The authors argue that although "freshman survival guides" do address the common concerns of entering college students, these books largely entertain, placate, and enable students to circumvent expert advice on how successfully to navigate the transition to college. A content analysis of 10 popular first-year advice books revealed an eclipsing of academics by social life, a distortion of professorial roles and relationships, and a troubling lack of evidence-based arguments. The authors' goal is to make educators aware of this potentially destabilizing influence and inspire them to reinsert themselves into students' socialization process by directly countering misconceptions and answering students' questions in ways that reflect institutional values and expectations.