Parents' Guide to College Life 
By Robin Raskin
The Princeton Review, Inc. (New York) 2006
$13.95, 329 pages, soft cover
Reviewed by David A. McFarland
Assistant Director of Admissions
La Roche College (PA)
Today’s parents have had many resources to help them through all stages of raising their kids, from prenatal books to how to deal with teenagers. However, there are not as many books to help parents deal with the somewhat frightening challenge of sending their progeny off to college. Robin Raskin’s book provides insight into issues parents will encounter before and after they send their children off to school—an important period of their lives with changes for parents and their children.
The first thing that struck me about this book, as a parent who has two kids in college, as well as someone who works in the college admissions field, is that the questions the author deals with are all issues that college officials wish parents knew about and questions that parents often ask. Raskin does not rely on her own experience, but has comments from administrators and faculty from 90 colleges from around the country. These perspectives from people who are working closely with college students on a daily basis really add validity to the thoughts shared in the book. The other feature that makes this book so easy-to-read and informative is the way it is laid out with the questions that most parents are asking. Each chapter goes beyond answering the most common questions parents are normally given information on, such as academics, financial aid and residence hall life. The questions are grouped in logical chapters covering the parent’s role during the college years, life in the dorms, academics, money, long-distance parenting and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which many parents have never heard of, but which they will probably run up against as they try to gain information about their student.
The chapter on student health, for instance, may make some parents think about growing problems on college campuses that they thought only happened to someone else’s kid in high school. Many parents may have lived though a college experience that involved binge drinking and sex, but this book makes them think about other aspects of their student’s health, such as eating disorders, weight gain and suicide.
Likewise, many parents may feel they have given their kids a solid foundation in financial matters, but this book opens parent’s eyes to how their child’s roommates and friends will now have a strong role in their spending habits—something that might strike terror into even the most trusting parent. The book also explores an oft-overlooked issue for parents and students: working while in school, from how many hours to where.
I think the most helpful points, though, are those that help parents understand how they will need to act—and not act—as their child moves on to college. It is easy for parents to view their kid’s school as an adversary because the faculty and staff do not provide information about their child and how they are doing, which is why is why it’s important for parents to understand the ramifications of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
Several chapters in this book help parents begin to understand how to set boundaries and let their child grow up, with the help of the college or university their child is attending. This process begins with thoughts about when and how you might meet your son’s or daughter’s prospective roommate and how to go about deciding who will bring what for the new room. Raskin quotes college officials who let parents know that students are more likely to graduate if they reside on-campus. Parents new to college life can learn about what “rush” is and how it might affect their son or daughter.
All in all this is very handy collection of lists and wisdom to help parents prepare themselves and their kids for college life. This book is nice tool to help parents get the most out of their investment in their son’s or daughter’s future.
Back to NACAC's Current Book Reviews.