though you'll be learning a lot in college, any thing extra you can do to boost your decision making and problem solving skills will pay you back big time. And most of all, Sudoku is fun...so much fun that it gets addicting fast!
Word searchers are another game that I get massive nostalgia from. Maybe you do too. For some reason, I find word searchers more relaxing than Sudoku puzzles, although you can't go wrong with either. If you want to work on word searchers in your spare time, this is the book I recommend.
Best Books on Time Management
Rany Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who tragically passed away from cancer. The book contains his final lecture. It's on time management. A very inspiring read!
Brian Tracy does a fantastic job here in his time management book. He gets right to the point with no fluff, and delivers advice worth FAR more than the low price. If you’re looking for actionable advice fast, this is the book you want to read!
This was the first book on time management I ever read, and still remains one of my favorites. Saunders communicates her message in a relatable and easy to understand style. I highly recommend this book!
Getting Things Done (GTD) is a classic, and is to this day still one of the most famous time management and personal development books of all time. Although some of the advice will seem dated to students today (using a PDA, etc…), GTD is still worth reading at least once for the basic principles of time management it covers.
For some readers, Koch’s book on the 80/20 Principle will be life changing. Ask me how I know? Because it changed the way I looked at many aspects of time management completely. I should mention that Koch spends a lot of time talking about the history, philosophy, and economic of the 80/20 principle. This is far from a bad thing. But if you just want to get down to brass tacks and don’t care about all the theory, just get Brian Tracy’s book.
This one was written by yours truly. I hope you don't mind the shameless plug for my own book, but I felt the list would be incomplete with out it 😉 Check it out if you want on Amazon, or right here on this site.
Best Success Books
I honestly thought long and hard about whether or not I wanted to include Psycho-Cybernetics on this list. Why? Because surprisingly few people have heard of it, but this book will give you such a powerful competitive advantage at anything you want to excel in. It's almost unfair to those who don't know about it. Buy Dr. Maltz's book. I can almost guarantee it will blow your mind and change your life.
Have I hyped any other book on this list up like this one? Clearly I haven't. It's that amazing. If you asked me to name just one book that can help you turn your whole life around and achieve virtually any goal, this would be it. I really mean this. I don't know how else to emphasize this point without getting too repetitive. If you still haven't convinced yourself for your own reasons why this book is valuable, then go check out the over 800 five star reviews on Amazon.
Mindset by Carol Dweck is another phenomenal book that everyone should read. You’ll learn about the Fixed vs Growth mindset, and how changing the way you think can help you make massive progress towards your goals.
Warning: The main side effect of reading The Power of Habit is an insane increase in productivity! Our habits control so much of our lives, and Duhigg shows you how to take charge of your bad habits, and how to build new ones!
An amazing and eye-opening book on performance at elite levels. Colvin comes out with loaded barrels and dispels many common misconceptions of talent. He also provides excellent advice about applying some of the strategies used by word-class performers into your own routines. Another must-read!
Sapolsky's work on stress is an absolutely brilliant masterpiece. There's no other way to put it. The amount of research-based information you'll get in this book will probably never be matched by any writer. Before you read it though, it's only fair that I warn you this one's not for everybody. It's over 500 pages long, and isn't the easiest book to read. It's practically like reading a physiology textbook.
Now, it's clear that Sapolsky tried really hard to make this book as simple to understand as possible. And for the most part, he did an outstanding job. You certainly don't have to have a background in the sciences to enjoy it, but it might be a frustrating experience if you don't.
Being able to keep yourself motivated is a critical factor to your success. In this classic #1 best-seller, you'll dive deep below the surface for a life-changing experience.
Best Test Taking Books
Here’s another true diamond in the rough. Dr. Bernstein's book what teach you how to overcome your test taking anxiety.
Best Books on Financial Aid, Student Loans, and Personal Finance for College Students
I been a fan of Ramit Sethi's iwillteachyoutoberich blog for years. This book doesn't disappoint. I've owned it since 2014, and I still refer back to it often. Even if you just follow some of Ramit's advice, you'll be much better off.
This book by Carol Stack should be a go-to for any student or parent seeking a more affordable college education. I've heard that many full-time financial aid counselors and admissions officers even read this book for the valuable insight.
Best Books for the College Bound
I've been seeing a lot of demand for me to feature books on this list not just for students in college now, but also for those starting college soon. Let me first point out that any book on this list will be beneficial to read before college (except maybe the puzzle books, but it wouldn't hurt to sneak a few in your bags for fun ;). But here are some books that I specifically recommend for college bound students.
1. The College Bound Organizer: The Ultimate Guide to Successful College Applications, Anna Costaras
Getting into college is a competitive process. Sadly, not everyone will get into their dream school. This reliable book by Anna Costaras will give you a step-by-step approach to add order to the chaos of the college admissions process. While there are no guarantees in life, I can guarantee that reading this book will increase your chances of getting in to your first choice.
2. College Essay Essentials: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Successful College Admissions Essay, Ethan Sawyer
What mistakes are you making in your college essays? What are you supposed to say? This incredible guide to winning at college essays takes the guess work out of the writing process.
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