The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College by Harlan Cohen

School Library Journal

Gr 11 Up-A hilarious and truthful book that gives high school students a look at college life, beginning with "Arriving on Campus" and ending with "It's Almost Time to Say Goodbye." In between, Cohen covers homesickness, laundry, Greek life, sex ("Having It, Not Having It, Hearing Other People Having It"), alcohol, cafeteria food, roommates, making it to class on time (and what happens if you don't). The author talks frankly about "Hook Ups," "One-Night Stands," and STDs. Each topic includes a "Harlan Tip," accompanied by a true story from a college student. The advice is sound; the tone is light.-Marianne Fitzgerald, Severna Park High School, MD Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

• Table of Contents
• Read an Excerpt

Table of Contents

Read an Excerpt

Excerpt from Book Orientation: The Stuff before the Tips

Welcome Students
Welcome to the third edition of The Naked Roommate. It's so nice to have you here on page one. I'm Harlan. I'll be your author and host throughout this book. I've included a picture of myself on the back of the book so you can see what I look like. And yes, I've actually been wearing that same outfit while writing this entire book (but I have gained about five pounds). As your host and author, I'd like to offer you something to eat or drink, but I don't know where to find you or if you can eat or drink where you are. If you're reading this at a place where they're serving food or drinks, please get yourself something. I can't pay for it, but if I were there, I would. I just want to make sure that you're comfortable.

So please, slip off your shoes, unbutton the top button on your pants if they're snug, find a comfortable place to sit if you're standing. Do whatever it takes for you to get comfortable, as long as what you need to do to get comfortable isn't prohibited by any indecency laws. If it is prohibited, please take this book home with you. I'm not trying to get you to buy it (well, maybe I am a little), but what is more important than you owning this book is that you are as comfortable as possible while reading it. Because when it comes down to it, that's what this whole book is all about—and it's really what the college experience is about. It's about helping you to get comfortable for what can be an uncomfortable (at times) journey ahead. Now, I'll give you a break to get comfortable. And please, feel free to browse through the book after you settle in.

—A Break inthe Book—

Welcome Back
Hi, Harlan here again, your author and host. As you can tell by browsing through this book, you are probably expecting a lot of tips. When it comes to "tips," there are many different kinds in the world. There are good tips, bad tips, informative tips, tips that touch the surface, tips that give you something to think about, tips you leave on a table after eating at a restaurant, rib tips, finger tips, tiptoes, and various other miscellaneous tips. This is a tip book unlike any other tip book. It's a book that goes far beyond the tip and leaves you with something to think about, and when applicable, even offers you places to go for help on and off campus. I'd like to go so far as to say that this is the best tip book in the history of tip books (minus the 1762 classic, Ten Tips for Settlers to the New Country).

This might come to you as a surprise, but I wasn't a fan of "tip books"—that is, until I wrote this book. I don't just like this one because I wrote it (although that is part of the reason). It's because this book is genuinely different. It's based on what today's college students are honestly thinking, feeling, and doing on today's college campuses. It's their voices sharing their stories and experiences that will expose the uncensored truth about what's really going on in college. Not only will you get page after page of telling tips from students on over one hundred college campuses across North America, you'll also get the latest facts, stats, resources, support services having to do with college life, and some advice from me—someone who has been a freshman twice, has visited over three hundred college campuses, and has interviewed over a thousand students. Whether you're living on campus or commuting from home, whether you're going to a big school or a small school, whether you're the first person in your family going to college or the last—I've made sure that this book has something for everyone.

About the student-offered tips—one thing that I've discovered while writing my syndicated Help Me, Harlan! advice column and interviewing students over the years is that it's the rest of the story, the story of how someone came up with his or her tip or advice, that is the most telling. And that's exactly what you'll find here—the tips and the stories behind them. That's just not something you see every day. (Assuming you own this book, you now can see it every day if that's what you enjoy doing with your spare time.)

Speaking of time, I appreciate yours. I promise not to waste it. This book will be helpful. At the very least, it can always be used as a doorstop, a coaster, or a way to level out a shaky table. The actual information written on the pages of your new doorstop/coaster/level will also prove helpful. Whether you're heading to a college down the street or across the country, this book has something for you. Whether you're headed to college as the star of your high school or you're one of those students who blended into the cement block walls in the back of your classroom, this book has something for you. And that includes all those people who fall somewhere in between blending into the cement blocks and being a star. This is the book that I only wish someone had written for me when I went to college.In fact, this book has proven so helpful over the years that it's now being used as required reading, as a textbook, and as a training guide for student leaders on campus (I'm really proud of this).