The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College - Softcover

Harlan Cohen is the New York Times bestselling author of the Naked Roommate series and is one of the most widely read and respected syndicated advice columnists for teens and twenty-somethings. His column, "Help Me, Harlan!," is distributed by King Features Syndicate, and his advice has been featured in hundreds of publications, including the New York Times, Seventeen, and Psychology Today.

Harlan regularly tours high school and college campuses giving presentations to students, professionals and parents. He lives in Chicago, Illinois. For more information, visit www.HelpMeHarlan.com and www.NakedRoommate.com.

Welcome to the first page, the first day of college, and my first tip.

There are a lot of firsts happening here-first time possibly away from home, first time possibly living with a stranger, first college class, first college professors, first college hookup, first love, first loss, first time possibly having sex (or not having it, or just hearing other people have it), maybe your first pregnancy scare, first sexually transmitted infection (also called sexually transmitted disease), first time seeing people use drugs, first time borrowing thousands of dollars and first time spending thousands of dollars, first time having to make choices on your own, first time staying out all night, first time having to make a new life for yourself, and the first time when you can do as much as you want or as little as you want and have no one to answer to but you (assuming you don't answer your phone).

Naturally, the first time you do something, it's normal to not be completely comfortable doing it. Comfort takes time. So understand that it will take time to find your comfortable places in college. Be who you are, not who people want you to be (or who you think people want you to be). Focus on what you want, not on being wanted. Work to find what you love to do inside and outside the classroom. Create a world filled with options-socially, academically, and spiritually. Don't wait for people to give you your college experience. Create it. Make it happen. And along the way, appreciate that no matter what happens, no matter what you're feeling, no matter what obstacles you encounter-you are never alone. You are surrounded by people who can listen, support, and guide you. As someone who has lived it, seen it, and heard about it in my advice column and from students on college campuses around the world, I can tell you: it's a fact. You are never alone in college.

As one resident director and recent graduate said to me, "They always say that college students deal with the same issues, but until I was a resident director, I never realized it was true. So many people are going through the same things, but don't know it." Each day is unpredictable. You never know what's going to come your way. That's part of the wild ride. In the words of an advisor I interviewed, "In college, you can have the best day of your life and the worst day of your life-and all within the same hour."

Welcome to your college experience.