Book excerpt: Philip A. Glotzbach cuts through the contemporary fog of misinformation about going to college. He speaks directly to new students about what a college education is for… and how not to mess it up. This information is enormously useful for parents, as well—helping them understand what their child will encounter and how best to support them on this transformative journey. Drawing on decades of experience in higher education, Glotzbach invites students to approach their college years with soaring expectations and effectively pursue their aspirations, from the very first day! Written in a conversational tone and illustrated with authentic student stories, Embrace Your Freedom offers practical, down-to-earth guidance about the decisions and actions that enable students to complete their college career with satisfaction and pride. It also addresses the vital issues of student mental health, novel drug threats, generative AI, cyberbullying, gun-related campus violence, contested speech, and many others. This book highlights the skills students need to thrive in the 21st century work-world. It also challenges them to understand and embrace their new level of freedom, take charge of their well-being, to balance work and play, take good risks, learn from failure, and prepare to claim their place as informed and responsible citizens in our democratic republic. Although these goals can feel overwhelming for any student, achieving them establishes core values that define a purposeful and powerful undergraduate experience—one that leads to the accomplishments that ultimately make a college degree worth the time, effort, and expense it involves.