Thriving at College

Thriving at College is a practical roadmap for launching into fruitful, God-honoring adulthood against the backdrop of a young adult culture that values delayed adolescence. It covers the ten most common mistakes that college students make—and how to avoid them! It explores topics such as growing spiritually, embracing responsibility, loving God with all your mind, growing in character and maturity, striving for academic excellence, balancing work and recreation, finding your calling, establishing godly friendships, dating, handling the transition from high school to college, time management, financial discipline, and honoring parents while pursuing independence.

Thriving at College is the perfect gift for a college student or a soon-to-be college student. It will help students build a vibrant faith and become the person God created them to be. Thriving at College hit the Christian Bookseller’s Association best seller list and was recognized by YouthWorker Journal as one of the best books of  2011.  It’s also been recommended by many Christian colleges.

What Others Are Saying  About Thriving at College

“There is no better guide to college than this.”
–Alex and Brett Harris, best-selling authors of Do Hard Things

“Most Christian young people go to college without specific goals and are unprepared for the challenges that await them. While some prosper spiritually, most get derailed, and an alarming number abandon their faith. Alex has written an insightful and useful book to help college-bound people know what to expect, how to prepare for it, and what to do to avoid the pitfalls.”
–Randy Alcorn, best-selling author of Heaven and If God is Good

“Written by an ‘insider’—a former student, now a professor, this book addresses all the issues a student might face. It will be an excellent gift for all high school seniors.”
–Dr. Jerry Bridges, best-selling author of The Pursuit of Holiness

Beating the College Debt Trap

Does the cost of college seem maddeningly out of reach? Have your parents told you they can’t afford to help? Join the club: millions of students these days have no idea how they’re going to afford the education they know they need to have a shot at landing a decent job.

But what if I told you the “I can’t afford college” line is mostly an illusion? In Beating the College Debt Trap, I present an optimistic, empowering, and counter-intuitive message: Americans from all socioeconomic backgrounds, including first generation students, don’t have to be totally dependent on Mom, Dad, or Uncle Sam to get through college. You can get the training you need to launch a meaningful career without going broke in the process. Graduation on a solid financial foundation is possible. But it will require knowing how the system works, intentionality, creativity, and delayed gratification.

What Others Are Saying About Beating the College Debt Trap

“Reading this book and following its solid advice should be a top priority for every potential college student.”
–Mitchell E. Daniels, President, Purdue University, Former Governor of Indiana

“If you don’t want to waste a decade languishing in student debt, this is the book.”
–Zac Bissonnette, New York Times best-selling author of Debt-Free U

“Before you head to college–before you even decide whether or not to attend college–you need to read this book!”
–Jim Daly, President, Focus on the Family

Preparing Your Teens for College

Preparing Your Teens for College is about getting teens ready to leave home and enter the adult world with the faith, character and maturity to be successful. It’s about training them not just for college but for the totality of their lives. It’s a book for parents whose children are no longer (biological) children but are in fact young adults in the making. By extension, parents with even younger children can benefit.

You don’t have to look far to see that many teens are having a tough go at it. In school, their teachers will tell you about short attention spans and superficial interests crowding out their appetite and even capacity for learning. Out of school, even part-time jobs are hard to come by, depriving them of the chance to develop a work ethic, build skills, and earn money. At home, one in three is being raised without the love, protection and security of a father. After high school, the link between higher education and professional success has never been stronger. Yet higher education has never been more expensive, and the U.S. now has the highest college dropout rate in the industrialized world: 44 percent of those who enter a four-year college will not graduate in six years. And 71 percent of those who start two-year degrees will not finish them within three years.

The message of Preparing Your Teens for College is that thriving at college begins before they get there–with what you do as Moms, Dads, youth pastors, mentors, and guidance counselors. Academic and professional success flow from character and maturity. And as Christians we know that character and maturity flow from a God-mastered life, from the heart of a person who has bowed the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ. Preparing Your Teens for College is about helping you raise teens who understand the biblical message and are committed to putting away childishness, embracing responsibility, pursuing godly relationships, practicing moral purity, aiming for academic excellence, working unto the Lord, and honoring God in every aspect of their lives. If that describes the kind of teen you want to see leave your home someday, then this book is for you.

What Others Are Saying About Preparing Your Teens for College

“Alex proposes a wide-ranging series of conversations for parents to have with their teens…Parents who engage their teens in the ways Alex recommends will accomplish things that cannot be achieved through any exercise of parental authority…I am happy to recommend this book as a sharp tool for Preparing Your Teens for College.”
–Tedd Tripp, best-selling author, Shepherding a Child’s Heart

“Preparing Your Teens for College is an outstanding book about preparing teens for adulthood whether or not they go to college. Every parent who wants his or her teen to make a successful transition to young adulthood will profit from this book.”
–Jerry Bridges, best-selling author, The Pursuit of Holiness

“Don’t let the college years derail your teens. Too many are floundering in college, losing their connection to God and reality. Let Alex be your guide to preparing them for college. Highly recommended.”
–Josh McDowell, best-selling author, More Than a Carpenter