More resources

Finding first-year success

"MAKING THE MOST OF COLLEGE: STUDENTS SPEAK THEIR MINDS" by Richard J. Light (Harvard University Press, $24.95). Thoughtful, well-written; based on years of interviews with students, faculty and staff.

"HOW TO WIN AT COLLEGE: SURPRISING SECRETS FOR SUCCESS FROM THE COUNTRY'S TOP STUDENT," by Cal Newport (Broadway, $11.95). This deliberately provocative book is a good way for a smart student to see how out-of-the-box thinking can lead to success in college. Its against-the-grain advice, in some places, will not be as suitable for the less sophisticated or too-literal-minded reader.

"COLLEGE CLUES FOR THE CLUELESS" of the multi-authored "Clues" series (Promise Press, $8.99). Uses Christian scripture to bolster its points about college life; can provide a useful framework for discussion between students and parents for whom more secular guides are not fully helpful.

"LIVING THE COLLEGE LIFE: REAL STUDENTS. REAL EXPERIENCES. REAL ADVICE" by Kenneth Paulsen (Cliffs Notes, $12.99). Cliffs Notes get a bad rap for creating boiled-down versions of classics, but this guide (authored by a journalism professor) has a smart Q&A format. Lots of topics, from dorm life to academics, with level-headed answers based on real-student interviews.

Many books aimed at first-year college students are longer on safe-partying guidelines and shorter on academic-success tips than many parents would like. But the appeal to student readers and usefulness of the blunt advice offered can be considerable. Among the better books in this category are:

"HOW TO SURVIVE YOUR FRESHMAN YEAR," edited by Mark Bernstein and Yadin Kaufmann (Hundreds of Heads Books, $12.95)

"REAL COLLEGE: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO STUDENT LIFE" by Douglas Stone and Elizabeth Tippett (Penguin, $14)

"THE NAKED ROOMMATE: AND 107 OTHER ISSUES YOU MIGHT RUN INTO IN COLLEGE" by Harlan Cohen (Sourcebooks, $14.95)

"THE REAL FRESHMAN HANDBOOK: A TOTALLY HONEST GUIDE TO LIFE ON CAMPUS" by Jennifer Hanson (Houghton Mifflin, $10)