Countdown to College - by Monique Rinere (Paperback)

About the Book

"Many parents believe that once their child is accepted into a good school there's nothing more to worry about. But one in three freshmen will drop out and less than fifty percent will graduate on time. Adjustment is key. Countdown to College presents targeted preparations to ensure that students excel and end up on the winning side of these graduation statistics--while leading exciting, independent lives. Distilling lessons and sharing stories (some cautionary, some entertaining, all helpful) from her long college advisory career, Monique Rinere offers a unique and essential month-by-month roadmap to the many issues ahead. She advises on parenting through the "senior slump" so that students don't jeopardize their college spot, how to prepare for a roommate and their new-found freedoms (parties, finances, sleep), and gives strategic advice on picking an appropriate class load (Rinere's rule of thumb: Students are expected to put in three hours studying outside of class for every credit hour in the classroom). Countdown to College also includes guidance for parents on how to face the emptying nest and let go of their anxieties about their child's autonomy. The result: a college experience that is rich, rewarding, and successful for teens and parents alike"--

Book Synopsis

After all the testing and touring and applying, your child has been accepted to college. Congratulations! Now what?

Every new student grapples with making a successful transition to college--with remaining healthy, happy, grounded, and in school. Indeed, the national statistics are sobering: One in three freshmen will not come back for sophomore year, and less than 50 percent will graduate on time. A student's adjustment is key, especially during the period starting with the lazy summer months before move-in and ending at the dizzying close of a student's first semester. Distilling lessons and sharing stories (some cautionary, some entertaining, all helpful) from her long college advisory career, three-time Ivy League dean Monique Rinere presents a unique month-by-month road map to a college experience that is rich, rewarding, and successful for teens and parents alike. Taking parents from the moment the acceptances arrive to the end of the first college semester, her expert advice covers:

- assessing the right fit among your child's options: who and what to ask to get the real scoop on campus and academic life
- understanding actual costs: considering hidden expenses, financial-aid and scholarship fine print, loans, and work-study opportunities
- parenting through the senior slump so that students don't jeopardize their hard-won college spot
- talking to your child about freshman culture shock and their new freedoms around parties, food, finances, and sleep
- what your child needs to know about working with an academic advisor, interacting with professors, and creating their own community of advisors
- how to help your rising freshman create a conceptual bridge from what they are, a graduating high school senior, to what they want to be, a college alum
- time-management and class-scheduling tips to help your child pick an appropriate class (and extracurricular) load
- advice for parents facing the emptying nest: letting go of your anxieties about your child's autonomy and seizing this opportunity to reinvent your life in new and intentional ways

"A valuable and comprehensive guide for parents of college-bound students . . . The months between high school and college are a critical time, but Dr. Monique Rinere gives you confidence that everything will be all right."--Marvin Krislov, president, Pace University

Review Quotes

"A valuable and comprehensive guide for parents of college-bound students . . . The months between high school and college are a critical time, but Dr. Monique Rinere gives you confidence that everything will be all right."--Marvin Krislov, president, Pace University

About the Author

Monique Rinere was a first-generation college student, earning her B.A. from Hunter College and then her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Princeton University. She was a residential college dean at Princeton and the dean of advising for Columbia, and she founded the advising programs office at Harvard University. She is now the associate vice president of The New School, leading academic advising, career development, academic integrity, and student health services, among other student-centered initiatives. She lives in New York City.