After seven years of higher education, Jaysen Gillespie knew he was qualified to do at least one thing -- write a book of advice for college students. The idea came to him in December 1997 after he saw a row of books by the checkout counter at a store in his hometown, Atlanta. "There was Life's Little Instruction Book, The Job Hunter's Instruction Book, The Cat Lover's Instruction Book," says Gillespie, MA '96. "But nothing for college students."
So over the next six months, he wrote one. Last summer, 5,000 copies of The College Student's Instruction Book came off press. Subtitled "302 ways to make your college experience more rewarding," the book is a combination of earnestly obvious suggestions (No. 32: Go see campus speakers; No. 220: Back up important files); tongue-in-cheek entries (No. 88: Don't date both roommates); and useful maxims that will make you nod in agreement as you read (No. 70: Don't fret over $10 if you already owe $25,000; No. 206: Shut off your alarm before you leave for breaks).
"They're based on practical experience," says Gillespie, who did his undergrad years at Duke before coming to Stanford for a master's (and part of a PhD) in engineering-economic systems. One tip he took to heart -- No. 23: Be known as a source of good information.
