Welcome first year students! Checkout this list for helpful books and guides on how to be successful and healthy in college, find hikes and learn about the area, and grab some novels to read. Visit our table display in the Howe Library Lobby for even more books like these!


Cover Art How to become a successful college student by Dunlap, Scotty; Dudak, Brian 

This book is your one-stop shop for the academic tools and habits needed to make your transition from high school to college a resounding success! The shift from high school to college can be a challenge, with many students finding the skills that had previously worked so well no longer seem to be enough. How to Become a Successful College Student outlines the strategies you need to 'level up' your current processes in order to foster learning and retention of information in a new and rigorous environment, while also addressing topics that affect your experience outside of the classroom, such as financial literacy and career preparation. Learn how to pick a major, the benefits of getting out of your comfort zone, how and when to ask for help, and much more. Each chapter ends with a reflective activity designed to assist in creating an overall strategy personalized to fit YOUR specific higher education and career needs. This guide is a must-have resource for anyone who wants to maximize their higher education experience.
 
 

Cover Art College mental health 101 : a guide for students, parents, and professionals by Willard, Christopher 

The crisis in college mental health has intensified and the demand for counseling services is difficult for most college counseling offices to meet. Students often stop pursuing help because the waitlists are long and they become disillusioned. Finally there's help navigating the system. College Mental Health 101 is chock full of student and expert voices, straightforward tips on picking a school, getting the professional, medical, and social support you need, and understanding your diagnosis.
 
 
 
 
 

Cover Art How studying abroad changed my life by Obidoa, Chinekwu (Editor); Houry, Eimad (Editor) 

From fostering a deep appreciation for other cultures and human experiences to becoming more empathetic, self-assured, generous, open-minded, reflective, adaptable, and analytical, while gaining a deeper understanding of one's identity and culture, studying abroad has left an indelible mark on Mercer University students.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Cover Art AMC's best day hikes in Vermont : four-season guide to 60 of the best trails in the Green Mountain State by Roberts, Jennifer Lamphere 

From the Green Mountains that give the state its name to the shores of Lake Champlain to the southern woodlands, Vermont is made for hikers. AMC's Best Day Hikes in Vermont features 60 expertly curated hikes for all skill levels. Each entry includes a detailed map, plus summaries of time, distance, and difficulty level. The book's at-a-glance trip planner highlights the best hikes near public transportation, that are wheelchair accessible, for kids, for canine companions, and more. This fully revised guide includes classic hikes such as Camel's Hump, Mount Mansfield, and sections of the Long and Appalachian trails, along with new additions Raven Ridge, Killington Peak, Moose Bog, and more. Whether you're looking for an exploration of nature or to bag a 4,000-footer, this guide is indispensable.
 
 
 

Cover Art My mother's dream : the story of a first-generation college student by Henderson, George 

The primary audience for this book is first-generation college students. Whether they are in two-year or four-year colleges, I give the readers an example of the power of a parent's dream, the positive and negative outcomes of a student's hard work, the stuff caring teachers and supportive school administrators are made of, and the significance of resilience, tenacity, and self-growth. Hopefully, my story will give those who read this book a dose of what stick-to-itiveness means up close and personal.... My foremost message to first-generation and other-generation students is to ask for help when you are stumped, seize whatever opportunities to help you improve, and do your best work. Secondly, this book is written for teachers, school counselors, nurses, and other personnel who help students during their educational journeys. Their assistance can be helpful or hurtful to whatever generation of students they are helping. What they do to students and how they do it matters hugely. Thirdly, this book is written for professional helpers who are not school-related but who want to become better helpers in other careers. Lastly, this book is written for people who are not professional helpers but are curious about the travails and struggles of poverty-stricken people like me and my family.... I have had a long, tedious journey from illiteracy to literacy, from segregation to desegregation, from poverty to affluence, and from disliking people who came from cultures different from my own to loving them. Nonviolent theories and behavior were like a river flowing through my life, slowly during my childhood and adolescence and rapidly after I enrolled in college. The Civil Rights Movement is the name of that river. It was the foremost foundation upon which I built my philosophy of helping other people. So, of course, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was my hero, role model, and guide. His words and strategies of change are generously sprinkled throughout the later chapters of this book.
 

Cover Art The one-pan college cookbook : 80 easy recipes for quick, good food by Hong, MJ 

Cooking can be a great way to explore new foods, develop new kitchen skills, and save yourself time and money. With The One-Pan College Cookbook , any college student can make nutritious, easy one-pan recipes--no prerequisite coursework required. These dorm-friendly dishes and techniques also provide handy knife, seasoning, and organization lessons every student will use well beyond undergrad.
 
 
 

Cover Art Catalina : a novel by Cornejo Villavicencio, Karla 

Catalina is trying to work out her own life as she leaves her undocumented family behind to enter Harvard. Suffering from bouts of PTSD, she struggles to connect to her new world just as she struggled to make sense of her old one. She infiltrates the subcultures of elite undergrads-internships and college newspapers, parties and secret societies-and observes them like an anthropologist, but then falls in love, or something like love, with a fellow student, an actual anthropology scholar who wants to teach her about the Andean world she was born in but never knew. They are drawn to each other by the strange attraction of exocticized fascination-she, a real live Latin American, becomes a subject of academic interest; he, in turns, draws her fascination as a white legacy admit born into the strange world she now navigates. Catalina is uncertain: should she let herself become what he wants her to be and take up residence in his secure and privileged world? Or should she return to the life she's known, with all its thorny precarity? Who is she anyway?
 
 

Cover Art The college student's guide to mental health : essential wellness strategies for flourishing in college by Nosanow, Mia 

This comprehensive guidebook covers every factor that can influence the mental health of college students, providing clear guidance for maintaining a healthy and successful lifestyle as students navigate their new life away from home.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Cover Art New England's roadside ecology : explore 30 of the region's unique natural areas by Wessels, Tom 

New England's Roadside Ecology guides you through 30 spectacular natural sites, all within an easy walk from the road. The sites include the forests, wetlands, alpines, dunes, and geologic ecosystems that make up New England. Author Tom Wessels is the perfect guide. Each entry starts with the brief description of the hike's level of difficulty--all are gentle to moderate and cover no more than two miles. Entries also include turn-by-turn directions and clear descriptions of the flora, fauna, and fungi you are likely to encounter along the way. New England's Roadside Ecology is a must-have guide for outdoor enthusiasts, hikers, and tourists in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
 
 
 

Cover Art Run fast. Cook fast. Eat slow : quick-fix recipes for hangry athletes by Flanagan, Shalane 

In their second cookbook, Olympian Shalane Flanagan and chef Elyse Kopecky present recipes that are fast and easy without sacrificing flavor. Quickly fix pre-run snacks, post-run recovery breakfasts, on-the-go lunches, and 30-minutes-or-less dinner recipes. Every recipe--from Shalane and Elyse's signature Superhero muffins to energizing smoothies, grain salads, veggie-loaded power bowls, homemade pizza, and race day bars--provides fuel and nutrition without sacrificing taste or time.
 
 
 
 

Cover Art Letters to students : what it means to be a college graduate by Bogner, Drew 

Letters to Students discusses the meaning of higher education for the individual and offers advice on navigating the college experience, life, work, the meaning of success, the role of creativity and leadership.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Cover Art The college student's research companion : finding, evaluating, and citing the resources you need to succeed by Quaratiello, Arlene Rodda 

The newest edition of this valuable tool offers students easy-to-understand guidance on going beyond Google to find, evaluate, and use quality informational sources that will enable them to write better research papers.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Cover Art Outsmart your brain : why learning is hard and how you can make it easy by Willingham, Daniel T. 

Written by a cognitive psychologist who has spent decades studying how we learn, OUTSMART YOUR BRAIN is the definitive guide to help students master the skills of understanding material and retaining information. In clear, accessible prose, Dan Willingham lays out the techniques necessary for students at any stage to succeed and thrive when learning, studying, and taking exams. When studying, the tendency is to focus on the mental tasks that we control most easily, and which create a sense of familiarity, like rereading and highlighting, But, as explained in OUTSMART YOUR BRAIN, familiarity is not the same thing as retention or comprehension. Real learning comes from practices we may not be as likely to implement, like self-testing. Each chapter in the book is devoted to one process that contributes to learning, but which such as avoiding procrastination or understanding what you're trying to learn. The book offer an analysis of what makes it difficult and then offers specific strategies which work. Each chapter ends with a "For Teachers and Trainers" section. OUTSMART YOUR BRAIN is grounded in scientific findings but devoted to practical advice which make a difference to student test scores and grades. Giving readers peek under the hood at their own brains will help them understand which learning strategies work and why.
 
 

Cover Art Hidden history of Burlington, Vermont by Fay, Glenn 

Sitting on a hillside overlooking a spectacular lake and mountains, Burlington was destined to attract greatness, although much of its history has remained hidden. It was the territory of the Alnôbak, who lived in concert with nature for thousands of years, and later the swashbuckling Green Mountain Boy Ethan Allen and his kin. Self-made tycoon Lawrence Barnes helped make the city the third-largest lumber shipping port in the country. The resilient Fanny Penniman created the first herbarium, and her daughter inspired a nineteenth-century hospital. Bootlegger Cyrus Dean was convicted of murder and publicly executed in the hill section. Irish, French Canadian, Jewish and Italian neighborhoods all combined to give a unique character to the city. Join author and historian Glenn Fay as he reveals stories and images of Burlington's forgotten past.
 
 
 
 

Cover Art The material : a novel by Bordas, Camille 

Can comedy be taught? Someone, at some point, seemed to think so. The Chicago Stand-Up program has enrolled young comedians for nearly a decade. Its teachers and students all know how bits work-in theory, at least. They know that there's a line between sharp and cruel, that sad becomes funny at the right angle, that the worst is the best, the truth is the worst, and any moment of your life that isn't a punchline will either get you to a punchline or force you to be one. They're all afraid to be one. Artie may be too handsome for standup, Olivia too reluctant to examine her own life, and Phil too afraid to cause harm. Kruger may be too vanilla to command his students' respect, Ashbee too detached. And then we have Dorothy-the only woman on the program's faculty-who though preparing to launch a comeback tour can't tell whether she's too abiding, too ambitious, or too ambivalent. Whether a visiting professor-the high-profile, controversy-steeped comedian, Manny Reinhardt-will do more to help or harm their cause remains to be seen. But he's on his way. He'll be arriving sooner than anyone thinks.
 
 
 

Cover Art The greatest college health guide you never knew you needed : how to manage food, booze, stress, sex, sleep, and exercise on campus by Henry, Jill 

The coach's guide to beating the Freshman Fifteen, Sophomore Slump, crippling anxiety, and your worst hangover! Learn to take care of yourself, and de-stress throughout your undergrad years and beyond. Every fall, around two million young adults crash into college fired up for the best four years of their lives, ready to experience campus life, take classes about things they're interested in, and meet people from all over the world. Most students, however, are better prepared to pick their major or talk to strangers than they are to take care of themselves in the college setting. College students today are more depressed, anxious, and stressed than previous waves of students; they're also more sedentary, not really exercising, and living in a meal-plan limbo supplemented with ramen and coffee. In this comprehensive field guild, high school coaches Jill and Dave Henry break down the facts and deliver doable, no-BS strategies for managing physical and mental health on campus. In addition to helpful, interactive graphics, the coaches share their relatable true stories-ranging from the ridiculous to the serious-to discuss the five biggest health obstacles students face in college. On top of research-backed tips, The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed also features raw and personal advice from current students on college campuses across the country. While simply figuring out what to eat and how to exercise can be completely overwhelming, this guide goes beyond a basic crash course on how to be healthy. Jill and Dave cover everything from crucial time-management skills to the complex sensitivity of self-doubt, sexual assault, and depression with humor, humility, and heart. The Greatest Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed is a complete road map for how to take care of your mind and body that will not only set students up to crush the next four years, but will also provide a foundation they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.
 

Cover Art Come and get it : a novel by Reid, Kiley 

It's 2017 at the University of Arkansas. Millie Cousins, a senior resident assistant, wants to graduate, get a job, and buy a house. So when Agatha Paul, a visiting professor and writer, offers Millie an easy yet unusual opportunity, she jumps at the chance. But Millie's starry-eyed hustle becomes jeopardized by odd new friends, vengeful dorm pranks, and illicit intrigue.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Student Wellbeing Toolkit puts wellbeing at the centre of your journey into university and beyond. By encouraging self-efficacy and a focus on the things you can control, it provides clear guidance to enhance wellbeing and opportunities for self-reflection that help develop self-awareness and prosocial skills for life. Offering an accessible toolkit of strategies, activities and tips this fantastic, accessible resource considerers wellbeing within six main areas: - physical wellbeing - socio-emotional wellbeing - intellectual wellbeing - environmental wellbeing - occupational wellbeing - financial wellbeing. Drawing on research evidenced theories around positive psychology, theories of learning, motivation, and self-development, the book explores what, how, and why these areas are key to our wellbeing and the rationale for taking them into account to enable you to flourish and thrive at university.
 
 
 
 

Cover Art Making the most of study abroad : a guide to a top-notch experience by D'Amico, Melanie L. 

This book helps you make the most of study abroad or an extended stay in another country. We discuss culture, making connections, language, academics, and careers, along with the practical elements like getting a visa or figuring out what to pack. We provide advice about all stages of study abroad, from the pre-departure preparation to the return home, in order to help you have an outstanding stay abroad.