9 Books for Parents of College Students

And you thought your student would be the only one doing all the reading during the college years! Needless to say, you may want to pick up a few “textbooks” of your own to learn more about your role as a college parent. Here are a few suggested titles that you can pick up at your local bookstore.

• 1. You’re On Your Own: But I’m Here if You Need Me by Marjorie Savage (2003).
  A great resource for parents attempting to understand the boundaries between when to intervene and when to respect their child’s privacy. The author knows her subject as she currently serves as the Director of the University of Minnesota’s Parent Programs and is a parent herself, affording her the experience to offer advice and tips on multiple issues.
• 2. I'll Miss You Too: An Off-to-College Guide for Parents and Students: What Will Change, What Will Not, and How We'll Stay Connected by Margo E. Woodacre and Steffany Bane (2006).
  The authors, a mother-daughter team, provide the differing perspectives of parent and child through the transition to college. Using humor, this guide provides insight into maintaining a meaningful relationship through ongoing communication and understanding of the other’s experiences and feelings.
• 3. Paying for College Without Going Broke 2009 Edition (College Admissions Guides) by Princeton Review
  A must have book for anyone looking to better understand the financial aid process. Recently updated, this book provides the most current information on eligibility, laws, taxes and more, to help families tackle the soaring costs associated with a college education.  The 2010 Edition comes out October, 2009.
• 4. Almost Grown: Launching Your Child From High School to College by Patricia Pasick (1998).
  Written by a psychologist and parent, the author provides a unique take on the college transition, offering both practical advice for helping your child plan for college, but also helping the family plan for this pivotal transition and the implications of a changing family environment.
• 5. When Your Kid Goes to College: A Parent’s Survival Guide by Carol Barkin (1999).
  Reflecting back on her own experience of sending her son off to college, the author attempts to make it a little easier for her peers by providing a guide filled with tips, advice, and strategies for making it through the separation and transition of saying good-bye and good luck.
• 6. Letting Go (Fifth Edition): A Parents’ Guide to Understanding the College Years by Karen Levin Coburn and Madge Lawrence Treeger (2009).
  A quick and easy read that offers practical, updated and helpful information to assist parents with both the emotional and social challenges experienced during the college years, by both student and parent.
• 7. Don’t Tell Me What to Do, Just Send Money by Helen E. Johnson and Christine Schelhas-Miller (2000).
  Using humor and actual case studies, the authors attempt to help parents understand their changing role, still providing influence but with less control and direction. The book is comprehensive and offers strategies for a wide-range of common issues experienced by parents and students.
• 8. Dollars and Sense for College Students: Or how Not to Run out of Money by Mid-Terms by Ellen Braitman and Celeste Sollod (1998).
  Written for students, this book is a great read for parents as well. Packed with tips, suggestions, strategies and warnings that parents can use to help their student develop smart habits and make wise choices for managing money throughout college…and beyond.
• 9. A Parent's Guide to Sex, Drugs, and Flunking Out: Answers to the Questions Your College Student Doesn't Want You to Ask by Joel Epstein (2001).
  An often sobering read, this book will assist any parent in tackling the sometimes difficult situations that can arise during the college years. Supported by the author’s own research, the guide provides useful and informative information on a variety of college issues.

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