Make College Count: A Faithful Guide to Life and Learning Hardcover – March 1, 2011

I work in campus ministry and after reading this book I contacted the publisher to buy in bulk so that I could give a copy to incoming freshmen. This book is short and offers a beautiful perspective on how to approach college as a Christian student. If you have a background in the Reformed tradition you will certainly enjoy this book.

A great graduation gift for sure. A well written realistic look at what college has to offer our kids, both good and bad. This book will open eyes to some good choices to make. Have never heard negative feedback-only thank yous!

seems a little wordy.... not a great read. Ideas are good but just not well written. would not buy again.

I have read many books written that seek to help graduating Christian high schoolers prepare for life in college. Some take the defensive route of "staying Christian in college" with fear that the secular campus will destroy faith, with all the partying, sex, and the anti-Christian professors. Others make the case that what's really important while going to school are Christian activities like prayer, worship, church attendance, and evangelism (as if being a college student is not important in and of itself). What Melleby does is provide positive direction for the student as they enter college. Sure, he deals with the above issues, but he frames the book in a way that helps the student to think critically and intentionally.Melleby gets the reader to consider some very important questions:1) What kind of person do you want to become? (Helping the reader to decide that following Jesus during the college years will shape him or her into the person whom they want to be).2) Why are you going to college? (Helping the reader change the paradigm from an self-focused "'my career" to an others-focused "my calling" to participate in God's work in the world through his or her vocation.)3) What do you believe? (Helping the reader to work through doubts and to ask deep questions and to seek satisfying answers during the critical college years as a means of spiritual growth, rather than trying to gloss over them in a desperate attempt to protect the reader from losing his or her faith.)4) Who are you? (Helping the reader to discern how the world is trying to shape his or her identity, and encouraging him or her to find that identity in Christ.)5) With whom will you surround yourself? (Helping the reader to see community as a key component in shaping who we are and what we want to be, be it for ill or good.)6) How will you choose a major? (Helping the student answer a most pressing question, one that many Christian books in this genre act as if not important. Connecting interests and giftedness with stewardship and calling.)7) How do you want your life to influence others? (Helping the reader to see that everything they do has an impact, small or large, to transform people, communities, and the world.)

Going to college has become rite of passage in the United States; it is now the understood next step in education. The question is now “Which college are you going to?” and not “Do you want to go to college?”It is very exciting to be in a society that highly values higher education, but are we valuing higher education for the right reasons? Is it about the development and learning? Or is it simply about getting a degree that will “guarantee” you a higher-paying, more stable career?These are the questions Derek Melleby asks in his brief book. Each quick chapter proposes a life-defining question:What kind of person do you want to become? Why are you going to college? What do you believe? Who are you? With whom will you surround yourself? How will you choose a major? How do you want your life to influence others?Getting a college degree will bring you value in the job market? But more importantly, getting a college degree will give you an education and develop you into the human being God wants you to be.A quote from Tom Brokaw, which is cited in the book, sums it all up perfectly. “You are educated. Your certification is in your degree. You may think of it as a ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative. Think of is as your ticket to change the world.”This is an easy and simple read that I think any college student or soon to be college student would appreciate. My only wish is that the book was a tad bit longer and more in depth, but that’s probably because I’m a higher education professional and not a student.