Succeeding as an International Student in the United States and Canada (Chicago Guides to Academic Life) - Hardcover

Charles Lipson is professor and director of undergraduate studies in political science at the University of Chicago. He is the author of Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success, as well as How to Write a BA Thesis and Cite Right, all published by the University of Chicago Press.

“I believe that if an international student adviser could by sheer magic make a good guidebook appear that every prospective or newly admitted international student should have, it would be Succeeding as an International Student in the United States and Canada. The book is devoted to the day-to-day practical matters a foreigner encounters when initially arriving (or preparing to arrive) in the U.S. It also provides a very strong introduction to academic life . . .  a combination particularly useful to an international student but rarely found. I would strongly recommend that prospective international students purchase this book as soon as they receive their offers of admission. It will become a valuable tool for many.” (Tamara Felden, director of the Office of International Affairs, University of Chicago 2007-08-08)

“Lipson provides a true insider’s perspective on American higher education with a view from the classroom, to help students to not only find their way around, but to get the most out of their academic pursuits. Succeeding as an International Student is uniquely useful in its approach to providing detailed practical advice to help students truly immerse themselves in their campuses and communities. Lipson guides them through the day-to-day details of student life in North America, and, more significantly, he explains with tremendous insight the nuances of the academic environments in which they will be working.” (Allan E. Goodman Foreword 2007-08-08)

“From negotiating academic expectations and practices through the art of buying a used car, this is one-stop shopping for students tackling the intellectual and logistical barriers to entry in the American marketplace of ideas.” (Peter Cowhey, dean, Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, University of California, San Diego 2007-08-09)

“As a former international student, I find this work to be very helpful. It covers many topics that prospective international students will face as they embark on a new academic journey. I wish I had read something like this when I came to the United States. . . . Many students will benefit from this piece of work.” (Rodolfo R. Altamirano, director, Office of International Programs, the University of Pennsylvania 2007-08-09)

“Succeeding as an International Student is a well-written, highly informative guide to campus life in the United States and Canada. Everything an international student needs to know about—from avoiding plagiarism in academic work to managing tips in restaurants—is discussed in a clear and direct way. The advice is valuable and Lipson’s direct and informal style very effective.” (Philip G. Altbach, director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College 2007-09-25)

“Succeeding as an International Student in the United States and Canada is the single-most helpful and comprehensive guide on the market that addresses the needs of foreign students. It is packed with essential information on how to succeed in a highly competitive academic setting; it also provides plenty of excellent tips for efficiently organizing life far away from home and enjoying it to the fullest. Charles Lipson has written the sort of brilliant guide that I wish had existed when I was a graduate student in the U.S. It would have saved me from some initial mistakes, misunderstandings, and embarrassments and helped to make my overwhelmingly positive experience as a foreign student an even more enjoyable one.” (Walter Mattli, professor of international political economy and fellow of St. John’s College, University of Oxford 2007-10-12)

“Charles Lipson’s Succeeding as an International Student in the United States and Canada is a clever, conversational, and very useful primer. Not only international students but good old Americans will find it helpful, fun and culturally sensitive. With topics as diverse as renting an apartment, paying a traffic ticket, finding health care, and thinking creatively, even presidents of universities or vice presidents of student affairs can read this book with profit.” (Henry Beinen, president, Northwestern University 2007-10-10)

“Succeeding as an International Student in the United States and Canada is a highly useful, convenient, well-organized, easy-to-use reference book for international students attending, planning to attend, or merely interested in attending a college or university in the United States or Canada....Lipson leaves no topic uncovered, hardly surprising since, in preparing the book, he consulted with literally hundreds of international students from all over the world, asking them what they should know before they arrived. Their answers to this question largely determined the book’s contents. Indeed, Succeeding as an International Student in the United States and Canada answers the very questions and addresses the very concerns posed by the international students themselves.” (Everett Egginton, Dean, International and Border Programs, New Mexico State University; and  president of NAFSA: Association of International Educators 2007-10-15)

“The United States hosts about one-quarter of the world’s foreign students each year, and all of them should read this book before arriving. Succeeding as an International Student in the United States and Canada makes it so much easier to hit the ground running, while avoiding the pitfalls and frustrations of life in a country that seems so familiar to the rest of the world, but follows its own rhythm and rules.” (Josef Joffe, publisher of Die Zeit and Senior Fellow at the Freeman-Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University 2007-10-16)

“Succeeding as an International Student in the United States and Canada compiles thirty years of conversations with foreign students and research about the hurdles they face. The book covers everything from what to pack on the airplane (a month’s supply of any prescription medicines, just in case) to office-hours etiquette (be punctual; bring a question to discuss) and cultural civility.” (Lydialyle Gibson University of Chicago Magazine 2007-11-01)