Off to College

What should parents expect during their child's first year of college? Roger Martin, double president emeritus of two colleges, spent a year visiting five diverse colleges--public and private, large and small, elite and non-elite--in order to offer the parents of college-bound seniors a comprehensive overview of the first-year college experience. In addition to a stint with dorm life and time with students and professors, Martin draws from conversations with a wide variety of campus administrators and staff members--in financial aid, campus police, sports, health care, and disabilities accommodations. We join Martin, for example, as he and a campus safety officer walk around campus on a busy Saturday night. While "Off to College "deals with more traditional topics such as the financial challenges of college, homesickness, and time management, it also tackles more complex, contemporary issues that college freshman may encounter. There are sections devoted to date rape, drinking, campus shootings, and depression, as well as chapters targeted at athletes, minorities, and first generation students. We can boast in this book not only a most appropriate and uniquely positioned author, but also one full of information and good advice from campus sources. "Off to College" promises to be an encouraging and extremely well-informed guide for any parent sending their child off to a four-year residential college.