My entire life, I’ve turned to books when I was confused, scared, nervous and excited about a new part of my life. When I was a senior in high school, I would think about college and how I was confused, scared, nervous and excited about it. Of course, I ended up finding and reading some amazing books that helped me with the transition from high school to college. So here are my top five picks (in no particular order) for any of those seniors who are worrying about that big transition into the college wor
1. Just One Day by Gayle Forman
Recent graduate, Allyson Healey, is on a trip around Europe before she heads off to her freshman year of college. Allyson, who is usually super strict on herself, breaks off from her dull tour group to watch a Shakespearean play. It’s during the play where she sees Willem, an actor in the play. He catches her eye, and after they meet on a train to Paris, she ends up falling in love with him during their day together in the city of love. When Willem leaves her the next morning, Allyson has problems letting go of her adventure and the love she found in Europe and spends much of her freshman year of college struggling to figure out her feelings, but also herself.
The reason why this is a pick for me is because it tells the story of so many freshmen in college. Everyone is in a new environment where they are trying to figure out who they really are. Each and every freshman is dealing with the past in some ways, and Just One Day demonstrates that it is okay to struggle and to take the time to think of yourself. This book really opened my eyes that college isn’t always this awesome place (though it can be sometimes) and that’s okay. The real reason you’re in college is to figure out what you want to do with your future and get ready to be an adult.
2. The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
Cia Vale’s world has been greatly affected by the Seven Stages War, and she hopes to be chosen for the Testing where she will be able to make a difference in her world after she attends the University. But this Testing for the University isn’t what Cia believes it is. Though she would receive a chance at a higher education, her father warns that the Testing is much more than just a test of intelligence.
When Cia and another boy from her town are chosen for the Testing, Cia begins to realize what her father had meant by his warning. Students who don’t make it past rounds disappear, or are hurt and even killed right in front of their eyes. These disappearances and murders start to make the others worry. Even though Cia wants to go to the University more than anything, she begins to question what she’ll have to endure to get there.
Though this is dystopian take on the going to college, Cia has a lot of the same feelings that most incoming freshmen have: the sadness of leaving their families, the anxiety of the work that college brings, and the worry that formulates when you don’t know who to trust. Cia’s experience of going to the University is a lot more intense and terrifying than the average experience, but this novel is worth reading for any freshman who is nervous about the big transition in front of them. Cia’s experience may even make you feel a bit better about college!
3. The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp
Sutter Keely has everything he wants. He has a girlfriend, he’s super popular, and believes he is in the prime of his life. When his girlfriend, Cassidy breaks up with him, Sutter gets drunk (as he usually does), and ends up meeting Aimee when he wakes up in her front yard the next morning. She is the opposite of Sutter in nearly every way: she is smart, careful, and has plans that extend past the upcoming weekend. In fact, Aimee has plans to go to St. Louis for college, and as her relationship with Sutter grows, she tries to convince him to join her in the future while he teaches her how to live in the moment.
Before I give away too many spoilers, this book was chosen for this list because of Sutter’s inability to let the past go. He is the type of person to live in the moment, which is great in situations, but it causes him to throw a lot of his future away. Aimee, on the other hand, learns to live in the moment but also prepares for her future. In my opinion, she should be a role model for seniors in high school, and even a few freshmen in college. She learns to treasure the time she has left in school with Sutter but knows that her future and her schooling is just as important. There will be some amazing moments in life and some memorable moments in college, but the goals you have set for yourself should also not be neglected on the way.
4. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Mia Hall is a brilliant cello player, has a talented boyfriend, and has awesome rock star parents who love and support her. Despite the fact that her boyfriend’s band is starting to make it into the big time, and that she herself is close to living out her dreams of going to Julliard, her life is pretty normal. Well, that is until a car accident tears her and her family apart, making her realize that all of the choices she had made in her life reflect on the biggest choice of all: if she should stay.
While this book is beyond heartbreaking, but beautiful in the same sense, it reflects a lot of the choices that seniors in high school have to make. Mia wants to peruse her dream but believes she won’t be successful or even good enough to make it to Julliard. She also faces the reality that her life is changing a lot and if she goes to Julliard, she would be on the opposite side of the country. A lot of the fears that arise in seniors are the same fears that Mia has. Relationships are tested, the fear of your family becomes strong, and the hope that your dreams are worth perusing are all realities for many young college-age people today.
5. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Last, but certainly not least, Fangirl is the book that inspired this list. Cath and her twin sister, Wren, are headed off for their freshman year at the same college. While Cath has remained the same person for much of her life, dedicating all of her time to her fan-fiction of Simon Snow, Wren has let go of her Simon Snow days and is starting to party and drink more. When the girls arrive at school, Cath is faced with dealing with a roommate who is the complete opposite of her, a creative writing teacher who despises fan-fiction, and a sister who turning into someone she doesn’t know.
This book, in my opinion, captures exactly what it is like to be a freshman in college. You are exposed to new opinions, you meet different people, and you realize that your past is your past, but it will always hold a special place in your life. Cath spends a lot of time worrying about her family, but also finds that she needs to focus on herself, too. This book holds a personal spot in my heart because I relate to Cath’s worries about becoming a writer, even though it’s her dream, but also that college is a new world that you just have to deal with on a day-by-day.
In all honesty, college can be wonderful, but there will be difficult days as well. If it gets to be too much, here is a small piece of advice from me: stop whatever you are doing, take a deep breath, open a book, and realize you are not alone in this world.
