The Real Freshman Handbook: A Totally Honest Guide to Life on Campus

by Jennifer Hanson

In a guide to college life that is a little more realistic than Felicity and a little more fun than Stanley Kaplan, Jennifer Hanson charts a course through the dips and bends of freshman year. Written with the collective “wisdom” of twelve college students from across the country, THE REAL FRESHMAN HANDBOOK is the only one of its kind — a “handy and humorous book that will fit in any first-year’s backpack” (Harvard University Gazette) and that offers an inside look at the real deal on college life from those who have been there — and survived. Hanson gives readers a crash course in avoiding freshman year follies, from filling out roommate questionnaires and evaluating putative hangover remedies to writing papers and studying for exams.
College-bound students will relish the down-to-earth advice, and parents can rest assured that they won’t have to fund a new wardrobe because Junior didn’t separate the colors from the whites. The advice throughout is insightful, smart, practical, entertaining, proving that “Hanson has really done her homework” (U Magazine).

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 9, 1996

Reviews

[Courtney Hamilton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another graduation gift. I was not impressed by this "handbook". Sure, it did make me think about a few things, but the advice it gives is all pretty much common sense information that I would hope anyone about to enter college would already know.

[Linda]

3.5 stars

Cute writing (as in planned humor, that is) and some helpful tips. Most of the tips in the beginning were commons sense, but I definitely relished the tips on how to write a paper :)

[Rose]

378.1 Han

[Debs · Rating 3 out of 5]

While mostly pithy, this book actually did help me during some sticky dorm-living situations.