Top 13 Books About College Updated 04 /2024

It can be exciting and rewarding to apply to and go to college, but it can also be scary because you don't know what will happen. For many college students, their first taste of freedom comes when they start at a college or university and they can do what they want. They might have to deal with difficult coursework and new social situations as they try to work out problems with their roommates or friends. It may help students prepare for or deal with some of the problems that come up when they go to college by reading these seven books.

The Idiot by Elif Batuman

During their first year at college, students might try to figure things out and wonder how to fit in. In this book, Selin Karadag is a second-generation Turkish American who is having a hard time with her first year at Harvard. There are some old references, but you can still understand how she feels about her living situation, peers, and school because the story takes place in the 1990s.

When Selin starts college, she gets to know Svetlana, a Serbian girl, and falls in love with an older math student named Ivan. Over the summer, Selin goes to Europe to teach English in Hungary. During this time, she comes to terms with who she is and what she wants out of life, and she learns a lot about herself.

Freshmen by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison

Phoebe can't wait to start college. She wants to be free and have a life without a curfew, but she doesn't want to do that. Luke, her long-term crush, is the only person from her high school going to the same college as her. Luke, on the other hand, didn't try to change himself. His long-distance girlfriend, who he has been with for a while, ends up being dumped by him. This change makes him think about who he is as well.

When Phoebe and Luke start to connect, there is a lot of drama. A group of Luke's soccer teammates started a text chain called "Wall of Shame," which includes compromising photos. The group sent the text chain to each other, and it spread. They try to figure out who is behind the chain, but Luke and Phoebe aren't sure how this will affect them.

Welcome to Braggsville by T. Geronimo Johnson

D'aron was born and raised in the South. When he goes to college at the University of California-Berkeley, he has a big change of scenery. There are a lot of new things for him to learn about living in California. He feels like he's in over his head. It turns out that he becomes friends with three other students: Louie, Candice, and Charlie, who is a Black boy from Chicago. They call each other the Four Indians

When D'aron accidentally tells his history class that his hometown holds a Civil War reenactment every year, their friendship is changed for the worse. They head to Braggsville, where they plan to hold a protest, but it doesn't go as planned.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.

College is all about relationships, whether they're romantic or just friendly. This book focuses on the family ones. Cath and her twin sister, Wren, are getting ready for college. Wren says that she doesn't want to live with Cath.

 

Wren is having a great time, making a lot of new friends, and partying a lot. Cath, on the other hand, is lonely because she has a mean roommate who spends most of her time with her boyfriend, and a professor who doesn't like the writing that Cath likes. She also worries about her father's health and wants her sister to be there with her when she needs to talk to her. Cath turns to writing Simon Snow fan fiction to help her deal with things. She wonders if she can get through everything.

Again, but Better by Christine Riccio

She isn't getting the full college experience because Shane has been in college for a while now. Sure, she has good grades and is going to be a doctor. Her parents are very proud of her. She doesn't have any friends because she spends every weekend at home, and she doesn't have a boyfriend, either.

Shane wants a change, and she wants it now. She signs up for a semester in London, where she will live and study. To make friends and go on dates and have fun: She decides to do these things. She has lofty goals, but they're not easy to achieve. Soon, she will have to live outside her comfort zone as self-doubt starts to creep in.

Normal People by Sally Rooney

In this book, the characters face this question head-on. Nobody knows how their relationships or people will change when they go to college. They are still high school students at the start of the book. A rich family hires Connell's single mother as their housekeeper, and Marianne is a quiet, aloof member of the group.

They start dating even though they have different backgrounds. When they both go to Trinity College in Dublin, they act like they don't know each other. Connell is left alone when Marianne becomes very popular, so Connell's future looks good, but Marianne's takes a dark turn. During their college years, they have an on-and-off relationship.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Going to a college far from home is a great way to get rid of high school stereotypes. So that's how Richard moves to Hampden College when he's done with high school. The desire to change himself is strong, especially because he's ashamed of his working-class family back home. As time goes on, he tells everyone who will listen that he comes from an upper-class family and that he went to college at night.

Eventually, Richard joins a group of students who look like they are very smart and well-traveled. He is quickly accepted into their clique. People in this group pull him into a world of late-night parties, which makes him question his new life and wonder if this risky world is worth it.

Overview

They say that college can be stressful at times, but it can also be very rewarding. It can help students figure out who they are and what they care about. Hopefully, these books can help students who are thinking about going to college get over some of their fears about going to college and show them what they can do in their undergraduate years. People who work at Spark Admissions can help them make those dreams come true by answering any questions you might have about going to college and what you should expect. Contact us today to set up a free meeting.

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