The first practical guide of its kind that helps students transition smoothly from high school to collegeThe transition from high school-and home-to college can be stressful. Students and parents often arrive on campus unprepared for what college is really like. Academic standards and expectations are different from high school; families aren't present to serve as "scaffolding" for students; and first-years have to do what they call "adulting." Nothing in the college admissions process prepares students for these new realities.As a result, first-year college students report higher stress, more mental health issues, and lower completion rates than in the past. In fact, up to one third of first-year college students will not return for their second year-and colleges are reporting an increase in underprepared first-year students.How to College is here to help. 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. The book draws on the authors' experience teaching, writing curricula, and designing programs for thousands of first-year college students over decades.

An Introduction for StudentsWe Need to See Other People: A Letter to Parents and FamiliesA Guide to This GuidePART I: THE NEW COLLEGE YOU1. Your Identity: Is Reinventing Yourself a Real Thing?2. Doubling (or Tripling) Down: Sharing Your Living Space3. Beyond Icebreakers: Getting to KNow Your College PeersPART II: COLLEGE IS SCHOOL4. What Do You Want from Me? Academic Standards5. Going Pro: Professionalism in College Academics6. Get to the Point: Read and Study with Purpose7. There Are No Bad Writers, Only Unpersuasive Papers: College Writing8. Know Your Network: Academic SupportPART III: TAKE CARE OF YOU9. Eat, Sleep, Pray, Play: Wellness10. Health 101: Access to Care in School11. You Are You Own Safety Net: Staying Protected in CollegePART IV: THE RESIDENT EXPERTS12. Key Players on Campus: Staff and Administrators13. Not So Scary After All: ProfessorsPART V: MONEY TALK14. You're Not a Loan: Paying for College15. Your Life's Transcript: Financial Literacy16. Turns Out, There's a Math Requirement: Understanding BudgetsPART VI: LIFE BEYOND THE CLASSROOM17. The Lay of the Land: Your Campus18. After the Activities Fair: Involvement and Community Responsibility19. Work It: Career and Internship Resources20. Act Locally: Your New College TownPART VII: YOUR TO-DO LISTDo This. Now. SeriouslyKnow and Do Before You GoMake Your Smartphone SmarterBoost Your Browser: Bookmark These SitesAcknowledgementsNotesIndex