How to Be a High School Superstar: A Revolutionary Plan to Get into College by Standing Out

by Cal Newport

Do Less, Live More, Get Accepted
 
 
What if getting into your reach schools didn’t require four years of excessive A.P.-taking, overwhelming activity schedules, and constant stress?
 
In How to Be a High School Superstar, Cal Newport explores the world of relaxed superstars—students who scored spots at the nation’s top colleges by leading uncluttered, low stress, and authentic lives. Drawing from extensive interviews and cutting-edge science, Newport explains the surprising truths behind these superstars’ mixture of happiness and admissions success, including:
 
·        Why doing less is the foundation for becoming more impressive.
·        Why demonstrating passion is meaningless, but being interesting is crucial.
·        Why accomplishments that are hard to explain are better than accomplishments that are hard to do.
 
These insights are accompanied by step-by-step instructions to help any student adopt the relaxed superstar lifestyle—proving that getting into college doesn’t have to be a chore to survive, but instead can be the reward for living a genuinely interesting life.
 


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: Nonfiction, Education, Self Help, Parenting, Productivity, Childrens, College

272 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Cal Newport is Provost’s Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University, and the author of seven books. His ideas and writing are frequently featured in major publications and on TV and radio.

From his website: "I write about the intersection of digital technology and culture. I’m particularly interested in our struggle to deploy these tools in ways that support instead of subvert the things we care about in both our personal and professional lives."

Reviews

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books where you might roll your eyes at the title and walk away. I wouldn't have been interested- I mean, we get enough of this stuff with day-to-day life around here- but someone recommended it to my husband, who recommended it to me. It was actually a refreshing take on college admissions. The author's point is that straight-A, athletically successful, volunteering, high SAT-scoring, student body presidents- or that type of student- are now a dime a dozen- and rather boring to college admissions officers. However, students who eschew keeping up such a grind, but rather find their own interests and excel at them, will stand out to college admissions committees. The author explains how students can free up time by dropping activities that don't mean much to them or to admissions officers, and gain time for pursuits that are interesting to them and also to colleges. My one fault with the book is that it still is focused on how to get into traditional top-notch schools, and doesn't acknowledge that getting into those schools is not every student's goal. I guess the assumption is that if you can get into top tier schools, you can get in anywhere.

[Ed · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with the central thesis of the book: High school students are over-involved in uninteresting activities at which they are merely good, and thus they need to choose one or two genuine, innovative pursuits to bolster their college admissions chances. However, the road to the kind of achievement Newport promotes isn't available to most students for various reasons (socioeconomic status, personality preferences, etc.). Essentially, by following the map he lays out, talented, intelligent, and hardworking students will be able to keep being talented, intelligent and hardworking students, but at Yale instead of UConn. Obviously, there's a market for that kind of advice, and Newport has done well by himself to make use of it. Unfortunately, I don't think this is a work that has much usefulness for the majority of high school students.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an awesome book! I think it's encouraging to high school students and it is engaging enough for a high school student such as myself to read without losing interest. Below are the main points of the novel, summarized to the best of my abilities:

Part 1: The Law of Underscheduling
- Relaxed superstars basically do less, but seem to do more.
- Instead of pursuing many activities that you are not actually interested in (resumé padding; breadth without depth; call it what you will), and taking the most challenging and impressive-sounding courses, free up your schedule.
- This means that you might have to *gasp* quit classes and activities that don't really matter to you.
- Make time to explore your interests and develop a genuine, deep interest (not passion!) - become an interesting person.
- Try to achieve an ideal student workday and set a specific time every day to stop working. By separating your work time and your free time, you'll be more focused and effective when you work, and you'll get more out of the time you spend exploring your interests.

Part 2: The Law of Focus
- The Superstar Effect: Little differences in ability lead to huge differences in benefit. The best way I can explain this is the Olympics. Even if you are beaten by a millisecond, a silver in the Olympics reaps way fewer benefits than gold.
- In other words, being good is usually not enough to create impressiveness. You have to be the best.
- Also, it doesn't matter how difficult the activity actually is, as long as you are the best at it in the admissions pool.
- The Superstar Effect only takes effect if there is 'proof' that you are an expert/master/the best at the activity, such as press coverage or glowing recommendations.
- Once you accomplish something, you can achieve complementary accomplishments with little additional effort. If you have a solid foundation in leadership, as one of the book's examples did, you'll continue to achieve things related to leadership with little effort on your part.
- If you have identified one thing to focus on, you need to become good at it. You can do this by learning how to be good at it (reach out to experts but also study failures), completely immersing yourself in the activity, and reaching the point where you are skilled enough that good opportunities will come your way (opportunities that won't require an excessive time commitment).

Part 3: The Law of Innovation
- People are impressed by things that they cannot imagine themselves doing - so the goal is not to do something difficult, but to do something that is hard to explain.
- Innovators don't try to be innovative. They don't have a Eureka! moment where they suddenly dedicate their high school careers to one grand project.
- Innovators join closed communities (communities that people recognize, but do not understand the inner workings of) and pay their dues. In other words, they become positively recognized within the community first.
- Innovators don't start out with the biggest idea. They start with small, doable projects and work their way up to an 'impressive' project.
- Basically, people who succeed take the opportunities they get and work hard, which leads to more opportunities.

Hopefully the summary is informative to those of you who are unsure if the book would be helpful. I have definitely left out some good points made in the book, so if these main points pique your interest, I would recommend checking How to Be a High School Superstar out!

[Karl Gaza · Rating 4 out of 5]

8.5/10

“Getting into a good college doesn’t have to be a reward for extreme sacrifice; it can be, instead, a side effect of the much grander goal of building a meaningful and engaging life.”

"How to be a High School Superstar" by Cal Newport proposes an unorthodox method to securing a spot in your dream college. According to popular belief, to stand out in college applications, one must immerse themselves in a wide range of extracurricular activities and an abundance of difficult courses. Contrary to this, the book showcases a different, more laid-back approach in achieving the same goal: the relaxed superstar approach. This lesser-known method features lots of free time, less stress, and higher odds of getting accepted into your dream school. It proposes the ideology that doing less is the foundation for becoming more impressive.

The book provides specific steps and methods on how exactly this can be achieved. With the help of thorough research and plenty of interviews, the message aimed to be delivered by Newport comes across quite smoothly. The instructions and steps given are easy-to-follow and are written clearly. What I also really liked about the book was that it gave study methods that are much more efficient and less taxing than the usual techniques.

As seen in the quote I derived from the book itself, its teachings are not only applicable in a high school student's life. These strategies can also help one yield benefits richer than getting into their dream school.

With this in mind, I definitely look forward to applying these concepts, theories, and techniques presented in the book to my life. I believe that taking these to heart and internalizing them will truly yield exceptional results. I believe that the techniques given in this book are not only applicable to high school students; this may also be an insightful read to those applying for jobs or are in college.

Given that, I highly recommend this book for high school students, especially those who are currently or planning to drown themselves in difficult courses and an overabundance of extracurricular activities in order to higher their odds of a better future. You might learn a thing or two from this book.

P.S. this is a great book to start with after a 6-year break haha

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was skeptical that someone could fill more than 200 pages explaining a concept that seemed fairly simple, but Newport packs in a lot of specific advice and examples with very little redundancy. I believe his plan is healthy and smart, but will not always lead to the amazing results in his examples. The good news (and this is something he doesn't play up very much because the book is marketed specifically to kids who have their hearts set on elite colleges) is that even if you "fail," you have probably achieved a more pleasant and meaningful 4 years of high school in the process than you would have otherwise.

There are two things I found ironic about the book. He warns that you shouldn't say "I'm going to do this internship because it will make me a 'relaxed superstar' and I will seem 'interesting' to colleges." The idea is you happen to see an internship in an area you're curious about so you try it and then things progress from there naturally, and being a desirable candidate is basically a side effect. But that's kind of like telling someone "You'll find romance once you stop looking for it and just live your life." If you're reading a how-to book about something, chances are you'll have a hard time turning off that voice in the back of your head. The book certainly has a do-this-and-you-will-succeed tone, but you can see in the examples that there is an element of luck too.

The other thing that struck me as ironic is that after having the kind of authentic learning experiences described in the book, I would think that maybe going to Harvard wouldn't seem quite so critical anymore. The strategies outlined in the book could be used to make the most out of any college environment and in the workplace post-college.

[Read&Learn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not just for high school students. It provides a framework for anyone that wants to cultivate "intresting-ness". I've previously read Cal's So Good They Can't Ignore You and that forever changed my perspective on "passion". This book is almost a precursor to SGTCIY.

[Shana]

I was recently reminded of how I read this back in high school during freshman year, when I could feel myself burning out too quickly (yes, even at that age), so I sought to concentrate my energy for a targeted purpose.

I’ll admit, it did leave an impact (at that impressionable age, most things do) on how I deprioritized the concept of “well-rounded” for “spiky, t-shaped” talents. The most useful parts were the case studies of successful students and their backstories, and the reassurance that to be weird (in the ways that a college admissions officer would find interesting) was to be “acceptable”; but be sure to read between the lines on who/how to have access to the time and opportunities to develop the spiky talents in the first place.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #4 of this year is How to Be a High School Superstar: A Revolutionary Plan to Get Into College By Standing Out (Without Burning Out) This book was a recommendation by a great friend who read it with her sons when they were younger - one is a GA Tech Presidential Scholar going into his third year there and the other is a freshman at Emory. The book is an ‘older’ book published in 2010 and in the sense that some of his technology examples are dated. I will also say that some of his examples seem very middle to upper class in terms of the students’ opportunities (Malcolm Gladwell anyone?). HOWEVER, all that said - there is so much good advice in here for students in thinking about the college admission process and what it takes to get into those elite, top tier schools. The author is a Dartmouth and MIT grad who has a PhD from MIT and teaches Computer Science at Georgetown. So he knows of what he speaks! I also think that some of the advice he gives includes so many things that experienced teachers have known but I guess we never thought to publish a book about it! But he has three ‘laws’ to his philosophy: The Law of Underscheduling, The Law of Focus, and The Law of Innovation. And these laws are designed truthfully to reduce the stress and anxiety that seems to be inevitable amongst many high school students these days. He acknowledges that at a minimum you need to have a GPA and test scores that are at least the bottom of the range for average acceptance scores for the school, but in the same breath he makes a compelling case for not overloading a HS schedule with 8 AP classes in a year. I love that he shares the one single trait shared by every high scorer on the verbal section of SAT: started reading high level books around 3rd or 4th grade...and KEPT reading! Also, another piece of advice he shares is that if every other person you know can join that club or do what you have done in that extracurricular area, then you will not standout. Having a laundry list of activities will not propel you to the top of admission spotlights! He argues FOCUS - master one serious interest and don’t waste time being a student involved in lots of activities superficially. Learn to be interesting - which is a by product of having a ‘deep interest’ you develop over time. Lots of great advice for students and parents of upper elementary (yep I said it!) and middle school - even 9th grade students. More to tell - but instead just go read the book!

[Megan B]

I hear this flies in the face of conventional attitudes. I like unconventional. I loathe the rat race of overscheduling our children for practical and philosophical reasons anyway. I am very interested in giving this a read.

What on reviewer had to say: "The author's point is that straight-A, athletically successful, volunteering, high SAT-scoring, student body presidents- or that type of student- are now a dime a dozen- and rather boring to college admissions officers. However, students who eschew keeping up such a grind, but rather find their own interests and excel at them, will stand out to college admissions committees. The author explains how students can free up time by dropping activities that don't mean much to them or to admissions officers, and gain time for pursuits that are interesting to them and also to colleges. "

Someone else: "1. Doing less is the foundation for becoming more impressive, and scheduling free time is critical to success.
2. Demonstrating passion is meaningless, but being interesting is crucial.
3. Accomplishments that are hard to explain are better than accomplishments that are hard to do."

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. A must-read for high school students and their parents.

For years, I have been aware that, in my capacity as advisor to many college-bound kids, my advice has run counter to the prevailing wisdom of many a high school guidance counselor. Eschewing the the goal of well-roundedness in favor of actual accomplishment, I have recommended that students quit high-investment, low-yield activities in favor of concentrating on developing their strengths.

This well-researched little book validates that approach and marries it to a comprehensive strategy for gaining admission to the most selective colleges and universities. Its holistic perspective aims to help the student become a happy, fulfilled, interesting human being who happens to be irresistible to college admissions officers. Best of all, it's packed with practical advice regarding study skills, time management, and attaining goals.

[Augustine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah of course, first of all the book title deserves the award of "Lamest title ever" BUT STOP!
stop right there. A revolutionary plan? That's no joke. Really, just give it a try.

Having been stuck in china for so long, I could have never even envisioned high-schoolers accomplishing such amazing things, and this book sort of unraveled everything that seemed scary at first.
University still seems pretty scary, but I guess not as much as before.

Well researched, well organized, and overall, very well written :)

Receiving good instructions and insight is one thing, while following them correctly is certainly another... While this book totally aced the former, what's left is up to myself...

Kind of changed my entire view on college admissions and "the real world".
THANK YOU CAL NEWPORT! You are a good person.

[Rara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Advice, but how to apply it now? Gotta go figure that out!

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first saw this book, I was skeptical. After glancing through Countdown to College 21 To-Do Lists for High School Step-By-Step Strategies for 9th 10th 11th and 12th Graders by Valerie Pierce and seeing that I'd already missed most of the steps that I needed to take, I decided that the hyper-planning approach to getting into college was not going to work for me, and this book sat on my desk for a long time. On a whim, I picked it up a couple of days ago and was pleasantly surprised to find that this wasn't the traditional guidebook attempting to ensure you can tick all of the right boxes on your applications when it comes to what you've taken and what you've done. It wasn't a book written for parents, and it wasn't written for low-achieving students; it seemed designed for the exact kind of student that I am. (In fact, it was almost weirdly so. In the Q&A, there's a question that exactly describes me: whether someone who just finished their junior year can still benefit from the plan that he's proposing.)

I know that the word "refreshing" is overused, but it was honestly a relief to hear someone so smart and well-intentioned who seemed to actually care about the well-being of high school students talk about this subject. His writing just seemed so genuine and the advice was practical. This is the closest I've ever come to a calm, helpful, logical conversation about college with anyone, since my parents just scream at me to work harder and my disinterested school counselor just wants to write me a generic recommendation in the fall and move on with his life.

More than anything, it struck me how much Newport's claims are grounded in reality. As a student at a high school with an impressive math and science magnet program (and myself being in a less prestigious but still academically challenging communication arts program), I come into contact with smart kids and academic superstars (Intel and Siemens winners, etc.) all the time and I am all too familiar with the feeling that I could never achieve the tremendous success that they seem to be able to achieve. Moreover, I've noticed something on which Newport touches: that smart kids are lazy, man. I'm a hard-working Hufflepuff and I benefit from the erroneous connotation that the kids who work the hardest and get the best grades are the smartest, but I assure you that that assumption is indeed in error. The smartest kids are the ones who figure out how to do the least amount of effort on their schoolwork and then put that time to use for other things. Sometimes "other things" means worthy pursuits like making videos for the Smithsonian and sometimes it just means smoking pot, but it's easy to recognize that these kids are sharp. Real-world sharp.

It's always kind of pissed me off that these kids can work so little and still basically get the same good grades that I do, but, more than that, I'm always kind of disappointed that what are clearly the best and brightest minds don't seem to give a damn about world history or calculus, because I sincerely believe that this stuff is important. I mean, you have to be in school for six hours a day. Why squander that time not trying to learn as much as you can? This education is free (to us...not to our parents, but still). The next level up isn't going to be, so you might as well absorb as much as you can now.

But I guess part of what sets those kids apart is that they're not willing to settle for anything less than the best. If they don't have respect for the teacher or they don't think the class is worth their time, they're going to make the best use of their time that I can. I don't always agree with those decisions, but hey, that's them.

And, all the same, I've always kind of wanted to be one of the smart kids, one of these superstars, so I'm not going to turn down any good advice on how.

I was incredibly impressed by Part One of this book. All of the advice on study habits, the ideal student workweek, joining communities; I think this stuff is gold and I plan to implement it all in the fall, when I'll be taking my relaxed senior year schedule.

My only critique of the book is that after Part One, it starts to lose focus and become repetitive. Both Parts Two and Three seemed to me like they could have been condensed and better tied in to Part One.

One of the things that I liked about the first section is that it was clear, direct, and practical, without any superfluous information; it was a plan ready to be implemented. After Part One, Newport wanders down a detour that makes the book a strange combination of unnecessary psychological research and case studies, a la Malcolm Gladwell, which only served to distract from the easy implementation of the book's messages.

When it comes to recommending this book, I'm a little bit undecided. If your parents are anything like mine, I can easily see them rejecting this approach without a second thought, and, as Newport points out, some students are just as dedicated to the overworked lifestyle that they've chosen. It's (relatively) easy for me to embrace this outlook not only because my chronic daily headaches have given me a punch-in-the-face kind of wake-up call about not stressing too much and taking my health seriously. It also helps that I'm a rising senior, meaning that it's socially acceptable for me to take a relaxed course load this year anyway. I don't know if junior year me would have been able to embrace this philosophy. In fact, with the way that CAP constricts your schedule, I highly doubt it. And besides, I'm proud of the fact that I made it through 4 AP's last year (though I may be less proud when scores come July 8th, ha).

The dilemma is that the relaxed superstar philosophy works best when you start at a young age, yet most young people aren't willing to drop their maxed-out lifestyle until senior year.

Here's what I say: I would recommend this to anyone in middle or high school. The sooner the better, but if you chafe at the demands the first time reading it, put it off. It's still worth doing for just senior year if that's all the risk you're willing to take. While I think high school is an ideal time for conducting the kind of exploration Newport describes, there will be time after high school too. As a good friend once told me, you have your entire life to get to where you want to be.

[Natik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this to my high school cousin to help cure her "87 clubs syndrome" and generally protect against a certain masochistic and narcissistic study culture that develops among high achieving kids. Also I feel "So Good They Can't Ignore You", while written for working adults, is very good for the same high school demographic.

The author Cal Newport has an amazing blog where all of this advice and more is available for free. It is good to give people nice, compact books though. They probably won't follow up on your "go read this blog" suggestion too closely.

What I feel this book is missing though, is an honest discussion if getting into Harvard is even a worthy goal (at least for undergrads who plan on much graduate school). You may be the top of your high school class, but at Harvard, you'd be average and blend into the crowd if you're not much of a self-advocate. Wouldn't it be better to be a bigger fish in a smaller pond? I guess the author is biased since he went to MIT and Dartmouth, and is now teaching at Georgetown.

[Paige Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is by far my favorite of the three “How to” books from Cal, mostly because I feel like it is the most in line with his more mature writing style. I wouldn’t say it is essential reading - and the parts of it that are, are all covered much more effectively in So Good They Can’t Ignore You and Deep Work - however if it does feel particularly applicable to you or someone you love, it’s definitely worthwhile. Just please don’t stop here, as his later books have SO much more offer for all stages of life, while this one is very directly aimed at on particular demographic.

Favorite Quote: “The secret to the relaxed superstars’ success is straightforward: these students are genuinely interesting people who did genuinely interesting things.”

[Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly recommended read for my high school peers! Although it’s mainly focused on how you can increase your chances to get admitted into a college of your choice, the methods outlined are very counterintuitive, which teaches you how to live a meaningful and engaging life beyond college admissions :)

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book! I definitely liked what he had to say about an unhurried lifestyle and that approach to academics. It did seem to drag a little in the chapters about study habits, examples, etc, but it IS written for high schoolers not moms of high schoolers 😝

[Vinita Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

W practical read for ppl in the middle of like grade ten going to grade eleven. think i read this a little too late; but good mentorship advice.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good life advice, regardless of your age!

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

why did i read this book? i'm not in high school?

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather than being one of millions of boring overachievers (you know the type, the ones who join every single extracurricular activity and Student Council and take every AP class) in a vain attempt to "stand out" among the applicant pool to elite universities, Newport suggests going all in on a unique and deep interest. I don't know how successful this plan actually is, but he certainly found a number of people for whom this worked. In a lot of cases the people seem to have been doing their activities for the activities' own sake than for any perceived boost in the admissions game.

The idea is that by doing something that is actually interesting or impressive, not something that anyone can do by virtue of showing up or spending money, elite colleges will be more likely to recruit you than the generic student with a 1550 SAT and a dozen AP classes. He doesn't go into what happens if the plan backfires.

[Clint Lum · Rating 2 out of 5]

The entire project is undermined by the stated goal: to get the high school student into the college they want.

Newport spends a good deal of space in the book (rightly) appealing to intrinsic motivations and calling for the reader to eschew the resume arms race in which grades and extracurriculars are merely seen as stickers on a resume. So far so good.

He then provides helpful advice to students in how to reorient their lives in such a way that they have free time to explore things that are of interest to them so that they might become excellent in them... so far so good...

But the End of all his advice? To stand out so you can get into a school you want.

This is really just a different type -- and advancement of -- of the resume arms race that views education essentially as a commodity to be traded (i.e. I trade you my GPA and other shiny lines on my resume for your admission letter/job) as opposed to an enterprise that is worthy in and of itself.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for parents. Actually you can apply the principles in anything you are applying for! The idea is that the old model of what makes an applicant a success has changed. Colleges are less impressed with resume items that anyone can accomplish and more interested in candidates that over a long period of time achieved something unique. So the author is a big advocate of more unscheduled time to allow students to pursue opportunities from other opportunities. Maintain the high grades but closely examine what extracurriculars being your student joy and purpose. Stop running on the hamster wheel and develop purpose.

[anotherfungurl · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there is one non-fiction book that you must read as a student, it's this book.

I have gained so many tips and 'life hacks' from this book that I just hope I don't forget them all.

And for all the lazy people out there who is all into fiction, here is the summary:

-don't make your schedule filling
-school should be anything but stressful
-you should not be afraid to ask questions, make connections with people
-do not find your passion, instead, try out different things and then continue with the selected ones


UMM, THIS IS A BAD IDEA. You should read the book, it is not summarily enough.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super quick impression: I'm glad I persisted to finish this book. At first I thought it didn't have a lot to say to me or my family, because it seems geared towards those who want to go exclusively to an Ivy League school. But it's really about having a balanced and interesting life. In some ways it reminded me of "All the Money in the World" or a Laura Vanderkam book in that the overarching message is to live/spend/manage your time in a way that is meaningful to you, and you will not just be happier, but more successful.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book (although I'm almost in my 30s) has changed the way I look at things, and the way I am going to do things in the future. I am or was a strong believer in "efforting" way into everything. And although I knew there was a better way, this book shows that working hard and not really working smart is really to your detriment. I think it's great practical advice and inspiration for anyone with an ambition. It was wonderful. Everyone should read it.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

very impractical. what a catch-22! This book's premise is backtracking from successful high school superstars, but its only conclusion is that you can't TRY to be a high school superstar, it has to come to you.

[Elizabeth3tx · Rating 4 out of 5]

The information was good, and the ideas seemed to be original. However, the presentation was really bad and the organization left much to be desired. I took notes while reading this book and was able to summarize it into a guide for future reference in less than 10 pages.

[Tabetha · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone stuck in their high school career feeling purposeless.

This can be your way out.

And the tips in it are not just relevant to getting accepted into colleges. It also helps set you apart on the job market.