1-Sentence-Summary: U Thrive explores the topic of college life and offers practical advice on how to diminish stress and anxiety from exams, deadlines, unfitting roommates, while thriving in the campus, academic life, and creating meaningful experiences.
Read in: 4 minutes
Favorite quote from the author:
College can be quite a challenge. For a fresh high-school graduate, choosing the right college and thinking about which career path to pursue may look overwhelming at first. However, with the right training and a few tips and tricks, anyone can tackle this life test.
U Thrive by Dr. Alan Schlechter aims to do exactly this! It offers helpful advice for potential college applicants by exploring subjects like stress and anxiety from projects, or nightmare-like roommates. The book aims to help future students find balance and happiness in the chaos.
The best thing you can do after choosing a college and getting accepted is to prepare mentally for what’s coming. No matter which university you’ll be attending, prioritize your happiness at all costs. And you do that by not comparing yourself with others and socializing more.
As you go through student life, you’ll find that test scores and projects will impact your well-being. However, keep in mind that they are not definitory for your future nor do they bring you happiness. Aim to socialize and create meaningful connections instead of getting stuck in your room and isolating yourself from everyone.
Apart from that, here are my three favorite lessons from this book:
- Find your talents and make use of them in your social and professional life.
- Stay curious and open to fresh perspectives, as well as negative feedback.
- Set smart, achievable goals and stick to them.
We know, all of these lessons sound interesting, but somehow cliche, right?
Well, stick with us, and let’s explore them in detail to discover what they really mean. After all, the second lesson suggests that one should always be open to new ideas!
Lesson 1: Play on your strong points, such as your talents and skills.
When you engage with others and create a network of your own, it is important to remark yourself as a reliable, skilled individual when it comes to certain subjects and domains. This is particularly important as your colleagues will become the future professionals of tomorrow, and so will you.
If you’re still unsure about what your talents are, try to practice some soul-searching to find that out. Deep inside, we all know what we love to do and what we don’t, what are the areas in which we excel, and what is that one activity that we could spend hours doing without noticing how time flies.
Once you discover your strengths, center your activities around them. This way, you will not only improve them but find an area that feels naturally pleasant for you and that can bring you happiness. However, don’t fall into the trap that certain talents and activities are better than others just because they’re more popular.
Sports like baseball, football, and basketball, or classes such as law, finance, or engineering are sometimes sought after by unpassionate people. They’re the ones who follow predefined life patterns in order to reach conventional success. Avoid signing up for activities that don’t contribute to the person you want to become in the future.
Moreover, identify your personal characteristics and native strengths to make use of them and build your personality. For example, if you’re a fast learner and a determined person, take more classes or sign up for a side gig. If you’re an extrovert, go for an acting class or try forming a group of people around you.
Lesson 2: Keep an open mindset when it comes to new ideas and change.
Being an inflexible person, unable to adapt to change, and receiving criticism is a very harmful approach to life in the long run. Not only will it narrow your circle of friends and acquaintances, but it will also inhibit your personal growth and creativity skills.
In college, it is critical to filter your information and circle of friends properly. For that, you have to keep opening yourself up to new people and get out of your comfort zone. So you get accustomed to dealing with unknown situations and learning how to react to them.
Moreover, by doing this you push yourself to grow and absorb new information, which will help you later on. Indeed, when getting out of your comfort zone, you may not succeed at first when it comes to people’s impressions of you. Not to worry! No one is an expert at first.
Listen to what others have to say about you and accept constructive criticism, as it will help you improve as an individual. The same goes for test scores and grades. Don’t get too frustrated and accept that you need to simply concentrate more on a particular subject. After all, you signed up for college to learn, right?
Lesson 3: Always strive for more by setting goals and sticking to them.
When you find yourself in a completely new environment, it can be quite challenging to find a direction and a sense of belonging. Of course, everyone wants to be seen for who they are and excel at what they’re doing. To get there, you’ll have to find what you’re good at and work on it until you become an expert.
If you do that, you’ll be more likely to keep going, be really good at what you do, and thus, achieve excellence. Studies show that achieving success and greatness in your area of activity isn’t a matter of having good genes or a higher IQ level. In fact, many geniuses lack social and adaptive skills, and they even remained undiscovered their entire lives.
In contrast, hard-working people who persevere in their endeavors and keep on practicing end up becoming successful. Still, it’s important to have good time management and work smart, not hard. Once again, goal-setting can help you. So grab a notebook and a pen and write down your personal goals!
Start by writing down concrete and specific goals, bound by a time frame. Split your goals into smaller objectives. This way, they’ll become more achievable, while you keep the bar high. Finding a mentor to guide you through the process can help you stay on track, and receive objective perspectives and feedback.
U Thrive Review
U Thrive is a go-to guide for any potential college student who wants to start fresh and create meaningful experiences and relationships in their campus life. Surviving the pressure of having good grades, keeping the focus on what matters, all while trying to stay social and connected to everyone can be tough. Reading this book will help any high-school graduate find the balance between all of these while maintaining their happiness.
Who would I recommend the U Thrive summary to?
The 19-year-old high-school graduate who feels unprepared for college life, a 22-year-old college student who wants to improve their academic experience or a 38-year-old professor who wants to be more empathic towards their students and help them throughout their academic life or admission process.
Last Updated on May 22, 2023
