Book Nook - The Backpacker's Guide to University

The college experience is continually evolving. With tuition fees reaching up to $50,000 a year and with no guarantee of a graduate job at the end, many students are finding that college doesn’t always deliver on its promise. Even before the semester begins, the process can feel overwhelming, from navigating application forms to securing accommodation and packing up to live independently, often for the first time. Once they arrive, many students struggle to adjust emotionally, socially, academically and financially.

Alarmingly, 57% of UK students now report experiencing a mental health issue, a figure which is seven times higher than a decade ago.¹ As dropout rates continue to rise, with 6.3% of students leaving college early in the UK, it’s clear that something needs to change.² Students need more guidance on what to expect during this new chapter in their lives. And when dropping out early can mean losing thousands of dollars, a bit of practical, reassuring advice - such as is provided by this book - might make all the difference.

Dr Jo Phillips and Martin Griffin have a collective 45 years’ experience teaching high school and college students, and have supported them through applications, the writing of personal statements, open days, last-minute panics, and the leap into college life. They understand how daunting that leap can be, and know exactly what helps students stay afloat once they’ve made it.

Between them, they’ve also been students a total of 8 times, experiencing their fair share of mistakes, so they still vividly remember what it’s like to try and learn something new, deal with unfamiliar settings, figure out what the teacher expects and submit work on time.

Their new book, The Backpacker’s Guide to University, distils that experience into a warm, practical guide to making the most of college. It includes a helpful demystification of the language of college, as well as clear advice on adjusting to college study, campus life and independent learning. Together, Jo and Martin share clear and easy tasks, structured so that students can work through them sequentially from pre-arrival to the end of the first year and beyond.

Above all, this book encourages students to embrace the 'backpacker approach', a transformative mindset that will empower them to immerse themselves in the spirit of adventure and seize every opportunity that college life has to offer.

Essential reading for students applying to college, current undergraduates in the early stages of their course, their parents and teachers.


¹ UWill, ‘2025 Mental Health Snapshot: Understanding Well-Being Among UK University Students’. Available at: https://uwill.com/uk-2025-mental-health-snapshot/

² Louise Kursmark, ‘Degree Dropouts’, Debut Careers. Available at: https://debut.careers/degree-dropouts/#:~:text=On%20average%2C%206%20in%20every%20100%20%286.3%25%29%20students,education%20institutions%20to%20find%20out%20university%20dropout%20statistics

Dr Jo Phillips taught in four different sixth form colleges, then moved into higher education, and has been teaching in universities for the last 15 years. This puts her in a rare position - she’s taught not only A Level students but hundreds of undergraduates too. She currently teaches Landscape Architecture at the University of Sheffield.

Martin Griffin has spent his career teaching in three different sixth form colleges and has been a head of sixth form and deputy headteacher, guiding and supporting people with their university applications. He is currently an award-winning writer of both fiction and non-fiction, and he trains teachers to help students perform at their best.