How to Survive Your Freshman Year

Mark W. Bernstein, Yadin Kaufmann, et al. | 4.84 | 15 ratings and reviews

Ranked #36 in College

Thoroughly reimagined sixth edition of this comprehensive, yet light-hearted, guide to college life, updated and edited by Alison Leigh Cowan, formerly of the New York Times.

Sixth edition contains roughly 1,000 pieces of straight-talking advice from students and recent graduates fresh off the experience at more than 200 campuses. These young voices, who represent the ever-shifting, kaleidoscopic spectrum of college life, are the ones that readers hear most from in the book – a point of distinction between this classic how-to and the many guides that are squawk boxes for lone experts.

The hundreds of ordinary “experts” who participated in the making of this down-to-earth guide are all the readers' peers, and there is little they have not seen or experienced among them. So, it’s easy for incoming freshmen to find out just what works, what doesn’t work, and when people disagree about the best way forward. This book lets you hear all sides.

In addition to revisiting all the mainstay topics covered by past editions over 20 chapters – such as, getting along with roommates, picking classes, dealing with family – this 6th edition contains an all-new chapter called "Coping" aimed at helping students deal with stress.

It also features brand-new, highly topical sections that delve into:
- hidden hazards of free speech on campus
- the many ways the dating scene has changed
- how to spot hazing
- study "aids" to be avoided and
- obtaining accommodations if you have a disability

Freshmen will also benefit from practical advice found in this edition on a range of topics including:
"What to Do About the Dining Hall Blues,"
"Ways to Ship, not Shlep,"
"The Best-Paying Campus Job You'll Ever Have,"
"What to Do and Not to Do If Arrested" and "Surprising Swag You Never Knew You Could Get for Free From the Library.'' (To wit: everything from sleds and shovels for outdoor play to suits and ties for interviews. Even loaner sessions with therapy dogs can be had.)

New illustrations introducing each chapter and throughout the margins provide wit and whimsy along the way, courtesy of Lisa Rothstein, an award-winning cartoonist whose irrepressible artwork has appeared in the New Yorker.

Those heading off to college would be well-served just memorizing the book's cheeky list of sure-fire excuses to use when they are late for class. less

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