Stephanie Kaplan Lewis - The Her Campus Guide to College Life: How to Manage Relationships, Stay Safe and Healthy, Handle Stress, and Have the Best Years of Your Life

Avon, Massachusetts

We would like to thank our talented team of editors who put this book together: Alice Chen, Brittany Lewis, Michelle Lewis, Kate Moriarty, Cara Sprunk, Quinn Cohane, and Chelsea Evans, as well as our fabulous intern Elyssa Sternberg.

We would also like to acknowledge our incredible team of Her Campus contributing writers whose articles informed this book: Abby Feiner, Ainslie Forsum, Aja Frost, Alaine Perconti, Alex Gladu, Alexa Cleary, Alexandra Churchill, Alexis Benveniste, Ali Robertson, Alicia Thomas, Allie Jones, Allie Klein, Alyssa Grossman, Amanda First, Amanda Klohmann, Annie Pei, Annie Wazer, Aylin Erman, Becky McColl, Cameron Simcik, Carlene Helble, Cassie Potler, Christina Madsen, Corinne Sullivan, Dani Wong, Danielle Jackson, Darci Miller, Devin MacDonald, Divya Bahl, Elana Altman, Elizabeth Tompkins, Elyssa Goodman, Emily Grier, Erica Avesian, Gabriela Szewcow, Gabriella Cirelli, Gabrielle Sorto, Gennifer Delman, Hannah Orenstein, Heather Rinder, Irene Berman-Vaporis, Iris Goldsztajn, Jamie Blynn, Jaya Z. Powell, Jen Morgan, Jenni Whalen, Jessica Stringer, Jna Jefferson, Judith Ohikuare, Julia Angley, Katie Naymon, Katie Szymanski, Kelsey Damassa, Kelsey Mulvey, Kelsey Pomeroy, Kema Christian-Taylor, Kimya Kavehkar, Laura Hoxworth, Lauren Biscaldi, Lauren Chen, Lauren Kaplan, Lauren Mobertz, Lauren Paylor, Lily Herman, Lola Kolade, Maddie Schmitz, Madeline Harrington, Maggie Walsh, Mariel Loveland, Mary Beth Hills, Maya Devereaux, Meagan Templeton-Lynch, Megan McCluskey, Megan Shuffleton, Meghan DeMaria, Meghan Frick, Michelle King, Nan Zhu, Nancy Mucciarone, Ngozi Ekeledo, Nicole Knoebel, Patricia Ball, Rachel Dozier, Rachel Kossman, Rebecca Buddingh, Roxanna Coldiron, Sammie Levin, Sara Heath, Sarah Casimong, Sarah Desiderio, Sarah Kahwash, Sophie Dodd, Susannah Hine, Sydney Nolan, Tarina Quraishi, Taylor Trudon, Valentina Palladino, Victoria Uwumarogie, Winnie Ma, and Zo Renauer.

Lastly, we would like to dedicate this book to our absolutely amazing superstar Her Campus team members all throughout the world, who inspire us every day with their passion for Her Campuss mission and remind us of why we started this company in the first place. Heres to you, collegiettes!

HCXO,

Stephanie, Annie, and Windsor, cofounders of Her Campus

The three of us founded Her Campus while we were undergrads at Harvard since we realized there was so much info that college girls were dying to knoweverything from how to land an internship to how to avoid the freshman fifteenbut there wasnt anywhere to find it. So we launched HerCampus.com to serve collegiettes in all aspects of their lives, recognizing that college is such a crucial time and that you have a unique set of needs and questions that werent being addressed anywhere else.

Weve watched Her Campus grow over the past five incredible years, and while were totally obsessed with our website, sometimes we just like to curl up with a good book, too! So now collegiettes (like you) can get everything you need to rock college and get absolutely as much out of it as possible, all consolidated in this one book (and yes, this book totally counts towards your New Years resolution to read at least one book a month)!

HC Love,

Stephanie, Annie, and Windsor, cofounders of Her Campus

Whats a collegiette, you ask? Thats youor, if youre just graduating high school, it will be you in a few short months! Collegiette is a term we like to use for a college woman who is on top of her gamestrategically career-minded, distinctly fashionable, socially connected, academically driven, and smartly health-consciousand who endeavors to get the most out of her college experience on every level. Which is pretty much why youre reading this book, right?

So whether youre getting ready to go off to college next fall or are already a seasoned upperclassman (look at you!), youll find this book chock-full of insider tips and info. First, well give you the lowdown on campus safety so you can enjoy all that college has to offer while avoiding the unfortunate scary parts that sometimes come with it. Youll learn how to navigate some of the most important relationships youll build in college: the ones with your roommates, your professors, and your love interests (ooh la la!). Youll also learn how to handle a relationship when it goes sour, be it with a frenemy or a bad-for-you guy. Youll find every imaginable tip on staying healthy in college, from a fitness and nutrition standpoint as well as when it comes to your physical, mental, and sexual health. Well tell you how to maximize life outside the classroom, through extracurriculars, Greek life, and more, while keeping all of your many pursuits in balance. Plus, well take you beyond campus with everything you need to know about managing your money, studying abroad, and scoring jobs and internships to help you transition seamlessly into post-collegiette life (dont worry, you still have time!).

Sprinkled throughout the book youll also find all sorts of useful resources to help you make our tips a reality, including a sample roommate contract and a dorm-room grocery list.

We hope you enjoy reading The Her Campus Guide to College Life as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

Happy reading, collegiettes!

HCXO,

Stephanie, Annie, and Windsor, cofounders of Her Campus

P.S. Want even more from HC? Be sure to check us out online at HerCampus.com and on social media!

When you think about preparing for college, you think about textbooks, class schedules, parties, and being away from home. You probably dont think about the dangers of walking around on what looks like an idyllic campus. It probably never crosses your mind that the cute upperclassman in your Psychology 101 class could be a threat. In your excitement about stocking up on fun new items for your dorm and new college life, it doesnt occur to you how susceptible everything is to theft. This isnt to say that your college is some breeding ground for criminal behavior; its just not the perfect bubble you may have imagined. Bad things happen everywhere, even at college, so you need to be aware! Just as you prepare for life on campus by getting new twin XL sheets, you have to prepare for your safety as well. In the chapters ahead, youll become prepared for worst-case scenarios: theft, fires, sexual assault, and other things that we hope you never, ever encounter.

For the first time ever, youre away from your parents and youre living on your own. You have your own corner in your own dorm room and youve decorated it to be your own college oasis. While your university takes the necessary precautions to keep you safe in your home away from home, theres only so much that fire drills, ID cards, and security can do. And without your parents, the responsibility to keep you and your new home safe is on your shoulders. While hopefully you wont face any threats to your safety in your dorm room, you need to be prepared for the worst-case scenariostheft, fires, intrudersand do everything in your power to prevent and avoid them.