The Naked Roommate Makes a Good Graduation Gift

If you can believe the cover blurb, Harlan Cohen's The Naked Roommate and 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College is THE #1 GOING-TO-COLLEGE BOOK! Dubious as I am, after picking it up this weekend, in all seriousness, I recommend it as a great graduation gift. And it's under $20!

I'm on a bit of a losing streak lately with books, buying titles I was "sure" would delight that disappointed instead, so I was glad the weekend allowed for a bit of browsing at Borders. (Doubly glad our nearby Borders is still open!)

The Naked Roommate, 4th edition, hit shelves April 1. I recommend it because it's one of those great books that actually lives up to its title - the good advice inside is as easily-absorbed as the catchy cover and title. 

I suspect most people (ok, old people like me) who made it through college would give much of the same advice to today's graduates, and being the parent of a teen, I'm pretty darned sure the kids won't listen. So I'll put it this way: I sure wish I'd read the chapter on credit cards before my junior year,  and the advice about getting to know your advisor probably would have made a world of difference in my college (and career) experience.

But enough about my mistakes. Cohen has done a very nice job packaging his advice, and he offers at least a little to help in dealing with a variety of college experiences. 

He leads with a few short sections on arriving on campus and what to do about homesickness, then covers social situations (from the titular roommate to drugs, clubs, and religion) and writes less than 20 pages each on Greek life and athletics. In between, he spends more time (an entire chapter) on 'Life Inside the Classroom,' which is also packed with good advice. At the end of each chapter there's a summary called Harlan's Tip Sheet. If the college-bound student read only those tips, the book would ease the student's transition and improve his odds for success.

In short, I'm glad that I found the book, and I plan to take The Naked Roommate to a few graduation parties with me. (As a gift!) Sigh. I'll admit that was a bit crass. I hope you'll forgive me for trying a little SEO experiment with this alluring title.

For additional titular pleasure, visit Cohen's website all about The Naked Roommate.