Table of Contents
About The School of Life
Navigating through life can be tricky. We grow up, but when are we supposed to feel like real adults? The School of Life offers help with its library of over 500 books, sets, videos, and one-on-one therapy. These tools are designed to promote self-introspection in areas like work, love, and connection.
The brainchild of philosopher Alan de Botton, The School of Life has been praised for transforming age-old wisdom into an easily digestible format. It has been a hot topic in popular media outlets like The New York Times and The Atlantic, and the brand’s social media community of over 600k followers nods at its need in today’s overwhelming culture.
Tired of grappling with big issues alone? The company’s line of introspective tools may be the support line you’ve been looking for, and this The School of Life review exists to help you figure that out.
In the following sections, we’ll cover all the must-knows about the brand and its best-selling books, take you through customer feedback, answer FAQs, and more. By the end, you’ll have a clearer picture of what The School of Life is all about.
Overview of The School of Life
At its base, The School of Life is an organization founded by public philosopher and author Alan de Botton. He teamed up with Sophie Howarth, an established author, photographer, and activist, to launch the brand in 2008.
The School of Life has a simple yet inspiring mission: to help the world feel more at peace. Its line of books guides you through everyday issues and provides enlightening insight while helping you work towards resolutions.
The School of Life books are a mix of “self-help” and philosophy genres, presenting you with an unbiased opinion and encouraging self-reflection. Its literature is divided into six main categories:
- Relationships
- Calm
- Work
- Self-Knowledge
- Sociability
- Leisure & Culture
You’ll find its books in both hardcover and downloadable formats, making it easy to access its profound knowledge no matter where you are in the world. Providing online psychotherapy and classes as well, The School of Life approaches self-development from all angles and is available in multiple languages around the globe.
Up next in this The School of Life review, you’ll discover a list of the brand’s highlights. After that, we’ll dig into its exciting line of literature.
Highlights
- 500+ videos, books, and sets
- Literature in six key areas
- Available in hardcover and digital formats
- Affordable options
- Available around the world
- Published in multiple languages
- Ships internationally
Unlike life’s trials and tribulations, The School of Life’s website is truly easy to make your way through. Divided up into categories for simpler living, you can shop by need or hop into a virtual class that walks you through concepts about work, self, love, and culture.
This The School of Life review will focus on the brand’s books, and below, you’ll discover a range of literature available in both digital and hard copy formats.
The School of Life Books Review
You don’t have to follow the herd, but there is something to be said about best-sellers. The next section of this The School of Life review will introduce you to the brand’s top-selling books and sets that deal with critical thinking, connection, and self-discovery.
The School of Life What Do I Really Want To Achieve? Review
No matter if you’re 10 or 100, it’s a human desire to always strive for more, to be more, and to do more. The School of Life What Do I Really Want To Achieve? is designed to help improve your focus so that you know what areas to concentrate on in your life for better productivity and use of time.
With 160 cards packed with details about ambitions, wants, as well as a 20-page booklet with how-tos on goal reflection, this set can be crucial in defining what it is you want and where your next step should be. Change the course of your future with this bungle for $22.
The School of Life Emotional Barometer Review
Emotions. We all have them, but some of us experience them more powerfully than others. Often, it’s hard to understand what they are, but identifying them is key in learning from them and preventing them from consuming us.
The School of Life Emotional Barometer is a set that contains 20 cards and a moveable dial that can be propped up on its box. With it, you’ll come to understand 20 different moods and read eye-opening passages that can help you look at them in a new way. You can get the set for $20.
The School of Life Who Am I? Review
The School of Life Who Am I? is a question most of us face at some point in our lives. Sometimes, it doesn’t come until much later in life or when we get stuck in a rut. This 160-page hardback journal guides you through psychological exercises to help you look at yourself critically and discover what makes you, you.
Expect fun and entertaining question prompts throughout this journal, along with some truly tough ones. Helping you to look at yourself through eight areas, you’ll discover who you are in regards to:
- Psychology
- Work
- Relationships
- Sex
- Other people
- Utopia
- Re-enchantment
- Sorrow and compassion
The questions in this journal aren’t like any other we’ve seen—they’re intelligent and impactful, assisting you in truly understanding who you are and what makes you tick from the inside out. Pick up a copy for $20.
The School of Life How to Think More Effectively Review
We think all day, every day, but how much of it is actually helping us? The School of Life How To Think More Effectively guides readers through how to become more productive and creative.
Helping you to navigate through fear, anxiety, and boredom, this book will walk you through multiple types of thinking (strategic, independent, mad, empathetic, etc.) and teach ways to work with and break through others. Available in 138 full-color pages, you can pick up a digital copy through Amazon, Kobo, or Apple for $15.
The School of Life Connect Review
Humans need to feel connected in life. But the process doesn’t always come easy. Connecting with others successfully is an art form, and mastering it can improve the relationships we have in our lives—from love to family to work.
The School of Life Connect is all about improving the communication process with partners by way of a pack of 100 cards. Initiating important conversations, these cards can help you re-spark the flame between you and your loved one. Encouraging talks about forgiveness, appreciation, and excitement, these cards are divided into five categories:
- Aspiration
- Appreciation
- Desire
- Growth
- Forgiveness
You’ll ask and answer questions such as, “How would you like to come back together again at the end of every day?”, and fill in the blanks to phrases like, “If you never improved one bit, I’d still…”
The cards contain adult content, so they should be kept to those over 18 years old. The set comes with 100 cards, a pair of dice, and an instruction booklet for $30.
The School of Life The School of Life Library Review
As people, we don’t often deal with one issue in our lives. And sometimes, it feels like they all attack us at the same time. The School of Life Library is a dependable, go-to resource of seven different titles to help you cope with everyday situations. You’ll receive:
- Calm
- Relationships
- Sex
- The School of Life Dictionary
- Small Pleasures
- A Job to Love
- On Being Nice
All seven works are hardback and have a ribbon bookmark to help you keep your place. Pick up this incredibly enlightening set for $135 (a savings of $20 from the price if you bought them individually).
Who Is The School of Life For?
Creating books for both kids and adults, this School of Life review focuses on its collection for adults. These books can be used by anyone seeking assistance with their professional, personal, familial, or love life.
Delivered in both hardcover and digital forms, its books are accessible quickly for those who prefer virtual text, as well as those who prefer to hold something physical in their hands.
Is The School of Life Religious?
The School of Life isn’t religious in the traditional sense—you won’t be taught about the bible through its texts.
With that said, it does teach some of the same key concepts like forgiveness, compassion, and empathy and focuses on the advancement of culture in place of religious teachings.
The School of Life Reviews: What Do Customers Think?
One of our favorite things to do is get lost in a bookstore and browse through books for hours on end. If you don’t have time to flip through multiple titles but want to find something that fits your needs, feedback and ratings can help. That’s exactly what you’ll find in this section of our The School of Life review.
We scoped the web for scores and comments about a variety of the company’s texts in search of information about what they’re like to read and how helpful they are.
Keep in mind that what one person gets from a book, another may not—reading is a personal experience. But with consistent ratings, we can get a good idea about a book’s readability and worth.
We’ll start with some ratings from TheSchoolofLife.com:
- Connect: average of 4.8/5 stars from 41 reviews
- What They Forgot To Teach You At School: average of 5/5 stars from 25 reviews
- Emotional Conversations: average of 4.8/5 stars from 44 reviews
- Who Am I?: average of 4.6/5 stars from 78 reviews
- How To Think More Effectively: average of 4.7/5 stars from 32 reviews
We looked at the title Who Am I? since it appears to be a top-seller on the site. Here’s some insight that one The School of Life review gave about the book:
“Great questions for introspection! I really believe this has helped me. I look forward to purchasing other items from the school of life for my mental health.” The majority of other comments say things along the same lines, with many customers remarking about its “succinct and easy reading” qualities.
Heading out in search of more knowledge, we turned to a The School of Life review page on Goodreads for An Emotional Education. The book was awarded an overall score of 4.3/5 stars from 3,913 readers with many writing of its life-changing concepts taught through an easy-to-read format. One said:
“I think everyone should get this book on the day they are born. and then go through living keeping it by their side. I feel like this should become my go-to gift. Smart, soothing, wise, philosophical, direct, daring, kind. truly a must-read for everyone!”
Another said that it “captures the perplexity of being human” perfectly, and this is something we’ve come to understand that The School of Life does constantly throughout its books. Why is this important? Because reading something that makes sense and is relatable is key to the journey of self-discovery.
For our next bit of feedback, we headed over to Amazon which sells a great selection of the company’s books. Looking into its one on Relationships, we found a 4.6/5 star score from 355 buyers. Here’s how that breaks down:
- 5 stars: 74%
- 4 stars: 18%
- 3 stars: 6%
- 2 stars: 2%
- 1 star: 1%
One The School of Life review read, “The book is insightful and educational. The writer provides unbiased ideas and opportunities of digesting modern vs traditional understanding of relationships, which is intellectually quite stimulating.”
So here’s the thing about books: it’s critical that the authors establish credibility and authority over the subject they’re writing about. De Botton and Howarth do this by demonstrating advanced knowledge about their subjects.
In this case, presenting both modern and traditional relational concepts and presenting theories instead of offering advice. In the end, Relationships establishes itself as a highly valuable tool in understanding one’s own, learning from them, and improving them.
All in all, The School of Life reviews we came across were very positive about readers’ experiences with the books and the company.
Is The School of Life Legit?
From what we saw, there was nothing alarming about the way this brand operates with regards to shipping, purchasing, or refunds. The main area that The School of Life receives criticism is in its delivery of ideas.
Some readers say certain books can be difficult to read, but truly, this depends on a few personal things, such as your level of openness to new concepts and ability to digest these concepts.
They’re intellectual books that introduce big ideas, and often, you’ll need to be prepared to do the mental work.
Is The School of Life Worth It?
Life can be tough and issues come in all shapes and sizes. We all go through things differently. Self-help books can help us look at and approach situations differently and produce different outcomes.
From what we’ve discovered about the brand in our The School of Life review, it does an excellent job at conveying big ideas and guiding readers through the self-discovery process.
Available in different formats for affordable prices, we’d definitely recommend this company for anyone looking for support with life.
The School of Life Promotions & Discounts
While making our way through the brand’s website for this The School of Life review, we uncovered a few ways that it helps its readers save.
- Student discount of 10%
- Sign up for the newsletter to get 10% off
- Free US shipping on orders over $75
Where to Buy The School of Life
The School of Life operates mostly online, and if you head to TheSchoolofLife.com, you can browse through its entire inventory, sign up for classes, and access discounts. If you’re the in-store browsing type and happen to live in Europe, pop into one of its flagship stores in Amsterdam and Berlin.
Want to shop titles along with other things? Head over to Amazon or Chapters. You’ll also find its complete collection of virtual texts available through Audible and Barnes & Noble.
FAQ
Who owns The School of Life?
Alain de Botton and Sophie Howarth founded and own The School of Life, but de Button is its current Chairman. A philosopher and author of many contemporary books, he’s known for connecting ancient philosophies with modern life.
Does The School of Life ship internationally?
It sure does. Based in the UK, the brand ships within the UK, to the EU, USA, and the rest of the world. Shipping rates vary and are listed at checkout.
What is The School of Life’s Shipping Policy?
The School of Life ships orders out from its UK warehouse within 1-2 days from the time they’re placed online. When your order ships, you’ll receive a confirmation email with a tracking link that you can use to keep an eye on where your order is and when it will arrive.
Here are the basics of the brand’s US shipping policy:
- Standards shipping free for orders over $75
- Standard (not tracked) orders take 10 business days
- Courier orders take 4-5 business days and cost $35
What is The School of Life’s Return Policy?
If you need to return your The School of Life order, you have 30 days to do so from the date of delivery. Your items must be in their original condition with all packaging included.
You’ll be responsible for all return shipping fees. Follow these steps to make a return:
- Fill out the return form
- Package your items in their original packaging with the original receipt and tape it up securely
- Take it to a local positive office and send it back to: The School of Life, c/o Intermail Warehouse, Horizon West, Canal View Road, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 5XF
The School of Life recommends choosing a trackable shipping method to ensure your package gets back to the brand safely. Once it gets there, they’ll process it in about 2-3 business days and issue your refund.
How to Contact The School of Life
If you need any other information that wasn’t included in this The School of Life review, you can get in touch with the company via:
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: +44 (0) 207 833 1010
Keep in mind that the brand’s lines are open 10:00 am to 5:00 pm UK time—5 hours ahead of EST.
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