Stuff Every College Student Should Know

by Blair Thornburgh

This pocket-size handbook is the perfect gift for high-school seniors ready to conquer the college campus!
 
Covering everything from move-in day to graduation, this little book is the ultimate reference for every part of campus life,
 
·      How to Pull an All-Nighter
·      How to Get Along with Your Roommate
·      How to Eat for No Money
·      How to Do Laundry
·      How to Pick a Major

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Self Help

144 pages, Hardcover

First published March 25, 2014

Reviews

[LG (A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. It's a short, quick read that covers most of the basics, although I wish the "Academic Life" portion had mentioned the library (true, I'm a bit biased, but still). There were bits of info that were nice but not actually vital, like the guide to laundry tag symbols.

[Nadia · Rating 2 out of 5]

"You didn't bring that PlayStation 3 all the way from home just to play endless solo rounds of Halo" this professor clearly has no idea what he is talking about.

[Jermaine Van Buren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. 3 stars because non Christian author. Some advice is humanistic and moralistic. But most of the advice is great and definitely worth a read if you shepherd college students. Add it to the list with Surviving Religion 101 and The Bible Explained and you have a good graduation gift for a high school senior.

[Stephanie Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect book for the upcoming college student! It is perfect in almost every way, right down to the size. Small and compact, with short easy to read topics in each of the short chapters.

Stuff your teachers don’t usually tell you. For example, how to survive your first roommate, how to furnish your dorm or first apartment for little money, how to pull an all-nighter studying for an exam, how to find friends or places to hang out, and so much more.

Even my teenage son, a junior in high school, thought this was interesting and informative, with a touch of humor thrown in. Well worth the cost.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 2.5 stars

This was not a bad book by any means. It had some entertaining humor as well as some pretty useful knowledge (thank you for explaining to me what those laundry symbols actually mean). However, it also seemed to be pretty full of things that are common sense.

Useful stuff:
- Guide to Laundry Tag Symbols
- How to Form a (Useful) Study Group
- Caffeine Chart
- Ten Interview Questions to Have Down Cold

Common Sense Stuff:
- How to Keep Your Mini Fridge Clean
- How to Take Notes (if you haven't learned this already..... wow)
- How to Find and Make Friends

[University of Chicago Magazine]

Blair Thornburgh, AB’12
Author

From our pages (May–June/14): "In her debut book, Blair Thornburgh shares with the next generation of undergraduates insights gleaned from her four years in the College. Stuff Every College Student Should Know offers practical advice on topics including how to cook with a microwave, how to ask your parents for money, and how to pass a test you forgot to study for. The pocket-sized reference also touches on life after graduation, with tips to guide students through résumé writing and job interviews."

[Erin BookNut · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I wish I had had this book when I was a Freshman in college, my life would have been so much easier. Having received it when I was a Senior who had experienced and learned many of the tips on my own I had to say that they were spot on. I liked how small the book was, a cute little pocket book, but the content would be excellent for someone just getting into to college.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sure that things have changed in the decade since this was published. I'd love to read current student reviews. But all in all, if you find it on a used book shelf it's a decent item to send along with a child or nephew / niece going away to school for the first time.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these seem like extreme common sense like on bringing stuff from home and emailing professors.

[HannahBeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, yet fun.

[Jess Philly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thornburgh hit a home run. Brilliant work by a brilliant and gifted author. Definitely do read this book.

[Maura Cuneo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty basic advice, but it is good to have it all in one small book

[OpenBookSociety.com · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://openbooksociety.com/article/st...

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Valerie

While there were some really informative tips, most of this book was common sense. Perhaps this book should be named Stuff Every College Student Already Knows, but that’s just a thought. However, while most of this book was common knowledge, the parts that weren’t were really helpful.

What I love most is the resume tips and the tips about emailing professors. Although I consider myself pretty email-savvy, those tips blew me away! (Or maybe I’m just terrible with email…. you choose…)

This compact 144 page little booklet can fit anymore. It’s really convenient for when you’re bored at school or at home. I wouldn’t recommend this for a college student though. I believe that this handbook would be better for a middle school student or a high school student, as much of what an adult believes is common sense really has to be taught!

Overall, Blair Thornburgh wrote a cute, informative little book in a brilliant package.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

[Jill Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as a Librarything Early Reads winner.
As the mother of a 15-year-old high school freshman, I was interested in what this book had to offer in the way of advice to a college freshman since we are only a few years away from this big event. I think the book has some good tips on food (different ways to cook things with and without a microwave, when to throw various leftover foods away) as well as how to write resumes and answer interview questions).
I was not as impressed by chapters on social life - there seems to be a large focus on "going greek" and the info on how to break up with someone is a bit to basic for the complexity of teenagers and 20 somethings although advising not to end a relationship right before vacation or finals is a great tip!
I will give this book to my son as overall, I think it has some pretty sound advice for making one of the biggest transitions of a young life.

[Jeri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a handy little book for freshmen going off to college on their own for the first time to take with them as a sort of go-to guide. It covers everything from doing laundry, cooking with and without a microwave, dealing with a roommate, relationships, pledging, studying all the way to writing a resume.


I got this book for free in exchange for a review from LibraryThing.

[Dalton Gamroth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked:
- Tips. The tips were easy to follow and realistic.
- Style. The style of this book was very easy to read.

Didn't Like:
- Boring. I felt like the author could've added in some personal stories to make reading this more interesting.
- Read it just to read it. I just read it to read it, I didn't really enjoy it.

Overall:
- Eh. Just an okay coffee-table book.

[Lisa Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is exactly what I need to take with me for college. Thornburgh did an excellent job supplying us freshmen with advice and practical knowledge. While some of the things are common sense, it is always a good to have someone else reiterate that kind of stuff. When you are stressed out, it can be hard to remember those kinds of things. This book is going with me to college.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read with some nicely written tips (using an iron to make sandwiches, finding stuff on the cheap / free, dealing with other peeps).

I have no idea why this caught my eye at the library, but it was a nice change-of-pace read.

[Renren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already knew about half the tips in this book, but it also gave me new hints for when I attend college in the fall. It will also be great for anytime I get stressed and just be able to read the tips. Anyone going to college should read this.

[Jess | FairyTale Pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so fun to read. I wish someone would have given this to me before I started college! Full of fun, useful information!

[Dawn Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for your college students!!

[Kim Heimbuch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review has been written and will post here after it posts to its original Review destination.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was pretty neat! I probably should have read it prior to my second year of college.. but that is okay! It gave me some ideas and made me realize I didn't do as terrible my first year as I thought!

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best handbook ever!

[Amanda Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5

[Kayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

i got this when I became a freshman at college. Quite helpful when it's laundry day. :)