Life Performance for Students: Creating Your Best College Experience guides students through the process of setting academic and life goals and then building the skills, personal knowledge, and optimal mind frame to achieve those goals. The text features neuroscience and psychology research to help students better understand the natural biological and psychological barriers to success. Building upon this scientific knowledge, the book features effective and sustainable interventions that improve individual performance. Initial chapters challenge students to set large educational goals and identify the new study habits and personal living choices required to attain those goals. In following chapters, the book uses neuroscience and psychology findings to explain why they are likely to resist these new behaviors in favor of more comfortable, longstanding but less effective old habits. After describing how and why students may resist the changes required for success, the final section introduces a proven, interactive mental strength training program, the Calm Card. The Calm Card is a phone-based audio recording strategy that has proven to be effective in helping students: 1) commit to their highest-level goals for college and life; and 2) break through their resistance to change so that they can successfully initiate and sustain the new behaviors and day-to-day habits necessary for performing at a high level and reaching their goals. A primary component of the Calm Card strategy that is especially valuable for today's students is a progressive relaxation sequence that allows each student to better manage their day-to-day stress and anxiety.

With this improved emotional control, they can activate the prefrontal brain areas required for complex learning, attention, creativity, language use, problem solving, and empathy. Designed to help students transition into college and achieve long-lasting personal success, Life Performance for Students is ideal for courses in college success and freshman orientation. It can also be used in courses which focus on performance psychology for music or sports psychology.