What To Do When College Is Not The Best Time Of Your Life

By: David Leibow

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Synopsis: If college is supposed to be the best time of our lives, why are so many students unhappy? What causes a well-adjusted and academically successful high school graduate to suddenly flounder when he reaches college? Why might she start to binge on alcohol or engage in unsatisfying hook-ups? Where does the anger and self-doubt come from, and why is it directed at loving parents? Drawing on years of experience treating college-age youth, Leibow provides practice-based answers to these and other pressing questions. Instead of adventure, liberation, and a triumphant march into adulthood, many college students experience humiliation, insecurity, and social and academic failure. Yet by understanding themselves better and adjusting their perspectives, students can grow from these challenges and turn bad choices into wiser personal and educational decisions. Leibow focuses on issues common to college settings& —anxiety and depression, drug and alcohol abuse, overwhelming course loads, homesickness, eating disorders, and unhealthy relationships& —detailing coping strategies and professional resources that best respond to each crisis. Leibow's intimate knowledge of campus life and its unique challenges add an invaluable dimension to his prescriptive advice. Reorienting the expectations of parents and students while providing the tools for overcoming a variety of hurdles, Leibow shows how college can still become one of the best times of our lives.