CC Tori:
Admit it: before you started college, you were all over Google looking up “How to make friends in college,” “How to avoid the Freshman 15,” and “Boyfriends in college – reality or myth?” We all did it, there’s no shame!
Fortunately for you, all your questions about on-campus safety, taking care of yourself physically and mentally, having realistic relationship expectations, and taking steps toward your career are answered in The Her Campus Guide to College Life.
It works as an extension of the site, offering general advice on topics from sexual assault safety to landing internships. The book is divided into five sections: Staying Safe in College, Staying Healthy on Campus, Developing Smart and Successful Relationships, Building a Balanced Social Life, and Managing Your Money and Career. Each of these sections has subsections that get deeper into topics relevant to collegiate women across the country. For example, the Managing Your Money and Career has a chapter titled Landing Jobs and Internships, and one of the topics is how to Talk to a Campus Career Counselor (which reminds me, I need to do that ASAP).
In addition, each section has a wellness check-in and a chapter checklist so you can view and review and check your progress over the years!
This book is perfect for recent high school graduates who are anxious about what college life can be like. It’s by far the most honest and thorough take I’ve seen thus far.
As such, current collegiettes can get a lot out of this book, too. The founders (the fabulous Windsor, Annie, and Stephanie) took careful consideration to make sure the guide was everything a current college student could need. It has advice on hook-up culture, rules for safe drinking, how to help a friend who needs mental health assistance, how to deal with unhealthy relationships, Greek life ins and outs, time management skills, knowing when you’re burnt out… The best part of this book is that it gives you all of that advice in one place without stigmatizing your situation.
Windsor, Annie, Stephanie and the writers at Her Campus are the older sisters you never had with the advice you’ve always needed. If you’re having a rough time at school, if you’re little sister is graduating high school, if your best friend needs some advice, if you want a pretty coffee table book, I highly recommend the Her Campus Guide to College Life.
This isn’t a sponsored post, I’m not being paid to say any of this. I genuinely believe this book is worth every cent you pay and more. To prove it, Chelle and I are hosting a giveaway for HC DePaul’s copy. Then you can decide for yourself! Stay tuned for details…
CC Chelle:
I fell in love with the book the more I read it. If you want a more through review of me reading this book, I’m sure my roommate, (whom I must have interrupted from her Netflix at least 10 times the night I read it) Sarah, would be more than willing to give you a play by play of my journey of reading this book. Everything made me either say absolutely, reminded me of my mother (in a good way! She’s a great lady.),gave me tips I never would have thought of, or gave me some perspective on what it’s like to go to a school that isn’t DPU.
The chapter I found most useful was Chapter 8: Mental Health. Maybe I was just sheltered in high school or people became more open in college, but too often I hear of mental illnesses and how difficult it is for those who do suffer to manage their illness or disorder in addition to being a student. I felt this chapter was helpful as someone with loved ones who suffer because it explained that anxiety and depression aren’t things that have to do with stress. They are serious things that deserve to be treated with the same severity as a physical illness. They aren’t in your head and you shouldn’t feel silly getting help. In my opinion, if this book made at least one reader feel comfortable enough to even talk to someone about how they were feeling then this chapter being printed in every single copy was worth it. Though the book gave tips on relieving stress, if your stress is crippling your ability to be a student–seek professional help.
My favorite chapter to read was Chapter 15: Greek Life. I’m used to opening literature about the Greek system written by non-Greeks to find it full of lies. Usually, it’ll tell you about buying friends, ridiculous expectations, and humiliating situations. As a member of DePaul Fraternity and Sorority Life, I was surprised to find a publication that didn’t make us the bad guy. Because of DePaul’s lack of houses, it wasn’t quite a cookie cutter match to my life like much of the other chapters were, but that’s why I enjoyed the chapter so much. I was able to take most of the chapter with a grain of salt and it was refreshing to think that this was Greek Life at some schools. In my experience at DePaul, sororities are part of your life, not the entire piece. One thing to remember while reading this section was that you wear your letters, but your letters should never wear you. One of the things I found most shocking in the chapter, however, was the mentioning of hazing. It’s illegal in Illinois, and DePaul’s PanHellenic Council will be knocking on the chapter president’s door if there is even a thought about hazing pledges. Because of my experience, I didn’t honestly think it still happened around here anymore. But I was thoroughly surprised by the authors including how being in a sorority is actually a great networking opportunity and can actually help your future career and help you land an internship that your sister is leaving.
I loved this book because it reminded why I love Her Campus and why I dedicate such a huge portion of my life to it. It reminded me why I love being a woman. I love being a woman because it’s this community that I am apart of. That’s what Her Campus represents to me. That women that live in an entirely different time zone get what it’s like. As different as our lives are, as different as our college experiences are, women nationally face very similar issues and, often, have the same concerns. So cheer for your friends–cheer on anyone, even if you both ran for a position in your sorority or if they got the internship you were dying to get. Women need to stick together and The Her Campus Guide to College Life: How to Manage Relationships, Stay Safe and Handle Stress, and Have the Best Years of Your Life! reminded me that life isn’t that serious and everything will always be okay.