Co-authors Anne Gallaher and Amy Howell signed copies of their book “Students in High Gear” Wednesday Nov. 11 at the TCU bookstore.

They said they hoped to connect with students and offer advice they wish they had gotten when they were in college.

“We’re excited to meet the students in person and hope to be able to encourage them to find the right fit in their career path, reach out to employers like Amy and myself and ask us for coffee,” Gallaher said. “We’re happy to mentor and sponsor and be an advocate for you.”

One TCU student took advantage of this opportunity and asked Howell for some tips.

“I just love the experience of having authors on campus as a potential access point,” senior acting major Leroy Hood said. “She was even more equipped and ready to answer my questions than I had expected, so it was very nice.”

Gallaher and Howell said they hope to help students like Hood learn from their career paths and make good use of the tips they share.

“The more that Amy and I read our own book, the more we say, ‘Wow we wish we would have known this three decades ago,’ because we wouldn’t have taken some of the turns that we took,” Gallaher said.

Textbook manager Jacob Martin said if he could go back, he thinks a book like “Students in High Gear” would have helped him a lot.

“When I was in college I would have probably told myself to study more on the things I may not necessarily have been interested in,” Martin said. “It’s good to have a book that reminds people that at some point, it could be useful to you.”

Assistant textbook manager Elliot Brooks said he enjoyed the book signing because he thinks it connected the authors with the community.

“I think it’s a visceral experience that really brings people together,” Brooks said.