Variations on a Theme: College Reading List

This month's Variations on a Theme is aimed at the college students that are now arriving on campus. )(I can see them moving in and scurrying about outside my office window)

Freshman - I know a ton of books is going to be thrown your way (via syllabuses and discussion), but the following items will be more useful than you know. No, really, I used them (and still use them in some cases) all the time.


Elements of Style: 4th Edition
William Strunk and E.B. White

Much to my surprise, this item is controversial - some people really really really hate it. I am very much on the pro side of the action. This little book will answer most - if not all - of your grammar and usage questions. It is well organized, easy to read, and easy to browse. You will find it invaluable when that 3:00am term paper rears its ugly head and you have a debate between whether to use who or whom. (I know for a fact that it is assigned in a couple of our University's philosophy courses.)

A Writer's Reference
Diana Hacker

The Holy Grail of citation. While I am also a big fan of the MLA handbook, Hacker's work saved my butt more than once. No two of my professors required the same citation style - that's what you get when you double major. It was difficult to keep all the styles and how to cite what correctly straight in my head. Hacker's work saved the day. Organized by citation style, Hacker shows you how and when to use certain citations. I prefer the spiral bound edition for ease of use, but all the editions contain what you need. Also, expect this one to show up on required or supplemented reading lists

Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age
Diana Hacker

Much like the book above, this Hacker item is all about research and citation. This book is more about how how to research and document your sources. The advent of the internet and digital databases makes the research process slightly easier, but also more complex. Hacker discusses what you need to know to survive all those piles of resources.

Roget's II: The New Thesaurus
American Heritage

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know it seems silly to put up a thesaurus when you have the internet, but this book is worth it's weight in gold. I used it more times than I can count while writing papers. Sometimes, it just helps to be able to look things up when you find yourself repeating the same words in a 10-page paper.

The Craft of Research: 3rd Edition
Wayne C. Booth et al

Unless you were lucky, I'm guessing most of you incoming freshmen never learned proper research methods. College research and writing is nothing like high school writing. It's more complex and long-term. This book shows you how to approach research, draft your question and material, and write your paper. If you've never written a research paper, you need this book. Then again, when it comes to research, this book is a just start - bu, really, go visit your library.


The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College
Harlan Cohen

I gave this book to my brother the Christmas before he went to college. To my surprise, he actually used some of the stuff he learned. (Color me shocked that he actually read it.) College is fun and tough, but mainly awesome. Cohen's work comes in handy when you run into sticky situations - like being sexiled. Cohen goes far beyond the academics and discusses roommates, homesickness, Greek life, and other essential facts of college life.


Other Items on the College Reading List
1000 Best Money Secrets for Students - Debby Fowles
Academic Research and Writing: Inquiry and Argument in College - Linda Bergmann
The College Cookbook: An Alternative Meal Plan - Geri Harrington
College Rules! How to Study, Survive, and Succeed in College - Sherrie Nist-Olejnik
The College Writer: A Guide to Thinking, Writing, and Researching - Randall VanderMey et al.
Don't Get Fat! 101 Things to Do in College (Other than Drinking) - Joseph Cornacchioli
The Everything College Survival Book: From Social Life to Study Skills - All You Need to Fit Right In - Michael S. Malone
Getting the Best Out of College: A Professor, a Dean, and a Student Tell You How to Maximize Your Experience - Peter Feaver et al.
The Healthy College Cookbook - Alexandra Nimetz et al.
How to Become a Straight A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less - Cal Newport
McGraw-Hill's Concise Guide to Writing Research Papers - Carol Ellison
My Roommate is Driving Me Crazy! Solve Conflicts, Set Boundaries, and Survive The College Roommate from Hell - Susan Fee
Please Send Money: A Financial Survival Guide for Young Adults on Their Own - Dara Duguay
Strategies for College Writing: Sentences, Paragraphs, Essays - Jeanette Harris
U Chic: The College Girl's Guide to Everything - Christie Garton
The Voice of College: The Freshman Experience - Kipp Van Dyke et al.
The Worst-Case Survival Handbook: College - Joshua Piven et al.