College 101 : The Book Your College Does Not Want You To Read

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Summary: ..one of the most *accurate* descriptions of college life.
Review: College 101 is one of the most *accurate* and humorous descriptions of college life I've ever read. The brochures the colleges send you are full of emptyheaded models, and euphemized portrayals of 'Residence Hall Life'. This book is a *necessity* for prospective college students and their parents.

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Summary: College Kids
Review: I purchased this book actually for my grandchild who was starting there first year of college. I read it myself first then gave it to him as a gift .The book has a lot of humor and tells of experiences that others have had during there college life. My grandchild was quite nervous starting out in college so I though this book might lighten the mood for him and that it gave advice of what to bring for dorm rooms and so on. I thought it was a great book for anyone starting out with there first year of college or later on. Very Well Done!!!

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Summary: This book is a humorous and enlightening read about college
Review: I read the book and throroughly enjoyed it. It has man funny anecdotes and good tips for college. It reminded me of my own college days and will remind me again when I send my own kids off to college. I'm sure my kids will be well prepared because I have this book in hand.

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Summary: Demasking the College Industry
Review: It was about time that someone took a George-Carlinesque swipe at the college industry—that hallowed institution of higher learning, which, like so many other human institutions, [...]. The author of the review entitled “Seems like the dining hall was serving sour grapes!” got it all wrong! It appears that the only purpose of that review was to absolve and exculpate college bookstore monopolies from Mr. Stevens’ “demoralizing” look at reality. Guy Stevens’ shrewd and savvy observations, served up with wonderfully caustic sarcasm and a clever tongue-in-cheek rebel style, provides us with a refreshing counterbalance to the pious platitudes so many politicians and educators babble nowadays about the nobility of the academic pursuit. The author reveals the true nature—and sometimes horror—of the social underbelly of everyday college-campus life. This is an indispensable book for any college-bound high school senior. Pompous professors, avaricious bookstore owners, callous guidance counselors, and other self-serving inhabitants of our institutions of higher learning beware: This guy Guy is on to your tricks! A great buy for no more than the cost of three cafeteria meals and a bag of sour grapes.

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Summary: Seems like the dining hall was serving sour grapes!
Review: This book seems rather amateurish. It contains many rants from the perspective of someone who sounds bitter and resentful about a less-than-perfect college experience. A good amount of the information is of a personal experience nature, and may not be widely applicable to other students. The author seems to have few or no credentials beyond having once been a college student himself (from what I could tell from the book). He freely discusses his pitfalls, goof-ups, bad decisions, and negative experiences--would you want advice from this guy? His writing style is furthermore contentious and angry, and mostly unpolished. He talks about exposing the dirty little secrets of college, but really there is nothing new here--and much of the malice he talks about is exaggerated. For example, no one forces you to buy books at the college bookstore. It's not a monopoly--it's just a convenience. You can't find college textbooks at your local shopping mall, so the bookstore exists to allow you to buy all your books in one place. His perspective seems to be heavily biased by his own experiences (and perhaps a bit of paranoia), and he hasn't discussed issues from more realistic viewpoints. Students would be better served with balanced information, such as knowing that the bookstore is convenient but that high operating costs (of switching over entire inventory several times a year) make alternatives attractive. I would be concerned that students reading this book will get an unrealistically negative impression of the college experience, and they might go to college expecting (and looking for) deception and malice, which might be demoralizing. I'd say students need a more encouraging resource than this. To be fair, the author does have some worthwhile things to say, but I think most of the truly useful information could be more easily learned from any random college student over a cup of coffee--and you won't get the same bitter aftertaste. Maybe more aggressive editing and/or a collaborator would have smoothed over the rough edges in the writing.

I also wasn't impressed by the quality of the book itself. It has a "rough around the edges" look and feel to it that I can't quite explain. But just look at the cover art--it looks like a pre-production mockup

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Summary: Get The Book Colleges Don't Want You To Read
Review: When people ask Guy Stevens about his college experience - hecringes ! His usual response is,"Don't get me started!". However, after a few moments he'll usually recall some interesting story that will be both insightful and informative. Author Guy Stevens, a recovering college student, spent four years in a rigorous academic environment. While studying for his undergraduate degree in computer engineering in the heart of the snow belt in an upper state New York engineering school, Guy Stevens saw the best and worst that college had to offer. "Upper state New York is not what I would call the center of civilization. Without a car I was practically stranded on my campus in the middle of nowhere. The nearest town was 15 miles away, and the nearest mall with real stores was a 1.5 hour drive! In my college town there wasn't much else besides 5 bars, a movie theater, and a supermarket. Needless to say I saw a lot of movies.", he recalls. What makes College 101 different from other so-called college survival guides is its honesty. Guy Stevens used his experience and the experiences of other college students from around the country in order to provide an informal yet informative expose on college life.

College 101 gives all the DIRT ! Written for a college student by a college student, College 101 is the definitive guide to the college experience. "Throughout my college experience I learned that college isn't the end of the world. College is where you go to pick up the tools that you will use the rest of your life. Along the journey you are going to encounter some rather nefarious individuals ! When college costs over $100,000 for a four year degree you really don't want to put up with wacko professors, weirdo roommates, and inept campus administration. Part of what I tried to do with College 101 is offer some insight and advice on these sort of things.", states author Guy Stevens. Some of the topic covered include:

* Greedy Campus Bookstores
* Pranksters
* Rip-Off-Artist
* Unfair Exams
* Screwy Roommates
* Broken Down Washing Machines
* Atrocious Cafeteria Food
* What To Bring From Home
* If A Greek Organization Is Right For You
* More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Drugs and Alcohol
* Everything You Need To Know About Hazing
* The Different Types Of Exams And How To Beat Them !

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Summary: College life from a skewed, humorus point of view.
Review: While my ivy league days are fading to a haze now, this book brings up all of the old joys and pains of college life. The years may pass but it appears dorm life stays the same. This is a must read for any freshman in college and a great trip down memory lane for any graduate. Bravo!