Freshman: A Novel by Michael Gerber

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Brandon!

Hart Fox does not have ridiculously wealthy parents. Nor are his parents alumni of the nearby Stutts University, a prestigious ivy league college. Hart is just a run-of-the-mill hard working student trying to achieve acceptance to his dream school. When the end of the year arrives, he finds out he got accepted….but his place in the incoming freshman class was basically bought by a classmate’s father who offered to fund a new chemistry building. Simply put, though, Trip (Hart’s classmate), is all brawn and no brains. He barely passed high school, so he would never survive at Stutts, but his dad, Burlington Darlington III, is running for governor and needs to keep his family, including his son, as a help, rather than a hinderance to his campaign. So he employs Hart to do Trip’s homework and take his classes for him. In return, Mr. Darlington will pay for Hart to attend Stutts. Finally Hart is introduced to the Stutts atmosphere, and he is nearly overwhelmed. In his first year he makes a clear enemy in Trip Darlington, makes friends with the local outcasts, the staff of the college humor paper, The Cuckoo, and even finds love (albeit with an undead vampire who has been attending Stutts for 150+ years). He survives his year at Stutts despite Trip’s attempts to get him expelled, Mr. Darlington’s attempts to cut his funds, and various fraternities attempts to kill him.

I enjoyed Freshman immensely, and highly recommend it, especially to those seniors who are going to be freshman next year. It provides a refreshing reminder that freshman year could always be much worse.

--Brandon