It’s very tempting to go through higher education (college or university) and think you are mentally growing just because you are learning a lot in your school courses.
In truth, my experience has been that university takes an emotional, mental, and sometimes quite a physical toll unlike anything else I’ve encountered. Adulting is hard, life can be overwhelming, and college course workloads are not for the faint of heart.
That said, I’ve noticed that when I take the time to consume content and learn about other things outside of class-related topics, I end up doing much better overall- as a student and as a human being.
Below are 10 of the most perspective-altering and truly self-developing books I’ve come across as a university undergraduate. These are the books that made me a better college student, and I’m sure they will do the same for you.
They are not listed in any particular order, nor do they speak to any one subject in particular. Rather, they provide a nice sampling of subjects and topics that I believe all young adults should be equipped with understanding as they navigate their personal, professional, and social development.
1. 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest
If you want a comprehensive, radical overhaul of every area of your life, I challenge you to take on reading this book. It is short but powerful. It is written as a series of seemingly disconnected, quick articles, discussing everything from managing your finances to building emotional resilience and social intelligence.
It is incredibly thought-provoking and poetically written. Some of my favorite essays remained lingering in my mind long after I had read them: how people can self-sabotage or hold themselves back from their desires, how suppressed emotions reappear in our lives, and how to define or measure a good life. Overall it is a great summary of many self-development ideas that have recurred throughout time and is especially useful for college students and young adults.
“Everything is hard in some way. It’s hard to be in the wrong relationship. It’s hard to be in the right one. It’s hard to be broke and miserable, and it’s hard to achieve your dreams. It’s hard to be stuck in the middle, not really feeling anything at all. Everything is hard, but you choose your hard. You choose what’s worth it. You don’t choose whether or not you’ll suffer, but you do choose what you want to suffer for.”
― Brianna Wiest, 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think
2. The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest
If you are considering changing yourself or your life in any way, this book is for you. In it, Wiest addresses how to use life’s obstacles and our past experiences to propel us forward to the things we ultimately desire. As the title suggests, Wiest challenges the reader to view themselves as the thing that’s standing in their way, essentially breaking free from self-sabotage. You will be surprised by the amount of insight and inspiration to do deep reflection and self-discovery that will arise upon reading this book.
“Either way, mental strength is not just hoping that nothing ever goes wrong. It is believing that we have the capacity to handle it if it does.”
― Brianna Wiest, The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery
3. Feel-Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal
Okay. Where are all the STEM students who brute-force their way through piles of lecture notes and heaps of practice problems before every exam? This one is for YOU. Guess what I discovered after reading this book? Studying does not have to be boring or brutally painful at all! In fact, the less so that it is, the more effective and the more consistent at it you will be.
Ali Abdaal (one of my favorite YouTubers, by the way) makes a poignant point clear: prioritizing our emotional well-being should come as a top consideration before any work endeavor. He goes through how to work in a way that feels good to you, how to investigate and treat the source of your procrastination, and how to avoid or recover from burnout (whichever one applies!). Essentially, the main point is that the work we choose to do day in and day out should bring us personal meaning and joy. If circumstances do not allow you to have that at the moment, then there are ways to work around it so that our well-being is optimized.
“Positive emotions are the fuel that drives the engine of human flourishing.”
― Ali Abdaal, Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You
4. Grit by Angela Duckworth
If you are someone who thinks that you are not talented at the thing you are trying to work towards, this book is most definitely for you. If you think that you do not have the characteristics or potential that your goals require, this is your chance to think again.
Angela Duckwork is a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, whose ideas are backed up by empirical data (her own and others’). She studied high-achieving individuals in all fields imaginable and this is the common thread she found among them: their outstanding achievements are the result of grit (passion and perseverance), not talent.
These people (what she calls “paragons of grit”) can maintain motivation and persistence over a long period, despite experiencing failure and adversity. They have an identity that is made up of four fundamental psychological assets to achievement: 1) interest, 2) practice, 3) purpose, and 4) hope.
“…there are no shortcuts to excellence. Developing real expertise, figuring out really hard problems, it all takes time―longer than most people imagine….you’ve got to apply those skills and produce goods or services that are valuable to people….Grit is about working on something you care about so much that you’re willing to stay loyal to it…it’s doing what you love, but not just falling in love―staying in love.”
― Angela Duckworth, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perserverance
5. How to Win at College by Cal Newport
This is the holy grail of your college experience (if I can say so myself!). It is a comprehensive, yet digestible game plan of how to be the rockstar of your college experience. The book is formatted in a list style similar to 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest (#1 above).
Each list item is a very practical step or piece of advice that encompasses everything from planning your study sessions to securing scholarships and awards as an undergraduate. I read the book around four separate times in two years. There are 50+ untraditional insightful pieces of advice that each warrant application, which is why it takes coming back to them over and over and implementing new tips each time.
“Do some good in the world for no other reason than wanting to be part of the solution.”
― Cal Newport, How to Win at College: Surprising Secrets for Success from the Country’s Top Students
6. Deep Work by Cal Newport
This is another incredible book by the wizard of modern student success, the one and only, Cal Newport. What is deep work? Simply, deep work is the ability to focus, undistracted, on a cognitively demanding task. Cal Newport makes the appeal that people who can master this skill will produce elite, incomparable work.
This book has single-handedly made me a better college student. It covers what deep work is, why it is important for modern professionals, and finally how to cultivate the habit of deep work in your everyday life. Personally, this habit has transformed the way I approach and structure my work and school days.
“Two Core Abilities for Thriving in the New Economy: 1) The ability to quickly master hard things. 2) The ability to produce at an elite level, in terms of both quality and speed.”
― Cal Newport, Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
7. Make it Stick by Peter C. Brown, et. al
This book is another one primarily for students, as it is all about “the science of successful learning.” I highly encourage you to read this one if you are at any stage of your formal education.
The authors take a very scientific, psychological approach to effective learning. They explain all the myths surrounding learning and academic performance and present the factual alternatives to the cultural misconceptions. Some of these facts include that active retrieval of information and spaced repetition improve long-term information retention.
“Learning is deeper and more durable when it’s effortful. Learning that’s easy is like writing in sand, here today and gone tomorrow.”
― Peter C. Brown, Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning
8. The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
Similar to the main idea of Feel-Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal (#3 above), this book proposes that we become more successful when we are happy, not the other way around.
Most people will not argue that idea, but where people differ is in what happiness means. Achor asserts that happiness is the subtle joy we experience when we strive after our potential and work hard to bring our vision about.
When we approach life with that attitude, our work becomes a natural expression of who we are and it becomes increasingly easier to produce value.
“Focusing on the good isn’t just about overcoming our inner grump to see the glass half full. It’s about opening our minds to the ideas and opportunities that will help us be more productive, effective, and successful at work and in life.”
― Shawn Achor, The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work
9. Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday
You don’t need to be a student to benefit from having more discipline in your life. In this remarkable, extensively researched, and intricately crafted book, Ryan Holiday deconstructs what discipline means and how to cultivate it in your daily life.
My favorite aspect of this book is the historical examples of self-discipline that are demonstrated in the lives of world-changing individuals like baseball player Lou Gehrig, Queen Elizabeth II, and stoicism philosopher Marcus Aurelius. Ryan Holiday masterfully analyzes key events in their lives and illuminates the lessons we can derive from their character and experiences. Ultimately, greatness is a product of self-discipline, which is simplicity and restraint, not aggression or ego.
“We don’t need accomplishments to feel good or to be good enough. What do we need? The truth: not much! Some food and water. Work that we can challenge ourselves with. A calm mind in the midst of adversity. Sleep. A solid routine. A cause we are committed to. Something we’re getting better at. Everything else is extra. Or worse, as history has shown countless times, the source of our painful downfall.”
― Ryan Holiday, Discipline Is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control
10. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
As university students in modern times, our days are a rat race of classes, studying, meetings, jobs, clubs, events, errands, and a mountain of other responsibilities. We rarely get to reflect, evaluate, adjust, or rest.
In this book, Portland-Oregon-based pastor John Comer offers a new approach to living our endlessly busy lives. First, he shows how our consumer-driven, hamster-wheel culture leaves us unsatisfied, depressed, and disconnected from ourselves and God. Then, he implores us to slow down and be more intentional about the things we choose to fill our time with. He also highlights the importance of minimalism, rest, and play for a healthy, effective life.
“Hurry is violence on the soul.”
― John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to stay emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world
Conclusion
Any change or transformation is indeed the result of action, not idealization (thinking). However, action must be inspired.
That’s what reading does: it inspires. Every idea, big and small, has the potency to spark mini-revolutions in your mind. Once you see a part of the world, or the world in its entirety, from a different lens, you cannot un-see it.
This is why I strongly implore you to pick up any one of these books and let them be glasses to your mind. Some will help you see clearer. Some will protect you from external harm. And others will simply decorate your soul, like your face, with beauty. Happy reading, my friend.