Graduation season is an exciting time for students and parents. An excellent guide to the next phase for many of them is HOW TO COLLEGE by Andrea Malkin Brenner and Lara Hope Schwartz. This new and practical text is subtitled "what to know before you go (and when you're there)." The authors provide numerous helpful tips in this very accessible book. For example, there are sections titled The New College You (about identity, living with roommates, and making friends); College is School (filled with ideas for mastering academic challenges); Resident Experts (dealing with staff, administrators, and self-advocating with professors); and Life Beyond the Classroom (activities, career, internships, and college town). I turned to the section called Take Care of You which discusses wellness, healthcare and campus security. Yes, there's some references to insurance which may interest parents more. However, the authors primarily address students; for example, they offer some very useful self-assessment exercises like the 168 Assignment which is complete with charts to track how time is spent (grooming, eating, sleeping, going to class, exercising, studying, etc.) over the course of a week. There's also some budgeting charts and information about loans and financial literacy in the Money Talk section which would be a great complement to The New York Times' recent "Financial Checklist for High School Grads." And, the final section, Your To Do List, is an organized (if somewhat daunting) summary of steps to achieve over the summer before attending college. Look for HOW TO COLLEGE on our shelves along with an updated and expanded edition of The HER Campus Guide to College Life by Stephanie Kaplan Lewis.

Link in live post:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/31/your-money/teenager-financial-preparation.html

Nonfiction
16-19
If your teen is planning post-secondary education this fall, buy this book right now. What a great resource for a young adult who is eager, nervous, terrified or super-confident about this exciting new stage in life! I worked in student services at The University of British Columbia for nearly 10 years, and this book, written by two professors who have worked with thousands of first-year students, perfectly encapsulates what new students need to know. First, it’s different from high school in so many ways! Learn how to approach a prof in a professional way. Get a planner and use it. Make and stick to a budget. Make sure you know how to do your laundry, clean your room, and book a medical appointment. Join a club and make some friends.
Do your readings. Study a bit every day. Ask questions. Sleep. Get up on time. Get help when you need it (we all do). Explore your passions. Have a Plan B. Call home. It’s done in a way that helps teens make a successful transition from high school to university or college, by working on life skills bit by bit in the three or four months before they actually start classes, and once they arrive on campus. There are checklists that will keep eager kids busy, and will get lazy ones moving by telling them to do this now, or get this done at some point over the summer. The tips are good – attend a lecture at the library on a subject you know nothing about. Find grocery stores near your campus. Read the syllabi for the classes you are taking. Look up the student code of conduct. Understand what plagiarism is at university. Talk to your parents now about money, communication, and what to do if you get sick. And at $20 Canadian or less for a print copy, it’s a bargain, though be aware it’s an American publication so some financial and medical bits are not relevant or correct for Canadians. Aimed squarely at first-year students, there is a lot there for second-years and higher, and parents will benefit from reading it too, though remember, this is the time for your teen to learn to be an adult. Highly recommended. My thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the advance reading copy provided digitally through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41433333

I read this book for myself as I have a daughter going to university in the fall. There was a lot of information in this book and would be big help to high school students as there is a big learning curve going from one to the other. Since it's new, it also has timely information throughout. For me, the only downfall is that it is a U.S. based book and I am from Canada so I wasn't totally sure on some topics discussed.

College is Not High School

For many students, including academically gifted students, college is a shock. They may have reached the goal of being admitted to the college of their choice, but they’re no longer living at home, unless they opt for a local college. This presents challenges in how to care for themselves. Even good students are suddenly faced with a level of competition they didn’t experience in high school. They have to learn to navigate new rules of dealing with professors, and the level of work required may be much more challenging.

The authors have done a good job of trying to cover all the bases for freshmen from managing money to living with a roommate and dealing with professors. I’m not sure all students need this level of tutorial. Parents who have been to college can fill students in on their experiences. However, sometimes it’s easier to get information from a book than your parents.

The book is easy to read. The authors use a light touch that should be easy for students to relate to. The book can also be a guide for finding answers when actually in college. I recommend it for anyone with children preparing for college. Give them a copy. They may take the advice from the book more easily than from you.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

From the synopsis:
<blockquote>Professors Andrea Malkin Brenner and Lara Schwartz guide first-year students and their families through the transition process, during the summer after high school graduation and throughout the school year, preparing students to succeed and thrive as they transition and adapt to college. </blockquote>

This book is exactly what it says on the tin. Brenner and Schwartz provide an easy to read, well-organized resource that would be valuable to incoming college freshmen (and probably upperclassmen as well). They offer advice on what to expect from your professors and roommates, how to get plugged into the student organization scene, how to use the library, and what resources are available to you if you run into problems. The language of the book is clear and accessible.

Still, while reading the book, I kept coming back to the question of "who is this for"? The book is full of advice that I would expect most kids with college-educated parents to know already--"office hours are there for a reason". At the same time, I don't know how this book would end up in the hands of under-resourced students who might need it most.

Perhaps the goal was to create a more comprehensive resource by stating the "stuff everyone knows". Sometimes the obvious isn't said out loud and things fall through the cracks, such as the advice to having a conversation with your parents about how often you'll be in touch before you land on campus. (Other advice seems... naive? Emailing your professors before you get on campus might be a little too eager beaver, but surely there are students who might benefit from taking the advice.)

The authors take a light tone that might be easier for an incoming freshman to hear (rather than the voice of the parents they are leaving behind). In the chapter on communicating with faculty and staff, they state:

<blockquote>Rule 1: It's on the syllabus.
Rule 2: Seriously--it's on the syllabus.</blockquote>

All in all, this slim volume would be useful to your local graduating senior.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley in order to facilitate this review.

There is good information and advice in this book but there really isn't anything in here that I haven't read or heard elsewhere.

As a recent college graduate, I requested this book to see if the tips lined up with my own personal experience. I think the practical tips in this book are perfect for the incoming freshman student.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest, unbiased review.

With a son that graduating high school this year, this book comes to me at a very opportune time. This book is written specifically for the student who is preparing to leave for college. And, the advice and knowledge shared is definitely on point. Everything from tips on how to communicate with family, how to organize and prioritize life, how to speak to professors, and so much more - it is by far more in depth than any other book of its kind. I tell you that I will be giving this book to my son to read this summer. Thank you for this book, and putting all the need-to-know information in one very organized spot. Highly recommended!

Good book for both parents and their children who are about to go to college. Parents because it will give them insight into what their kids are about to encounter and the college-bound because it will give them some things to think about before they leave. Nice guidebook!

I requested this book for purely personal reasons: I have a high school senior heading to college in the fall. The book gives sound advice for many elements of the college experience. The only item I felt that could be discussed was how to outline a class and study for an essay type exam. Otherwise, I thought it did a good job on many subjects. Necessarily, much of the advice is cursory and general (every campus is a bit different), but turns freshman on the right track to find their own answers as well. There is a good number of things that the young adults can do over the summer (for those who want to take some actions NOW), which I thought was a great addition. I will be purchasing several copies as grad gifts.