Updated for the 2025-26 year!

Your college junior is embarking on an important and transitional year. By junior year, most college students have found their comfort and people. On the other hand, some juniors may start feeling impatient to be done with college and start living in the real world. If they haven't already, college juniors now must declare their major. Students in their third year of college are advised to find internships in their chosen fields, start considering additional education (such as medical or law school), or preparing for licensing examinations.

The goal of this book is to help you navigate your college student's junior year, including the challenges and the joys it will bring. Chapters are written by professionals in the areas of family engagement, mental health, study abroad, career services, and the third-year experience. The content will help you guide your junior on their journey with information, resources, and conversation starters.

Edited by Chelsea Petree, Ph.D., the Director of Parent and Family Programs at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Each contributor is a current or former college administrator, and all are members of AHEPPP: Family Engagement in Higher Education, the only professional association dedicated to parent/family involvement in the college experience.

Shana Lee, Kent State University

James M. Wright Jr., University of Delaware

Kerri Fowler, North Carolina State University

Melody Klein, Rochester Institute of Technology

Mel Cerra, Rochester Institute of Technology

Emily Pelkowski, Nazareth University

Jenny Sullivan, Rochester Institute of Technology

Shanise N. Kent, Esq., MBA, University at Albany, State University of New York

Ahmed Hosni, The Ohio State University

Samantha Jeffries, LMFT, Rochester Institute of Technology

Christine Self, Texas Tech University

Joshua Lee, St. Olaf College

Ashley Boltrushek, American University

College Junior Ready is one of a series of Ready Guides for parents of college students published by Parent Ready. More information at https://parentready.com.