VanderStaay guides readers through the first few days in college by providing useful tips and practical strategies to enhance the student experience and prepare students to be successful in one of their most important life transitions

Vicki Vanderwerf, Director of Residential Life, University of Washington

Having taught thousands of first-year college students myself, what struck me about Steven Vanderstaay's The First Days of College, is how practical and needed the book is. In engaging and accessible prose, Vanderstaay analyzes the emotional, intellectual, technological, and economic challenges that first-year college students face. He then goes on to offer a 'playbook' of strategies and behaviors that will give students the patience and persistence they need to meet their academic and broader personal goals. This is the book that parents, high school counselors and freshmen orientation advisors across the country have all been waiting for-a clear and eloquent guide for how to succeed in college.

Tom Montgomery Fate, Professor Emeritus, College of DuPage, Chicago, author of The Long Way Home: Detours and Discoveries

This book cuts through the noise of college advice by focusing on the critical first days of college. With a warm, teacherly voice, it offers reassuring and practical guidance, showing that anyone can intentionally establish good habits from the very start. A perfect read for students and parents in the summer before the first year of college.

Kelly A. Hogan, Biology Professor, Duke University, co-author of Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom