Guest Post - Mariana Ashley

A Must Read for College Freshmen: That Book About Harvard

As if experiencing the first day of college isn't overwhelming enough as it is, imagine how you'd feel if you were forced to greet your new classmates in nothing more than your underwear?

It may sound like some bad dream, but for then-college freshmen Eric Kester, accidently locking himself out of his dorm room wearing Incredible Hulk boxing shorts is just one of the many embarrassing mishaps he experienced as student at the prestigious Harvard University. And we mean many.

Just in time for back-to-school season, this autobiography entitled That Book about Harvard: Surviving the World's Most Famous University, One Embarrassment at a Time is the perfect read for anyone who has ever struggled trying to fit in—or pass a course. And it does so with a tone that will keep readers smiling from ear-to-ear.

In summary, the book follows Kester during his first semester as a college freshman. His high test scores and excellent football skills are what initially helped him get into his dream school- of-choice, but like many others who were successful high school seniors he's hit with a rude awakening: College is, like, really hard.

Struggling to live up to everyone's expectations and trying to nestle his way into the "cool crowd," Kester has to face many challenges throughout his first semesters including a rocky first love, F's on assignments, and difficulties getting accepted into a frat-like organization. But he has a lot of great experiences along the way too.

Although charming and definitely funny, the author manages to really hone in on the fact that school isn't only about fun and games—and Harvard, although one of the most acclaimed schools in the nation, has its own series of short comings.

All-in-all, That Book About Harvard is the ideal memoir for any college-bound teen. Aside from giving readers a (hopefully) exaggerated feel for what college-life is like, it can definitely take off some of the edge of first day jitters—after all there is no way your first day can be as embarrassing as Kester.

Kester graduated from Harvard in 2008. Now he's a feature writer for the popular site collegehumor.com. That Book About Harvard was published July 1, 2012.

Mariana Ashley is a resident blogger at www.onlinecolleges.net/ where she helps students learn about both traditional and online education. In her free time she likes to cover topics that pertain to improving reading and writing skills. She can be reached at mariana.ashley031@gmail.com.