Book cover for Connections Are Everything: A College Student's Guide to Relationship-Rich Education by Peter Felten, Leo M. Lambert, Isis Artze-Vega, and Oscar R. Miranda Tapia. An illustration of a female student in graduation cap and gown is surrounded by illustrations of various people (other students, professors, and many other people) -- all these people are connected by lines, forming a network.
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ISBN: 9781421443126

Johns Hopkins University Press, July 2023

Read the book for free on Project Muse

A practical guide to building the connections students need to thrive in and after college from the authors of the best-selling Relationship-Rich Education.

Decades of research demonstrate how important relationships with peers, professors, and staff are for students academically, personally, and professionally. Even one significant relationship can make all the difference. Yet many students lack the strategies to develop educationally purposeful relationships in college.

Connections Are Everything shows students the simple steps they can take to make their own college experience meaningful and transformational. In short, practical chapters, this guide helps readers learn how to build relationships through various strategies, such as seeking out brief “mentoring conversations” that can have a big impact, building a constellation of mentors, and participating in “relationship accelerators” like internships, undergraduate research, and campus employment.

Drawing on interviews with undergraduates from across the U.S., the authors empower students to seek out relationships by demystifying the varied ways they can cultivate significant connections.

An amazing book for college students that features excellent guidance, insights, and strategies for developing, executing, and maintaining relationships via the mentor process. This book will provide students, their parents, and others on campus with solutions and ideas to ease their transition into higher education.

Tony W. Cawthon, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Student Affairs and Higher Education, Clemson University

This wonderful book represents a diversity of institutions, including HBCUs and two-year schools; addresses the plight of transfer students; and presents a contemporary discussion of relevant topics, including the role of social media in forming college connections.

La’Tonya Rease Miles, Santa Clara University, coeditor of Campus Service Workers Supporting First-Generation Students

Read for free on Project Muse

The online version of this book is free to read thanks to a generous grant from the Gardner Institute.