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How to Survive Your Freshman Year
How to Survive Your Freshman Year offers incoming college freshmen the experience, advice, and wisdom of their hundreds of other students who have survived their first year of college and have something interesting to say about it. Based on interviews with hundreds of college students at every type of higher-learning institution across the country, this book has insights on every aspect of college life, including, what to take to the dorm, living with roommates, Facebook and other social networks, extracurricular activities, choosing classes, studying, going abroad, finances, food, the social scene, doing laundry, staying in touch with friends and family, and much more. Highly readable, much of the book consists of short snippets with some interesting insight and advice from the college students interviewed. The book also includes expert input from college advisors and officers.
382 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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42 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 18, 2011
While slightly embarrassing to have on my to-read shelf, I decided to put it up there for 2 reasons.
1. I desperately want to make the reading challenge goal that I set for myself and am currently lagging behind and
2. there was some legitimatley good advice in there.
A lot of it was common sense, some of it was contradictory, a good portion was only useful in emotional assurance. But there were a couple of golden nuggets in there worth the read. And hey, it never hurts to read the common sense tips, either.
1. I desperately want to make the reading challenge goal that I set for myself and am currently lagging behind and
2. there was some legitimatley good advice in there.
A lot of it was common sense, some of it was contradictory, a good portion was only useful in emotional assurance. But there were a couple of golden nuggets in there worth the read. And hey, it never hurts to read the common sense tips, either.
August 22, 2019
Where was this when I was in college?
If I were 18 years old and about to go off to college I would consider this an interesting book to read. I would devour it in one gulp racing from one quote to another, from one bit of dubious advice to the next at breakneck speed. In fact to save a few bucks I might read it while hanging out at Borders. Would I be any the wiser or better informed? Would this book actually help me to survive my freshmen year?
Actually it might. Although the advice is almost random, and sometimes contradictory, and coming from people who went to very different schools with very different environments, from a heartland state university to Harvard, from people who have no money to the very rich, there is some advice somewhere in these pages I suspect that will help just about every freshman.
As an old foge who hasn’t seen hallowed halls in decades, this book provided not usable advice, but a kind of window into the mind of today’s college student. I learned--no surprise really when you think about it--that one of the things that people going into college worry about today is gaining that “freshman 15”—that is to say pounds of fat. The main debate seems to be around whether cafeteria food is edible or not or how many days in a row you can subsist on pizza and beer. “Amy,” from Princeton University says, “The freshman 15 happens to everyone, and don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise.” (p. 156) Best advice in the food category came from Chavon Mitchell, a Xavier grad, who wrote, “…my friend and I would scour the campus paper and fliers for events with free food…We would end up at academic speeches, random barbeques, or various group meetings, none of which we belonged to or knew anything about…We ended up eating for free at least three to four times every week….”
Okay, forget food. How about academics? Oops—21 chapters and none on academics. But no problem, “Hundreds of Heads” publishers have another book that covers this. It’s called “How to get A’s in College—Hundreds of Student-Tested Tips.”
Wait, there is a chapter on studying. Some good advice: “Sleep a lot. And always go to class.” –Sarah, Georgia Tech grad. “Flirt with the professors. It comes in handy when you need to be late on your term paper because you partied all weekend.” --from an anonymous University of Georgia grad. Another U of Georgia grad named Jen says, “Buy beaten-up, used books that have been highlighted and have notes in the margins: Instant Cliff’s Notes!” (p. 126) But J.T., a University of Florida grad cautions, “Be careful when buying used books. The person who had the highlighter before you may have been an idiot.” (p. 137)
All right let’s get to the advice on partying, which is why you’re here in the first place. The chapter is entitled, “Parties 101: How to Have Fun & Be Safe.” It comes right after the chapter on “Going Out, Getting Serious: Dating and Sex.” Be safe? I guess they mean, don’t chug-a-lug Jack Daniels or do not go into the ghetto for weed. Or speed kills (it does). Or maybe it’s this from “Anonymous”: “Girls, be especially careful of what you drink while at clubs or house parties, because an uncovered drink could mean a lost night and a trip to the gynecologist the next day.”
The chapter on choosing classes is good, but I wonder about this advice from “S.P.”: “Fall in love with someone in your class right away, T.A., professor, whomever. You’ll be hard-pressed to skip class. If there is no one in your class to love, then pick someone to hate and show up every day to make his or her life a living hell.” (p. 107)
There’s a chapter on dorm life and one on choosing or living with a roommate. One girl (Heather Pollock from a Cal State U—it doesn’t say which one) had a roommate that was “A Goth lesbian. She would sit on the patio, smoke a pack of cigarettes an hour and cry about how some girl had screwed her over.” Melanie from Penn State says, “The worst thing that happened with my roommate [was] She decided to tap dance at 7 a.m. to get back at me because I kept her up at night.” Hmm…seems fair.
Yes, there is a chapter, more or less, on how to deal with helicopter moms. It’s called “Family Ties: Keeping in Touch & Setting Boundaries.” I knew I had hit the mother lode of insight into parent/student relationships from the student point of view when I read the first three bits of advice: “My relationship with my parents has improved a lot over the phone versus in person.” –Chana Weiner Bernard College; “The thing with parents is that, nine times out of ten, they love you and they want to help you. If they get a little protective when you go away, it’s because they don’t know how to deal with it. Help them through it. Be patient with them.” –B., George Washington University; “I have caller ID on my cell phone. If my parents call, I can see it’s them and let it ring. But they e-mail every day, too. They don’t do IM because I haven’t taught them that yet and they haven’t figured it out. They say, ‘When you talk to people online, what does that mean?’ And I say, ‘Oh, I just e-mail them.”
Come to think of it, maybe this book would be a good read for parents!
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
If I were 18 years old and about to go off to college I would consider this an interesting book to read. I would devour it in one gulp racing from one quote to another, from one bit of dubious advice to the next at breakneck speed. In fact to save a few bucks I might read it while hanging out at Borders. Would I be any the wiser or better informed? Would this book actually help me to survive my freshmen year?
Actually it might. Although the advice is almost random, and sometimes contradictory, and coming from people who went to very different schools with very different environments, from a heartland state university to Harvard, from people who have no money to the very rich, there is some advice somewhere in these pages I suspect that will help just about every freshman.
As an old foge who hasn’t seen hallowed halls in decades, this book provided not usable advice, but a kind of window into the mind of today’s college student. I learned--no surprise really when you think about it--that one of the things that people going into college worry about today is gaining that “freshman 15”—that is to say pounds of fat. The main debate seems to be around whether cafeteria food is edible or not or how many days in a row you can subsist on pizza and beer. “Amy,” from Princeton University says, “The freshman 15 happens to everyone, and don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise.” (p. 156) Best advice in the food category came from Chavon Mitchell, a Xavier grad, who wrote, “…my friend and I would scour the campus paper and fliers for events with free food…We would end up at academic speeches, random barbeques, or various group meetings, none of which we belonged to or knew anything about…We ended up eating for free at least three to four times every week….”
Okay, forget food. How about academics? Oops—21 chapters and none on academics. But no problem, “Hundreds of Heads” publishers have another book that covers this. It’s called “How to get A’s in College—Hundreds of Student-Tested Tips.”
Wait, there is a chapter on studying. Some good advice: “Sleep a lot. And always go to class.” –Sarah, Georgia Tech grad. “Flirt with the professors. It comes in handy when you need to be late on your term paper because you partied all weekend.” --from an anonymous University of Georgia grad. Another U of Georgia grad named Jen says, “Buy beaten-up, used books that have been highlighted and have notes in the margins: Instant Cliff’s Notes!” (p. 126) But J.T., a University of Florida grad cautions, “Be careful when buying used books. The person who had the highlighter before you may have been an idiot.” (p. 137)
All right let’s get to the advice on partying, which is why you’re here in the first place. The chapter is entitled, “Parties 101: How to Have Fun & Be Safe.” It comes right after the chapter on “Going Out, Getting Serious: Dating and Sex.” Be safe? I guess they mean, don’t chug-a-lug Jack Daniels or do not go into the ghetto for weed. Or speed kills (it does). Or maybe it’s this from “Anonymous”: “Girls, be especially careful of what you drink while at clubs or house parties, because an uncovered drink could mean a lost night and a trip to the gynecologist the next day.”
The chapter on choosing classes is good, but I wonder about this advice from “S.P.”: “Fall in love with someone in your class right away, T.A., professor, whomever. You’ll be hard-pressed to skip class. If there is no one in your class to love, then pick someone to hate and show up every day to make his or her life a living hell.” (p. 107)
There’s a chapter on dorm life and one on choosing or living with a roommate. One girl (Heather Pollock from a Cal State U—it doesn’t say which one) had a roommate that was “A Goth lesbian. She would sit on the patio, smoke a pack of cigarettes an hour and cry about how some girl had screwed her over.” Melanie from Penn State says, “The worst thing that happened with my roommate [was] She decided to tap dance at 7 a.m. to get back at me because I kept her up at night.” Hmm…seems fair.
Yes, there is a chapter, more or less, on how to deal with helicopter moms. It’s called “Family Ties: Keeping in Touch & Setting Boundaries.” I knew I had hit the mother lode of insight into parent/student relationships from the student point of view when I read the first three bits of advice: “My relationship with my parents has improved a lot over the phone versus in person.” –Chana Weiner Bernard College; “The thing with parents is that, nine times out of ten, they love you and they want to help you. If they get a little protective when you go away, it’s because they don’t know how to deal with it. Help them through it. Be patient with them.” –B., George Washington University; “I have caller ID on my cell phone. If my parents call, I can see it’s them and let it ring. But they e-mail every day, too. They don’t do IM because I haven’t taught them that yet and they haven’t figured it out. They say, ‘When you talk to people online, what does that mean?’ And I say, ‘Oh, I just e-mail them.”
Come to think of it, maybe this book would be a good read for parents!
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
June 12, 2012
A little repetitive, but very useful information!
Read
July 6, 2019Grandpa gave this to me as a graduation gift and, I have to say, it was pretty funny. Of course, it is neither written by Christians nor to Christians nor to students going to a Christian school that, notably, forbids alcohol.
February 27, 2020
Nice to have stuff from actual student
Read
April 2, 2024Recently went through books in my house and cane across this. it was very interesting to read this after graduating college and looking back
April 13, 2010
Rating: 3.75
How To Survive Your Freshman Year contains a truckload of information: at nearly 400 pages and contributions from tons of college students all over the world, it’s not exactly a fast read. How To Survive Your Freshman Year is like an encyclopedia of tips and tricks for Freshman on every topic you can think of, and probably some you didn’t think of.
Twenty chapters and an appendix full of useful information, This book is a great tool for upper class High-schoolers and college Freshman—and even parents—who have questions and concerns, or are just curious and looking for information, or just don’t know what to expect.
I would, however, use with caution. How To Survive Your Freshman Year gathers advice from everyone—Jews, Christians, Atheists, Homosexuals, etc. so there are contradictory pieces of advice, sometimes right next to each other. The thing about this book is you have to know yourself pretty well in order to use it. You have to decide which pieces of advice are suitable for you, which follow your beliefs, and which you should pretend you never heard. The book does post this disclaimer inside it:
Warning: This Guide contains differing opinions. Hundreds of Heads will not always agree. Advice taken in combinations may cause unwanted side effects. Use your Head when selecting advice.
I think this is a reasonable disclaimer, as it’s very true that there are some very opposite viewpoints in here.
Also, some of the information in here is common sense—then again, it may be common to me but not to someone else because of the way I was raised—and those pieces of advice are just taking up space on a page.
And then there was, in my opinion, also a lot of really dumb advice: like sleep with people, it’s ok to goof off your first term, college is about having fun, bring a fake ID. (note these are not direct quotes, they are summaries of various reoccurring pieces of advice.)
All in all, however, the book is beneficial and worth the buy, especially to brand new college students. I don’t attend a university yet, I attend a community college. I’ve found that a lot of the information and advice I have already gone through and experienced, but there were some other helpful things on topics I’ve yet to encounter, such as large lectures and dorms and vacations/study abroad and a few other things.
Content/Recommendation: There is some colorful language used to prove points in some quotes. There is a chapter on dating and sex. But, the age recommendation is to highschool and Freshman college students and parents, so it’s age appropriate. There is also some mention of religions and beliefs, and the word God is changed to G-d, probably to keep from offending some people.
How To Survive Your Freshman Year contains a truckload of information: at nearly 400 pages and contributions from tons of college students all over the world, it’s not exactly a fast read. How To Survive Your Freshman Year is like an encyclopedia of tips and tricks for Freshman on every topic you can think of, and probably some you didn’t think of.
Twenty chapters and an appendix full of useful information, This book is a great tool for upper class High-schoolers and college Freshman—and even parents—who have questions and concerns, or are just curious and looking for information, or just don’t know what to expect.
I would, however, use with caution. How To Survive Your Freshman Year gathers advice from everyone—Jews, Christians, Atheists, Homosexuals, etc. so there are contradictory pieces of advice, sometimes right next to each other. The thing about this book is you have to know yourself pretty well in order to use it. You have to decide which pieces of advice are suitable for you, which follow your beliefs, and which you should pretend you never heard. The book does post this disclaimer inside it:
Warning: This Guide contains differing opinions. Hundreds of Heads will not always agree. Advice taken in combinations may cause unwanted side effects. Use your Head when selecting advice.
I think this is a reasonable disclaimer, as it’s very true that there are some very opposite viewpoints in here.
Also, some of the information in here is common sense—then again, it may be common to me but not to someone else because of the way I was raised—and those pieces of advice are just taking up space on a page.
And then there was, in my opinion, also a lot of really dumb advice: like sleep with people, it’s ok to goof off your first term, college is about having fun, bring a fake ID. (note these are not direct quotes, they are summaries of various reoccurring pieces of advice.)
All in all, however, the book is beneficial and worth the buy, especially to brand new college students. I don’t attend a university yet, I attend a community college. I’ve found that a lot of the information and advice I have already gone through and experienced, but there were some other helpful things on topics I’ve yet to encounter, such as large lectures and dorms and vacations/study abroad and a few other things.
Content/Recommendation: There is some colorful language used to prove points in some quotes. There is a chapter on dating and sex. But, the age recommendation is to highschool and Freshman college students and parents, so it’s age appropriate. There is also some mention of religions and beliefs, and the word God is changed to G-d, probably to keep from offending some people.
May 6, 2010
From My Blog...[return][return]The end of the school year is rapidly approaching which means graduations invitations will soon be mailed out. Wondering what to buy the new graduate? How To Survive Your Freshman Year put out by Hundreds of Heads may be an excellent choice. The book is comprised of twenty chapters filled with 1,000 tips, advice and wit from hundreds of college students, former RAs and advisors. The advice ranges from the practical, to the whimsical and everything in between. Moving in, Greek life, dorm life, partying, making friends, budgeting and dealing with homesickness are just a few of the numerous topics covered in this reference book. In addition to the numerous chapters of advice the book also contains detailed appendices. How To Survive Your Freshman Year is an easy to read, easily navigated book, which can be read in bits and pieces, or all at once, offering up advice to help out first year college students. An excellent, honest and fresh look at life as a new freshman, How To Survive Your Freshman Year offers useful anecdotes from those that have experience with college life.
June 17, 2010
A very interesting book - a must read for all college bound students. I feel much more prepared for my freshman year now. It was enlightening to hear so many different opinions on several subjects. As a warning however, you may not agree with all of the advice given in this book. At one point, I felt like drinking alcohol and partying was inevitable and the only way to have fun in college. Yet, in discerning between different students' outlooks, I learned a lot about myself and was able to put my goals and expectations for college in perspective.
July 24, 2014
Fantastic. This book has given me so many useful tips (from past freshman). Partially hilarious, informational, and honest, this book is great for any high school graduating senior. On a side note, I'm so proud of myself for reading a 300+ page NON FICTIONAL book. :-)
August 23, 2011
Pretty typical, commonsense information, but it was a good reinforcement before school. Good luck to all you college freshman out there!
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