It's a good book and it's well written, but it it feels like two books in one, so it's a bit of a mixed experience.
On one hand we have the hand holding and explanatory approach that would benefit youngsters who are already overwhelmed by the school system and the expectations on them. There are notes on the role of art and creativity, the potential beneficial power of personality tests (though I think he takes it a step too far with the advocacy), and some general advice on how to approach campus life. Sections like this agreed with me more because it was more in line with what the cover and title were suggesting the book is, but also, the author's personal tone came through better and he seems very likeable.
On the other hand, we have the reflections and conclusions of a mature man, where he talks about the life of various intellectuals, the one notedness of professors, students getting lost to avalanches, the fate of Steve Jobs, and other dense topics which I though were very overwhelming. The issue with the inclusion of these is that when you give young people a bunch of knowledge that they don't have use for yet, then you're not setting them up with lifehacks that will help them avoid pitfalls, instead you're giving them anxiety. I kept thinking to myself that this should be a different book, something with a darker cover, and titled "Notes on Academia: The American Experience", because they were not 'Zen'.

Klein offers his view on why we even bother (or should bother) with higher education. He weighs in on what majors, classes, and choices high school students should make, as well as the potential pitfalls that can occur. I'm wondering how quickly this book will feel out of date, given recent articles about AI's influences on college life, but Klein's perspective was interesting, if easy to summarize.

There is a gap between a student’s expectations and what colleges actually offer. The disparity is compounded by differences in perspective. The student thinks that college is not only going to assist them in developing a profession but also provide education, insights, and information on navigating life. This book seeks to fill in that gap with anecdotal evidence from the author's experiences, which is all good and well for a certain cohort of students coming from similar backgrounds. However I found the book to be lacking in experiences and anecdotes from those of low-income, diverse, or marginalized groups that do not have the same footing in life.