The Freshman Survival Guide

Nora Bradbury-Haehl has worked with teens and twentysomethings in colleges, churches, camps, and leadership programs for more than twenty-five years, building caring supportive communities for and with young people, and walking with them through the joys and challenges of young adulthood. She writes as a mentor and guide for facing some of life’s most trying times. She’s the author of The Twentysomething Handbook—Everything You Actually Need to Know About Real Life. She’s written for Saint Mary’s Press, BustedHalo.com, Angelus.com, Connection magazine, and Liturgy Training Publications.

Bill McGarvey--an award-winning writer and producer--is the former editor-in-chief of the BustedHalo.com, where The Freshman Survival Guide first appeared. He has written and commented extensively on topics of culture, politics and religion for the New York Times, Washington Post, New York Daily News, The Nation, NPR, BBC, SiriusXM, Salon, Democracy Now, Vatican News, Commonweal, Time Out New York, The Tablet (London) and Factual (Spain).

"The Freshman Survival Guide is an invaluable resource for a first-year student. Grounded in experience and a discerning approach to education, it will equip you with the resources, tips and powerful insights you need to embark upon a successful first year."—Conor O’Kane, Assistant Dean for First Year Students, Fordham University
"If I had been handed this book prior to the beginning of my first semester in [college], I would have had an advantage. For a new college student, feeling a sense of community and understanding can be the difference between staying in the shadows and breaking into the light."—Haley Sherif, Educational Advocates College Consulting
"There are several college preparation books out there, but very few provide the depth and diversity of viewpoints that this book does. The focus on the varied challenges that college students face and the practical, honest advice make The Freshman Survival Guide an ideal text for a First-Year Seminar or a college prep class. For advisors, this book serves as a useful reminder of the holistic experience of college and can be used as a resource, as academic advising goes beyond identifying a student’s major or sequencing courses to encompassing the many important aspects of students' lives."—Mark Ward, Center for Academic Advising and Retention, Eastern Washington University
"In today's turbulent waters, everybody needs a lifeline; The Freshman Survival Guide offers one that's reliable, smart, and engaging. I'll send the book to friends with this advice: Read it. Trust it. Use it."—Michael Gilligan, President, Henry Luce Foundation
"The Freshman Survival Guide is essential reading...this book will help you think about those majoy issues that aren't on the campus tour, but that can make or break your college experience."—Donna Freitas, author of Sex and the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance, and Religion on America's College Campuses
"Incoming freshmen looking for something more than a party guide to their new home will appreciate this book being available to them."—School Library Journal