FIRST-YEAR ORIENTATION

These 16 contemporary stories about the first day of college address the unsettling mix of feelings caused by launching into a new life in an unfamiliar place.

Each story is set at fictional Rolland College in New Jersey, a believable backdrop for depicting experiences common to new students in residential colleges in the U.S.: saying goodbye to parents, meeting roommates, attending activity fairs, exploring campus environs, and navigating parties and alcohol. The authors, many of them well-known YA names, including Gloria Chao, Adi Alsaid, and Kathleen Glasgow, each write about a different protagonist, deftly exploring deeper themes such as missing home, worrying about fitting in, finding friends, and remaking oneself. The stories showcase authentic feelings and generally end on a positive note, which is comforting for readers anxious about starting college. The stories are cleverly interlinked, with characters making cameos in other stories or experiencing different sides of the same events. The cast of characters, like the contributors, is racially and ethnically diverse, and some are queer. Among the variety of stories are two focusing on former child actors, one featuring a girl disappointed to be at Rolland and not an Ivy League, and one about the daughter of a college employee who has chosen to work on campus rather than enroll as a student. The rest of the collection rounds out a diversity of experiences.

A strong short story collection focusing on a life-changing transition.