In today’s educational landscape, the question arises: can colleges enhance the quality of education despite facing shrinking budgets? The insightful book, How College Works, published by Harvard University Press, delves into this critical issue. Authors Daniel Chambliss and Christopher Takacs present compelling arguments that students can indeed gain more from their collegiate experiences without incurring higher tuition costs.

This groundbreaking study reveals that the limited resources available to colleges and students need not diminish the undergraduate experience. Instead, it emphasizes the surprisingly decisive role personal relationships play in determining a student’s success during their college years. Through meticulous research, the authors followed nearly one hundred students over an eight-year period at a liberal arts college in New York, providing a detailed look at the factors that contribute to academic achievement.

One key finding from the research is that the curricular and technological innovations that administrators often prioritize matter much less than the relationships students forge with their professors and peers, especially in their formative early years. At every turning point in their undergraduate lives, it was these human connections—not the programs or facilities—that proved to be critical.

Great teachers emerged as more influential than the subjects they taught. Furthermore, the presence of just a few good friendships—two or three—significantly impacted students both academically and socially. This suggests that for most students, college functions best when it fosters an environment that provides daily motivation to learn, rather than merely offering access to information.

Improving higher education, as suggested by Chambliss and Takacs, requires a renewed focus on the quality of a student’s relationships with mentors and classmates. When students are able to form the right bonds, they unlock the potential to make the most of their educational journey.

Ultimately, How College Works is a profound exploration of the collegiate experience that challenges conventional notions about what truly drives student success. By prioritizing interpersonal relationships, institutions can create environments that support not just academic achievement, but also personal growth and satisfaction. The authors provide practical insights that can lead to effective, low-cost interventions aimed at enriching the higher education experience for all students.