1001 Things Every College Student Needs to Know:

by Harry H. Harrison Jr.

What things does every college student need to know? In 1001 Things Every College Student Needs to Know , Harry H. Harrison Jr. provides practical advice ranging from classroom enrollment, living on campus, study habits, and more, that every student and parent will benefit from.This book is a solid gift if you know a college student that needs a little wisdomFinancial advice while attending schoolHandling parental expectations and being away from homeTaking care of your mental health and maintaining your faithTaking and mastering multiple choice testsCreating healthy relationships with your professorsSelecting classes, surviving campus life, and writing a college paperParticipating in groups and handling various personality typesCollege students will appreciate the author's witty yet relatable tone. 1001 Things Every College Student Needs to Know is a great resource for high school graduates and new college students.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, School, College

304 pages, Paperback

First published March 18, 2008

About the author

Harry H. Harrison Jr. is a parenting expert and author of 1,001 Things It Means to Be a Dad and other 1,001 Things books from Thomas Nelson. For many years, he operated his own award-winning creative consultancy firm, Harrison Creative Directions.

Reviews

[Allie · Rating 1 out of 5]

this author is genuinely one of the most cynical people I've ever met. his perspective on college is outdated and incredibly pessimistic. he probably thought he was giving 'real talk', but it's genuinely terrible.

only giving it 1.5 stars because there were a few genuine nuggets of wisdom in here - but they're few and far between.

most of this stuff is common sense, y'all.

EDIT: oh nelly there's a chapter about God. no thanks!

[Bobbi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the tips were helpful, and it's a really short read, but this guy is obviously an older man trying to act sassy and assuming all readers aren't committed to college, aren't grateful to their parents, and aren't ready. And the religious section?? Weird. I'm pretty sure my dad didn't decide to include this in my grad present to give me a treatise from a random old guy on a god I don't believe in. If I wanted to hear that, I could talk to my least favorite uncle. It's obvious that this guy is pushing abstinence; it's not as subtle as he thinks it is. It's not worth the read.

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an incoming high school junior this book seems really helpful in getting me ahead and putting away some natural worries with tips like address your teacher as professor or doctor and learn to do laundry early. It's confusing how the author (male) refers to boyfriends from a female perspective. Another unsettling factor is how much this book emphasizes that college is going to require ridiculous amounts of work. I have never been to college but either this book is preparing me or causing me to worry even more about the workload. I could do without the community college tips and preaching from the religious section. Some of the tips I bet even religious people would disagree with like 951. "You need to know to not wait until you're sitting in you semester exam looking at an impossible algebra problem to start up a relationship with God. He could be busy with the student two desks behind you who's been relating to Him all year". The author makes it seem like it can be too late to connect with God which I'm sure many will disagree with and that people who connect with him earlier get bonus points or something. Also 963. "You need to know your religion course will probably be taught by an atheist. No, it doesn't make sense" and 965. "You need to know even prayer can't overcome the consequences of not studying" are some of the more controversial tips. This book sprinkles various websites that I'm positive will come in handy later like ratemyprofessors.com. I would prefer a more up to date book from a recent graduate since we all know that college has changed so much in prices, competitiveness, and workloads. I found this book to be fairly informative and helpful yet making me worry about the work with scary statistics.

[Kevin Albertsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the tips said in this book seem like they would be helpful but a lot are garbage. This guy obviously had an agenda when he wrote the book. He sprinkles these suggestions with his own conservative views on religion and sex and other taboo subjects.

[Juliet Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book did offer some helpful advice (memorizing Social Security number and get a campus job) most of everything else I already knew.
I also felt the book was offensive against lower income students who go to community college and apply for affirmative action. The author also neglected to mention to apply for scholarships. (Apply and get accepted into enough scholarships and you can get all or most of your tuition paid.)
However, the number one reason is that the author claims that you "need God" in order to graduate. As a non-religious deist, I found this section to be mildly offensive, and I don't blame any atheists/agnostics who threw the book across the room, because of this.
In short, while this book may have some valid advise it was offensive, and mostly worthless.

[Elizabeth StClair · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made me want to punch someone and work so much harder in school at the same time. I can't decide exactly what part got me quite so motivated, but I am now and I can't wait to get back on campus and work harder. However, this book could use an update. MySpace is no longer a viable social platform for college students. But over all a decent book. I'm ready to work!

[Lesa Parnham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of scary for me and I think it was redundant just so the author could get to 1001. It presents a negative view of college. Recommend instead: The Naked Roomate (that is if you are going to college) and no, that is not pornography!

[Blythe Penland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was rather helpful. Before this book, I knew hardly anything about college besides that you’ll be bankrupt and you shouldn’t get drunk. I feel better prepared for what’s to come. Not all 1001 things will apply to everyone, but I did find some especially beneficial ones. You should put your best effort into your college career and you’ll be okay. Take classes on things you don’t know, know whether or not you want to live on campus, find out your legal responsibilities (because you’re now legally an adult). I feel better prepared from reading this book, and I would recommend it to all college students.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

In some ways I liked this book. It has several helpful tips. However, it seemed a little redundant at times, as if the author had to make it to 1001. Also, I dislike how this book can make you feel more nervous about college with the emphasis it gives on workload. Additionally, the author is very biased against community college. It's like the author has forgotten how, depending on the job or major, some people with two year degrees make more than others with four year degrees. I think this book needs to be updated.

[Natalia · Rating 1 out of 5]

There were only a few good tips and the rest was fluff and even those good ones were obvious. I did not like the tone of this book either - kind of preachy. It also tends to emphasize how hard work college is and may make some kids worry even more. When I picked up this book, I expected some humor and did not find any. I will not be recommending this book to my prospective student.

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

the advice was generic and boring. the author’s tone is a bit condescending, which becomes annoying very fast. however, if you truly know NOTHING about college, then this book will work just fine.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute little book! It's an easy read with some good advice. Including: the names of helpful websites to but textbooks, search for professors, and help with bibliographies. There was some good advice about building a relationship with your professor-or at least making sure they know you exist. Letters of recommendation!

[Kathrynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neat little book! Easy to read, often funny, with handy tips and advice from a wide variety of college life topics to include studying, paying for college, handling parents, building or a least letting your professors/T.A.s know who you are and more.

[Jacki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gave this to my sister as a high school graduation gift. Not necessarily all of the sections could apply, so I went through it and wrote her notes on the important ones. Not really a difficult book to "read"...I did it in one sitting.

[Maxwell · Rating 2 out of 5]

The scenarios are funny, but the book is a little too pessimistic and is making me nervous for college when I wasn't before.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few humorous points, but then he threw religion in at the end. I now understand he was trying to put the fear of God in new students.

[Micaiah Keitel · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are helpful tips in here, but some of the things listed that you need to know feel like filler text. It’s worth reading and taking some notes on though.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read (mostly a bulleted list) very frank, no holds barred. I feel like I'll be able to give a more accuracy rating in a year or so to see how much advice rang true. Felt repetitive after a while, but some solid advice. Loved the "chapter" on religion

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really condescending, only a few useful tips, and extremely outdated

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the book seems rather pessimistic and made me a little bit nervous about going to college, it does come with a great deal of useful advice. Not all of it applies to everyone, of course - and Harrison writes in a way that indicates he is aware of this - but I believe that hr did a good job of considering many topics as fairly as possible. It's a bit sassy at points (or almost all the time), and could be seen as accusatory at others, but all in all I appreciate the way he balances multiple possibilities.

These are a 1001 Things Every College Student Needs to Know, not a 1001 Things Every College Student Should Do. And from that point of view, I think he did a very respectable job.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this book provided pretty good examples of what to do in college in order to find success. There were some times where the author seemed to be very harsh, however. Also, the author is very obviously religiously biased and I did not appreciate that when he was discussing college and faith. Most of his tips were very helpful and I would recommend this book to any college freshmen or students about to enter college.

[Ciara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had so many amazing tips that I loved! It definitely had things that I will remember and that will help me when I start school. This could've probably been reduced to about 500 though with the about of times the same advice was repeated.

Although it was useful, some of the thinking in the advice was a little close-minded, such as assuming our parents would pay for our education or that we are religious (in fact, it basically suggested you had to be religious to do well).

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome book for all kids entering or in college and their parents! The advice is funny, but spot on! If kids follow even half of the advice, they will have highly successful college years!

[Ashleigh Cartmill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great for a tarting out college student. It has humor in it and it's not difficult to read. Plus a lot of it is good info. I give it a 4.5 and recommend it for anyone nervous about college or looking for some advice.

[Sharrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful in my journey to trying to figure out what I needed for college

[Cady Ali · Rating 1 out of 5]

not everything is a new information in here, but it could be helpful for others

[Lori Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read book on career management.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read!

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sobering advice.

[EffinghamPL]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13662417