A College Primer: An Introduction to Academic Life for the Entering College Student

Here is a helpful resource for high school students who want to learn more about the real reason they will attend college: to gain an education. Going beyond the available college books that describe dorm life and fraternities, author John Kirkpatrick introduces students to the rich textures of the academic world at today's colleges and universities. He unravels the mysteries of professors, academic culture, degree programs, who's who on campus, and expectations in the college classroom. Kirkpatrick tells his tale as a seasoned voyager in the modern academy, who is passionate about the magic that happens inside the college gates. Students, parents, guidance counselors, and academic advisors will find the book useful in focusing entering student attention on the academic demands that await them. Finally, this is a book that talks seriously with students, not at them, about the remarkable trek through the academic world.

John T. Kirkpatrick is associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts, research associate professor of Sociology, and director of Justiceworks at the University of New Hampshire. John has worked with first-year college students for 20 years.