You’ve been waiting. The day has finally come. Your teachers, your parents, and you did a great job of getting you through high school, even after that little cadaver incident. You will soon graduate and never again be forced to shower with 40 sweaty guys, or suffer through another boring study hall again, but now what?
You don’t know what you want to do with the rest of your life. Thankfully, there’s college and the undeclared major. You didn't know what to expect, but it was never this.
As you walk into your dorm room, your new roommate looks up from his video game, a long string of hot cheese dangling from his mouth. If he’s not more careful, he’s going to singe something, and it’s going to be painful, because he’s nude, but you’re the one feeling naked.
College is a big change. Classes with hundreds of people, staying out late, making your own choices. There’s a big difference between high school and college life. The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College written by Harlan Cohen can help you prepare.
Harlan went to college feeling it was going to be an easy transition. He was sure everything would just fall into place, but instead he felt out of place. It took two semesters and a transfer to figure it all out. He realized there’s so much no one tells about life in college, and that’s why he decided to write this book.
He wanted to share all the things that will make college life easier to handle. Much of what students experience is universal, and whether it is a commuter campus, or a university far from home. You are about to experience a higher education inside and outside of the classroom.
Learn to expect the unexpected. You might think you know what will happen in college, but you really don’t. You expect you will stay together forever with your high school sweetheart (probably not). You may have always gotten As in high school. You might, but not with the same amount of work. You expect your friendships to be like high school, but it takes time to develop quality friendships.
Most of college life is great, but once in awhile it’s not so great. There are some great tips—such as handling a drunk or high roommate (don’t let them use this book for rolling papers). How to get the best deal on college textbooks (one of the biggest scams in the industry). Learn inexpensive-to-down-right cheap strategies for eating (or barely eating). There’s an art of reading (or not reading) a college textbook, and of course the rules of college love (or sometimes just lust).
There are a lot of firsts happening here—first time away from home, first time borrowing thousands of dollars, first time managing money, and first time having to make some important choices on your own. It’s not going to be comfortable. Comfort takes time, but college can be the best four, five, six, or seven years of your life…
No shirt, no shoes, no service? Or Come as you are? Email me at from_my_shelf@yahoo.com and let me know. Miss a past column? Here’s a tip. Catch up at http://frommyshelf.blogspot .com Hobo, bookstore cat, is a proud graduate of the School of Hard Knocks. You can help him pay his rent by checking out “Hobo Finds A Home”, a children’s book about a cat who wanted more out of life.
If you'd like to buy this book, why not buy it where you tried it? Simply click on the photo below, or the title, highlighted throughout this post, to purchase the book at From My Shelf Books & Gifts, and to support the writers of this fine blog ;) We thank you!
No comments:
Post a Comment