by Nancy Adossi

Created on: July 12, 2009   Last Updated: July 14, 2009

College is unlike high school in so many ways, but the most apparent ways are the material college students are responsible for reading and understanding. The following books are not easy-reads and they require the reader to use their analytical skills. For college students, regardless of their major of study, the most congruent skills required are analytical skills. The ability to look at a problem or situation, break it down, and come up with solutions is an ability all graduate programs and employers are looking for .

Ethics by Aristotle

Written by Aristotle, this reading selection explores virtue. This book is important for every college student because it leads to questions and evaluations of the definition of virtue. And in case this seems unessential, there are many employers who are more eager to hire virtuous employees rather than not-so virtuous ones.

Meno by Plato

This reading selection is a dialogue spoken between Socrates and Meno about virtue and recorded by Plato. Similar to Aristotle's ethics, it explores the definition of virtue. This one is interesting as it also explores the definition of knowledge through a paradox. The use of analytical skills to figure out the paradox is the most intriguing part of understanding this reading selection.

The Iliad and Odyssey by Homer

Hopefully everyone has read part or all of one of these two epic poems in high school. If not, then college is the place to do it. This book and its contents will come up in almost every class. It shows up everywhere in college because these poems not only address the morals of the Greeks and Romans but also look at the second possible story of how Rome was founded.

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alligheri

This reading selection explores the afterlife, a topic that often presents itself in many college dialogues. This story takes place in hell, purgatory, and heaven. As expected, it is from a Catholic point of view. It should be read with an open mind, but the reader should use analytical skills to observe the correspondence of the different parts of hell and it inhabitants presented by Dante and his specific tone of voice.

Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith

Every college student needs to take economics and this book is considered by many as the bible of economics. It explores the effect of a free market economy on society. It doesn't matter which career any college student is heading into, a fundamental understanding of the effects of a free market is a welcome plus and sometimes a requirement for many graduate professors and employers alike.

On the Genealogy of Morals by Friedrich Nietzsche

To put it simply, this reading selection explores the origins of morality or "good and evil." It is a thought-provoking selection because it forces the reader to analyze his/her sense of morality as well morality's general foundation.

The Republic by Plato

What is a republic? What are its foundations and effects? What is political theory? Read this book to find the answers to those questions and more. It is vital to learn about these themes in this age of ever-changing political events. It is a Socratic dialogue recorded by Plato. If all of those reasons don't arouse your interest, then perhaps Socrates' address of the immortality of the soul will.

As evident, all of these books have one goal in common: the production of a valuable citizen that is well educated by the use of analytical skills. This is also the desired result that many University programs have in mind when you graduate and many employers have in mind when they're hiring.

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