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Applying to and heading to college can be an exciting and rewarding experience, but it often comes with a fear of the unexpected. For many college students, starting out at a college or university is their first taste of freedom. they can deal with the stress of difficult courses and new social environments while trying to navigate the drama with roommates or friends. These seven books on the college experience dive deep into these topics and can help students prepare for or deal with the occasional pitfalls of college life.
You are reading: Books about college students
elif batuman’s idiot
During the first year, students may try to figure things out and wonder how to fit in. In this book, Selin Karadag is a second-generation Turkish American facing her freshman year at Harvard University. The story takes place in the 1990s, so some of her references are dated, but you can still empathize with her as she struggles with her life situation, her classmates, and her school. p>
Selin immerses herself in the whole college experience as she befriends a Serbian girl named Svetlana and falls in love with an older math student named Ivan. During the summer, Ella Selin travels to Europe to teach English in Hungary, and during this time abroad, she is confronted with who she is and what she wants from life.
freshmen of tom ellen and lucy ivison
phoebe can’t wait to finally go to college. she longs to be free and have a life without a curfew. she just so happens that the only person from her high school who goes to the same college is luke, hers lifelong crush on her. Luke, on the other hand, did not set out to reinvent himself. instead, he finds himself leaving his long-distance, long-term girlfriend. this change makes him also rethink who she is.
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just as phoebe and luke begin to connect, drama breaks out. Rumors begin to circulate about a wall of shame, which is a string of text created by Luke’s soccer teammates, along with compromising photographs. As the women on campus seek to discover who is behind the chain, Luke and Phoebe grapple with their feelings and how this will affect them.
welcome to braggsville for you. geronimo johnson
born and raised in the south, d’aron experiences culture shock while attending the university of california-berkeley. he feels like he’s over his head, as before he was just used to small town life and now he has to acclimate to a more cosmopolitan lifestyle in california. He ends up befriending three students, including Louie from California, Candice from Iowa, and Charlie, a black kid from inner city Chicago. They call themselves the four Indians.
Their friendship changes when d’aron accidentally mentions in his history class that his hometown hosts an annual civil war reenactment. Armed with their misguided views of the South, the four Indians head to Braggsville and decide to hold a protest, which doesn’t go as planned.
fangirl by rainbow rowell
College is all about relationships, whether romantic or friendly, and this book highlights family ones. Cath and Ella Wren’s twin sister are preparing for college life together, but Wren confesses that she doesn’t want to room with Cath.
While Wren prospers, makes numerous friends, and enjoys a party lifestyle, Cath finds herself lonely thanks to a surly roommate who spends much of her time with her boyfriend, and a writing-hating teacher who Cath likes it. She is also worried about her father’s health and wishes to have her sister by her side. To help her cope, Ella Cath retires to writing Simon Snow fan fiction and wonders if she can get through it all.
again, but better by christine riccio
After being in college for a while, Shane realizes he’s not getting the full college experience. Of course, she has excellent grades and is a medical student, and her parents are very proud of her. She however, doesn’t have any friends because she spends every weekend at home and doesn’t have any romance either.
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Shane needs a change, and fast, so she signs up for a semester in London. she decides that she will make friends, go on dates, and seek out adventures. however, these goals are easier said than done, and soon enough, she must face living outside of her comfort zone as self-doubt begins to creep in.
normal people by sally rooney
No one knows how much relationships and people will change when they head off to college, and this book explains how its characters meet this particular dilemma head-on. At the beginning of the novel, Marianne and Connell are still in high school. Marianne is a quiet, lonely woman from a wealthy family who employs Connell’s single mother as a housekeeper.
despite these different circumstances, marianne and connell start dating, but pretend not to know each other when they both go to trinity university in dublin. Marianne becomes very popular, leaving Connell alone. During their college years, they foster an on-and-off relationship, which becomes even more confusing when Connell’s future looks promising while Marianne’s takes a dark turn.
the secret story of donna tartt
Almost like hitting a refresh button, going to a campus far from home is a perfect way to shake off the stigmas of high school. that’s just what richard does when he transfers to hampden college. the desire to reinvent himself prevails, especially as he feels embarrassed by his working-class family back home. he ends up telling anyone who will listen that he comes from a rich family and that he attended boarding school.
richard ends up joining a group of students who seem extremely intellectual and worldly, and is soon welcomed into their clique. this group takes him into a world of late-night parties that leads him to question his new life, and he wonders if this dangerous world is worth it.
summary
As these books reveal, college can be overwhelming at times, but it can also be immensely rewarding—it can help students understand who they are and what’s important to them. Hopefully, these books can ease some of the anxieties prospective college students may have about continuing their education while pointing out the world of possibilities that awaits them in their undergraduate years. To help make those possibilities a reality, our world-renowned university consultants at Spark Admissions can answer any college questions you may have and what potential college students can expect. Contact our office today for a free consultation.
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