do students know what they’re really getting into when they go to university? For many, the answer is “probably not,” and it’s for these students that Erin Millar has co-written The Canadian Campus Companion with husband Ben Coli, published by Thomas Allen & Son and released Feb. 5.
The book is designed to guide an undergraduate throughout his or her degree, says Ms. Millar, former national editor for Canadian University Press and founding editor of Maclean’s On Campus. The guide includes information on things like choosing a school, residence life, costs and budgeting, beating the campus blues, and what to do after graduation. There are similar books written in an American context, she says, but nothing that gives Canadian-specific information.
“I didn’t anticipate the enthusiasm that we would encounter almost every step of the way” in researching the book, says Ms. Millar. “Every student, professor and university expert I contacted eagerly contributed ideas and advice …Their enthusiasm was contagious.”
She hopes students find it useful. “It’s always tough writing for this group. You want to be smart and funny and hip, but you don’t want to be condescending or seem pandering.”