Includes bibliographical references and index.

An introduction for students -- We need to see other people : a letter to parents and families -- A guide to this guide -- Your identity : is reinventing yourself a real thing? -- Doubling (or tripling) down : sharing your living space -- Beyond icebreakers : getting to know your college peers -- What do you want from me? : academic standards -- Going pro : professionalism in college academics -- Get to the point : read and study with purpose -- There are no bad writers, only unpersuasive papers : college writing -- Know your network : academic support -- Eat, sleep, pray, play : wellness -- Health 101 : access to care in school -- You are your own safety net : staying secure in college -- Key players on campus : staff and administrators -- Not so scary after all : professors -- You're not a loan : paying for college -- Your life's transcript : financial literacy -- Turns out, there's a math requirement : understanding budgets -- The lay of the land : your campus -- After the activities fair : involvement and community responsibility -- Work it : career and internship resources -- Act locally : your new college town -- Do this. Now. Seriously -- Know and do before you go -- Make your smartphone smarter -- Boost your browser : bookmark these sites.

"The first practical guide of its kind that helps students transition smoothly from high school to college. The 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 curriculum, and designing programs for thousands of first-year college students over decades"--