Starting college? Here’s some advice on leaving home from the book “How to Survive Your Freshman Year” (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $13.95), straight from people who’ve done it:

“I went through a lot of changes my freshman year. I came from a very small town in Connecticut. Everybody was white, everybody was middle class to upper middle class. You come to Maryland and all of a sudden you’re in a very diverse community that looks like the rest of the world. So you have to be open-minded.”

—Michael A. Fekula, University Of Maryland, 1985

“I went to college in the same area I grew up in. I didn’t think it would be that great; I’d have my mom breathing down my neck all the time. But actually it’s really nice. I forgot to bring some stuff and I just went home and got it. And I can go home anytime and take a bath.”

—Lucy Lindsey, Harvard University, Freshman

“I was sadder to leave my friends than my parents. I’ll see my parents again and they won’t change. But leaving all my high school friends . . . everyone’s going to be different, because they all went to different schools.”

—Bayless Parsley, University Of Virginia, Freshman

“My parents drove 12 hours to bring me to school. My mom cried after they dropped me off, but not in front of me. I’m actually kind of homesick right now. I look for good airfares and fly home when I can.”

—Lauren Webster, Barnard College, Junior

“The biggest culture shock was getting used to the language. I’m Israeli: Because of the language difficulties, I think I’m a different person because everything I say, I have to think twice before I say it because it sounds different in English.”

—T.G., Boston University, Sophomore

“It’s better going to a college far, far away, because when you need something done, or you miss your family, you have to stick through it. When you’re at a college close by, it’s hard because your parents still think you’re in high school and want to see you every day.”

—Katie Holden, Rutgers University, Freshman

Hundreds of Heads Books’ survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life’s biggest challenges and have insight to share.