When you arrive on a college campus, spread out in front of you are literally thousands of new things to learn. For most students, it takes months to discover how to successfully navigate this new environment. Nine months, in fact, September to May: your first year in college. Now you can have the answers that all first-year students wish they had from the beginning. And you can have them in about an hour. The information in this book was gathered from scholars and students at colleges across the nation: two-year, four-year, private, public, large, and small. Aspects from each are tied together with the common theme every first-year student expressed: they needed help. We’re going to help by telling you the story of Jake, a first-year student at T.H.E. University. He is about to experience many of the obstacles first-year students encounter. Your first year will be full of challenges, questions, and opportunities. In an hour or so, you’ll be better prepared. Real Reviews “The Skinny on Your First Year In College should be required reading for all first-year students. Many students stumble upon my office confused, lost or just plain frustrated. I wish I had a copy of this practical guide to give them all. It’s easy to follow, upbeat, positive and will empower the students that read it to make the right choices.” - Deborah Mohlenhoff, Director of Activities, Tompkins Cortland Community College “I really wish I read this in the summer prior to my freshman year. In fact, I think that all first-year college students should get their hands on this book. It was packed with valuable information that I think is crucial for incoming college students.” - Michael Smith, Student, Clemson University “This book is extremely successful in pinpointing the underlying difficulties encountered by freshmen and tackling them with real-life solutions. It can help any college student, not just freshmen.” - Abby Minor, Student, Messiah College

1. your first year
in college
by sean heffron
“I found myself nodding my head and saying, ‘that’s so true’
throughout the entire book.”
Kelsey Consiglio / Freshman, Sacred Heart University

2. “OK. Academic Advisor,
visual retrieval, study skills,
note taking, planner … wow.
It’s a lot to remember…”
108
PART IV:
Handling the Stress
175 177
“Plus, the amount of work I have SEAN’S OFFICE
to do is only part of it! Do you “Sean?”
know what it’s like to have so much “I know. Let’s take
going on? Roommates, late nights, one thing at a time.
homesickness, tests, classes, Go study. We’ll talk
meetings, guest speakers … not to about handling all
mention the amount of alcohol on the stress after your
test tomorrow.” “Hey, good
campus! I’m exhausted!”
morning! How
was the test?”
108
176 178

3. “I think I did “I know it’s not easy, but having all of
really well!” this responsibility is part of the college
experience. Freshman year is not just
about figuring out college, it’s about
figuring out who you are and who you
want to become.”
179 181
“A little. I still have to finish a
paper and practice my speech
“Feeling better for tomorrow. Plus my little
now that your sister back home is sick, and
I feel bad that I’m not there to
exam is out of
help out.” In the next few years, your identity
the way?”
will change. As cool as you are
right now, the person you are today
is not who you are going to be for
the rest of your life.
180 182

4. Don’t believe me? Imagine if your parents still thought Chickering said one of the most important parts of
of themselves as 18 year olds: hanging out in the high handling stress is the managing your emotions. This
school parking lot, sneaking out at night, talking on the is critical in new environments like college where you
phone with their friends all of the time … CREEPY! often feel overwhelmed, confused, or frustrated.
“MOM?!?”
Let’s go over a few stressful situations you
may face this year.
183 185
“Have a seat, Jake. You’re not the first Stress producer #1:
freshman to be feeling stress ... I can assure Lower-than expected grades.
you that! Experts like Arthur Chickering have
been studying college students for decades. “College students statistically earn their lowest Grade
Point Average (GPA) during the first semester of freshman
And we know how to help you.” year.
It’s natural to struggle academically at first. If you get a
poor grade, discuss it with your professor. Students often
tell me they are too embarrassed to talk to me about a bad
grade.
How does that help them?”
184 186

5. Stress Producer #2:
Personal relationships
“First-year students often struggle “You know, college isn’t all about grades
because they are afraid to ask for for some of us. Most of the people I talk
help. The expectation that you’ll be to are more interested in hooking up with
each other, or are too upset to study
a fully functioning individual once because their high school relationships
you step foot onto a college campus is are falling apart.”
unrealistic. Knowing when you need
help and having the courage to ask for
it are lifelong skills.”
Susan Damaschke, Coordinator of First Year
Student Retention, Monmouth University
187 189
“My point is, the quicker you
ask for help, the quicker you
will see improvements to Romantic relationships during the first year of
your grades.” college are especially difficult. It’s no wonder
that most college relationships don’t survive
one year.
l. Odds: Studies suggest that between 2% and 5% of
dating couples last through college.
ll.
Distance: Going away to college often means
high school boyfriends or girlfriends are miles
away. In 2006 the Journal of Personal and Social
Relationships found that 49% of couples in long
distance relationships did not last.
188 190

6. So what about a breakup? Stress Producer #3:
Alcohol
• Don’t fret too much – A 1996 study showed that “I’ve read countless books and articles suggesting
about half of college couples who breakup become students set limits when they drink, and make
friends later on. ‘conscious choices’ about alcohol. The problem
is that students’ attitudes towards drinking
• Change is good – A 2008 study in the Journal aren’t all the same.”
of College Student Development found that new
relationships can be beneficial to personal growth.
• Freedom! – While Mel Gibson is the last person
I’d take relationship advice from, when he yelled
“Freedom!” at the end of Braveheart, he knew what he
was talking about. As much as it may hurt, the end of
a relationship creates a new freedom to discover who
you really are.
191 193
“Yeah, well my roommate’s girlfriend
broke up with him, and now all Freshmen usually fall into one of
he does is drink and party. It’s
driving me nuts.”
two categories when it comes to
drinking alcohol:
“Ah yes. Alcohol in 1. urprised at the amount and frequency of
S
college. That topic is
underage drinking on campus, or
so complex it deserves
its own book.” 2.
Part of the underage drinking culture, not
questioning it at all.
192 194

7. “The truth is, some of your classmates have been
experimenting with alcohol or drugs for years, and they
plan on continuing these behaviors. It’s these students who
make access to drugs and alcohol easier for everyone else. • It’s still illegal to drink under the age of 21 in the
As Martin Nemko says in his book, The All In One College U.S., and college alcohol policies often carry strict
Guide, for these students, college is ‘the world’s most sanctions, from fines to expulsion.
expensive cover charge.’”
• Students who choose to drink rarely seek professional
resources to learn responsible drinking habits.
• Some college administrators feel that allowing students
to drink will foster better alcohol education and safer
drinking habits. In July 2008, college chancellors and
presidents developed the Amethyst Initiative, which is
in favor of lowering the legal drinking age.
195 197
You may not know:
• A person under the influence of alcohol cannot legally
give consent to have sex. Therefore, alcohol is the
Many students drink, but few number one date rape drug in America.
students have conversations • Not everybody drinks to excess! Less than half of
students reported abusing alcohol or binge drinking (5
about why they drink, and the or more drinks at one sitting).
effect that drinking has on their • Binge drinkers are more than three more likely than
lives. Here are some facts that non-binge drinkers to suffer judicial consequences
students should be aware of ... such as probation or dismissal, and five times more
likely to receive lower grades.
196 198

8. “I can tell you to drink responsibly. I can
tell you not to drink at all. But, I’m not WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE HOMESICK
going to do either. All I want is for you to
• Know you’re not the only one – The 2007 Your First
have realistic expectations regarding your
College Year Survey shows over 65% of freshmen
first year, so you are in a position to make “frequently” or “occasionally” felt lonely or homesick.
good decisions.”
• Make college a second home – That feeling you get
from being home is a great one. Imagine having TWO
places that make you feel that way. It won’t happen
overnight, but it will happen, eventually. It certainly
won’t happen if you sit in your room.
• Don’t run away from problems – Now is your chance
to learn about yourself. If you teach yourself to run
away, all you’re learning is how to avoid problems,
not solve them. Speak to an upperclassman or staff
member about what you are feeling.
199 201
“In 2009, the percentage of
Stress Producer #4: freshmen living on campus
Homesickness who reported that they 50%
“If the people you frequently went home for
“I certainly didn’t expect people to 40%
associate with in the weekend was 24.9%.
drink so often. I feel like if I don’t,
college are your This matched almost exactly 30%
people will think I’m a loser or 24.9%
friends, they won’t to the 23% of students who 23%
something. It makes me miss 20%
pressure you either. As withdrew or transferred. It’s
my friends back home. They
for missing home, most also no coincidence that 10%
never pressured me into
freshmen do! Homesickness most freshmen who transfer
drinking.”
is another big topic and a choose colleges closer to Went Withdraw
major reason many freshmen home.” Home or
Transfer
leave school.”
2009 CIRP Report
200 202

9. BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://nces.ed.gov/ipedspas/index.asp
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d08/tables/dt08_231.asp
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2003/section3/indicator20.asp
http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/journal_of_college_
student_development/v049/49.1hebert.html
http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/PDFs/pubs/Reports/
YFCY2009Final_January.pdf
http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/PDFS/YFCY_2007_Report05-07-
08.pdf
Alcohol101plus.org
Cohen, A. (1998). The Shaping of American Higher Education:
Emergence and Growth of the Contemporary System (1st Ed.).
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Danker, Jared F.; Anderson, John R. The Ghosts of Brain States
Past: Remembering Reactivates the Brain Regions Engaged
during Encoding (EJ871424), Psychological Bulletin, v136 n1 p87-
102 Jan 2010
Evans, Nancy J; Forney, Deanna S; Guido-DiBrito, Florence
(1998). Student Development in College: Theory, Research, and
Practice (1 ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Knapp, M; Hall, J. (2006). Nonverbal Communication in Human
Interaction (6th ed.). Toronto, Ontario Canada: Thompson
Wadsworth
Knox, David; Zusman, Marty E.; Kaluzny, Melissa; and Cooper,
Chris. College Student Recovery From A Broken Heart. College
Student Journal, Sept, 2000
Lally, P and Van Jaarsveld, CHM and Potts, HWW and Wardle,
J (2010) How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the
real world. EUR J SOC PSYCHOL , 40 (6) , 998 - 1009. 10.1002/
ejsp.674.

10. Sommer, R. (1967). Classroom ecology. Journal of Applied
Behavioral Science, 3, 487-503.
Stanek, Steve. Want to change your major? You’re not alone;
[Chicago Final Edition], Special to the Tribune. Chicago Tribune.
Chicago, Ill.: Jul 31, 2005. pg. 1
Stafford, Laura; Merolla, Andy J.; and Castle, Janessa D. When
long-distance dating partners become geographically close.
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, December 2006;
vol. 23, 6: pp. 901-919.
Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and
cures of student attrition (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago
Press.
Zvonkovic, Anisa M.; Pennington, Darren C.; and Schmiege,
Cynthia J. Work and Courtship: How College Workload
and Perceptions of Work Environment Relate to Romantic
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Personal Relationships, February 1994; vol. 11, 1: pp. 63-76
Findings from the 2009 Administration of the Your First College
Year (YFCY): National Aggregates, Higher Education Research
Institute, Graduate School of Education Information Studies,
University of California, Los Angeles January 2010
Findings from the 2007 Administration of Your First College
Year(YFCY): National Aggregates, Higher Education Research
Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, May 2008
2007 National Survey of Student Engagement
2008 National Survey of Student Engagement
2009 National Survey of Student Engagement
Jacobs, Lynn; Hyman, Jeremy. (2006). The Professor’s Guide to
Getting Good Grades in College. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
Ierardo, C. (2007). College Unzipped: An all-access backstage
pass into college life. New York, NY: Kaplan Publishing

11. After years of studying how people learn, Rand Media Co has created
The Skinny On™ series of books to provide a plain-English explanation
of today’s most important topics. Information is presented in an
entertaining story format.
The Skinny on Your First Year in College prepares students for the first
year experience - outlining realistic expectations for social, academic, and
emotional challenges, and identifying resources for successful outcomes.
As one administrator said: “You wouldn’t travel into new territory without
a map ... so don’t start college without this book!”
“ I really wish I read this in the summer prior to my freshman year. In fact,
I think that all first year college students should get their hands on
this book. It was packed with valuable information that I think is crucial
for incoming college students.”
Michael Smith, Freshman – Clemson University
“ his book is extremely successful in pinpointing the underlying difficulties
T
encountered by freshmen and tackling them with real-life solutions. It can
help any college student, not just freshmen.”
Abby Minor, Sophomore – Messiah College
“ he Skinny on Your First Year in College should be required reading for
T
all first year students. Many students stumble upon my office confused, lost,
or just plain frustrated. I wish I had a copy of this practical guide to
give them all. It’s easy to follow, upbeat, positive, and will empower the
students that read it to make the right choices.”
Deborah Mohlenhoff, Director of Activities –
Tompkins Cortland Community College
about the author: Sean Heffron has
worked with college students for ten
years, specializing in the freshman
transition and first year experience.
learn more at:
theskinnyon.com