Learn more about how to succeed in the first year

Learn More

"Professors' Guide to Getting Good Grades in College," by Lynn F. Jacobs and Jeremy S. Hyman (Collins, $15.95).

A good resource for students (and parents) nervous about the transition to college academics. Admissions experts routinely point out that even top high-school seniors can be surprised by the different demands of campus life.

"The College Dorm Survival Guide: How to Survive and Thrive in Your New Home Away from Home" by Julia DeVillers (Three Rivers Press, $12.95 )

A bit basic for many young people, and a tad too naive in its tips about keeping one's dorm-room stereo turned to a respectful volume, but it's useful for a young person who has not been away from the home front often.

"How to Survive Your Freshman Year," by Hundreds of College Sophomore, Juniors, and Seniors Who Did," edited by Mark Bernstein and Yadin Kaufmann, (Hundreds of Heads Books, $13.95).

Lightweight but practical advice in an updated edition. Entertaining reading, as well as a wake-up call to parents who think their kid's experience will mirror their own.

Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds," by Richard J. Light (Harvard University Press, paper, $14.95). This well-researched book is an intelligent look at what fuels a positive college experience. A refreshingly literate treatment of higher education based on wide-ranging insider interviews.

Kimberly Marlowe Hartnett