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STUDENT REVIEWS

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Middlebury College

"I loved this book so much! I’m definitely going to spend a lot of time in the months (and years) to come going back and referring to different sections to keep myself on track health-wise. It’s honestly incredible how thorough and accessible and inspiring this book is! There were so many moments where I read some of the advice, then thought, “Hang on, I haven’t done that today!” and got up to have a bite of breakfast, or down a glass of water, or do some ab workouts. And then just like that my day was that much better! And I feel so validated for my hermit-like sleep habits! I’ll never apologize for going to bed at 11:00 pm again. I really loved the quotes from college students, and it’s just so clear that Jill & Dave put in the work to have accurate information while presenting it in a really approachable way. I've been a bit of a blob since high school sports ended and now I’m really hyped up to get back on the health train. The way everything is laid everything out makes health feel a lot more manageable than if I was just trying to wing it on my own."

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Georgetown University

"The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed is a health book, sure, but really is a story. Jill and Dave weave in their trademark humor with engaging anecdotes about their own failures and successes figuring out how to feel healthy and good in their bodies. I especially liked the chapters about food, alcohol, and sleep. Instead of dieting, they encourage limiting the foods you intuitively know aren’t good for you while showing you how to eat the ones that are. The charts and infographics dispersed through each chapter break down the information into approachable pieces and help you actually figure out how to implement it in your own life. The chart breaking your sleep into cycles is life-changing! I also was impressed by the care in which Jill and Dave treated topics like underage drinking and sexual consent. They confront the realities college students face when suddenly in an environment with little adult supervision and few adults to turn to and equip students with how to listen to themselves and stay safe. There’s so much rich information in this book. It taught me something AND it made me laugh." 

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University of Southern California 

“I absolutely loved this book. It’s engaging, entertaining, and genuinely helpful. I particularly love the incorporation of the author’s own personal stories and anecdotes. It made me feel as though I was learning from two people who actually know and understand the experience college students may be going through. This is such a nice contrast to all the help books out there written by researchers who don't seem to understand the experiences they’re writing about. Similarly, I also really appreciated the tone of the book. I find that many books aiming to provide advice to students ultimately just leave us feeling as though we’re being spoken at or talked down to. I really feel like this book does the opposite. It fosters this sense of companionship between the reader, the authors, and all the college students quoted. It feels like guidance opposed to instructions.”

 

Santa Clara University 

“I really like that this book isn't patronizing like other books directed towards students that I have read. It's funny, it meets college students where they're at, and the advice is really practical. There is something in this book for everyone. Not only does it provide really good advice on healthy eating, exercise, and safety around alcohol, it also talks about eating disorders, mental health, and the importance of getting enough sleep. I would recommend this book to anyone who is entering college or is already in college.”

 

New York University 

“This book is all that I wanted when I was first starting college. It is practical, funny, and empowering. It's also fun to read, like the kind of book that not only is going to help with advice but will also have people laughing out loud as they are reading. Perfect for anyone in college or even just living on their own for the first time.”

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​PARENT REVIEWS

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Judge Cristina Perez, 3-Time Emmy Winner, Author, Parent

"College is one of the greatest life experiences.  But it’s certainly not easy on every level.  Through relatable stories, sprinkled with expert advice, this book uses humor and candor to openly share with college-bound kids the importance of self-awareness, how to value oneself, their character, and how these all affect how they choose to “show up” in this world. These are lessons that will transcend their life’s journey. The book is fun and an easy read. I want my college-bound daughter to read this book. Let’s face it, she won’t listen to me – I am her mother!  This book will teach her that fun, structure, and control are not rivals. On the contrary, they are part of a recipe to follow that will lead to a better college experience that will teach her that she has the power to push through anything she faces."

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Lian Dolan, Best Selling Author, Parent 

The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed is absolutely the book I wish I could have handed my two sons when they went off to college. First of all, Coaches Jill and Dave Henry provide critical information that's straightforward, complete, and honest. As teachers, coaches, and former college students in the current millennia, they have a great instinct for what incoming first years should know and how to tell them in a language they understand. This is essential reading. The perfect gift book for a high school graduate or for any of the millions of college students in America.”

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PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS

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Crystal Cyr, Student Affairs Professional, University of Colorado Boulder

“This no-nonsense “how-to” guide is built upon extensive research in the field of student health, yet is delivered in a voice that feels more like a conversation with wise older cousins offering advice through personal stories and mishaps. The Henrys balance witty banter with endearing sincerity as they discuss some of the most common challenges college students experience -  food, alcohol use, exercise, stress, and sleep - as well as the nuanced complexities of sex,  mental health, and disordered eating. 

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Perhaps what makes The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed so appealing and easily consumable, is the way in which the Henrys normalize the struggles of the college experience with supporting data from national studies and share relatable testimonies from actual college students on how they tackled these challenges, whether successful or not.  Each chapter includes “cheat sheets” of tips and strategies that students will want to bookmark for easy reference on determining drink limits, sleep schedules, workouts, and more balanced meals in the dining halls. 

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Although written as a resource-guide for college students, the underlying theme of how to make responsible choices when presented with new-found independence and a smorgasbord of options is applicable to anyone transitioning out of high school (or into the “real world”).  Hidden not-so-subtly throughout the book are lessons in self-advocacy, resilience, time and energy management, and asking for help. The student experiences related to their cognitive, social, and identity development (though not explicitly described as such) are what also makes this book a must-read for parents, guardians, and new professionals in higher education who want to better understand and support their students.”

 

Katie Shin, Student Services Professional, University of Michigan

“This book is a necessity to have on hand as you begin navigating campus life. While providing practical tips on how to make overall healthy decisions, Jill and Dave Henry provide insights on how to figure out what really works best for you. This book is a much-needed map full of personal experiences of trial and error, humor, and the real facts about college life they don’t teach you at orientation.”

 

Shari Tarver-Behring, Dean of Education, Cal State Northridge

“This book captures the student experience in higher education. It offers clear, concrete examples and tools to promote physical and mental health while navigating the college years, especially for younger students just entering college. This guide is also a great resource for faculty, staff, and administrators, even parents, to better understand the student perspective and how to respond to various health needs.”

 

Kai Felton, Women’s Basketball Coach, University of California Berkeley

The Greatest College Health Guide is an informative and entertaining tool for incoming college students. As many students learn when they first arrive at college, it’s not as easy as they would have thought. This book will help students navigate how to avoid the Freshman 15, learn about alcohol intake, how important sleep is, and much more. All the while, they can still have a great college experience. The book gives funny examples of real-life pitfalls and how and why you want to avoid them. The quotes from fellow students across the country experiencing similar challenges allow the reader to know they are not alone. The Greatest College Health Guide is a great moving companion for students leaving home and heading off to college.”

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Martha Hart-Johns, Psychology Professor, Health Educator, and Researcher

“The college years and the habits you develop during them are critical for creating your healthiest, happiest, and most successful self. With so many new freedoms, choices and pressures it is easy to get derailed in one or more areas of your life. Jill and Dave Henry knew from their own personal experiences some of the challenges and pitfalls of this very critical developmental stage, and they took on the mission of helping their students and their peers be healthy at college. The result? A wonderfully smart, funny, highly readable, and relatable book.

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There is no scarcity of health information in print. As a health educator, psychology professor, and researcher I have read hundreds of books, research articles, and other media designed to share essential health information. However, I have yet to come across such a strong compendium of all the essential information on key topics in one place: diet,  exercise, sleep hygiene, stress and time management, social media and relationships, alcohol use and abuse, as well as mental health issues like managing depression. And I can tell you, none of them have ever made me laugh out loud (in a good way!) as this one did. 

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Its second strength is being so adeptly voiced for the target audience. The information is science-based and resounds with common-sense strategies.  Finally, here is a book that feels genuinely authentic about what students face, brought to life with frank anecdotes and quotes from the college experiences of the authors and students in colleges across the country.  It strives to shorten the college students' learning curve so they hit their stride sooner after learning from the successes and errors of others.”

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Hannah Kearney, Olympic Gold Medalist & Certified Personal Trainer

“As an Olympic athlete, I did not attend college until I was in my late twenties.  Even then, The Greatest College Health Guide would have come in handy! Dave and Jill's personal anecdotes make this guide relatable and make the challenge of adjusting to life on campus seem manageable and even fun.  Their advice is practical, holistic, as well as entertaining.  They get it.  The Greatest College Health Guide is definitely a good way, if not the greatest way, to achieve physiological, psychological, academic, and athletic success during your college years.

 

Helaine Knapp, Founder & CEO, CityRow

“As a founder in the fitness and wellness space, my mission has been to make healthy options accessible to all, and to help people with their goals and needs in that realm; arguably one of the most important populations to reach is young adults in their formative years as they make vital decisions around their health and well-being while living on their own for the first time. That all converges with The Greatest College Health Guide, which really is just that - one of the best health/wellness books I've read.

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 Authors Jill and Dave Henry go so far beyond a rote plan for losing the "freshman fifteen" or a dry how-to. Instead, it's a comprehensive guide to the wellness pillars a college student will inevitably want and need to grapple with. In addition to offering solid strategies for putting good habits into place and dealing with challenges that arise, I predict that The Greatest College Health Guide will be a salve and a safeguard against campus crises for thousands of students, as Jill and Dave are also adept at dealing with heavy issues (including alcohol abuse, the reality of sexual assault on campus, etc) with a deft hand...and no preaching! This book is incredibly well-written, fun, and funny - the authors are vulnerable, relatable, and self-deprecating, and their personal stories woven in throughout the manuscript bring to life every topic they write about.

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Heather Balogh Rochfort, Author of Women Who Hike

"Jill and Dave are hysterical but their healthy nuggets of wisdom are solid. Seriously, all freshmen should have the College Health Guide positioned between their bottle of booze and the cookbook on crockpot meals."

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