College doesn’t come with an instruction manual, but a few authors are trying to fill that void.

Whether you’re a freshman who wants to start college on the right foot or a returning student who wants to make sure this year goes well, college guides can be invaluable. Here are three suggestions:

‘The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College’

By Harlan Cohen

Five out of five stars

There are three kinds of naked roommates. The ‘I’m naked, look at me’ roommate, the ‘I’m naked, do not look at me’ roommate and the ‘I’m naked, but didn’t mean for you to see me (or us)’ roommate. The solutions for dealing with these people-along with noisy, dating, lying, stealing or drunk roommates-and nearly a hundred problems that have nothing to do with the person living in your room are found here.

‘The Naked Roommate’ provides the most extensive guide of the three books. Organized into 14 general sections-beginning with moving in and ending with how to leave without any regrets-the book draws you in with advice like the ‘rules of college love’ and ‘you might be an alcoholic if…’ Each tip even includes a story anonymously submitted by a college student, as well as Cohen’s ‘bottom line.’

One hilarious pointer is No. 43, ‘How to Fail.’ Preceded by a warning to do the exact opposite of everything contained within, the tip suggests you sleep through classes, call your instructor ‘Professor Stupid’ and your TA ‘Professor Stupid’s Friend.’ Another option is to date your professor, and then cheat on him or her. It’s tips like these that keep the book interesting from cover to cover.

And if you’re only interested in Cohen’s advice on dealing with that titular Naked Roommate, communication is the key. And remember: Always take the top bunk.

‘College Rules! How to Study, Survive and Succeed in College’

By Sherrie Nist-Olejnik and Jodi Patrick Holschuh

Two and a half out of five stars

If you need more advice for dealing with classes rather than embarrassing social situations, ‘College Rules’ might be more useful.

As opposed to the advice columnist who wrote ‘The Naked Roommate,’ this book’s authors have Ph.D.’s and decades of teaching and lecturing experience. As one would imagine, the text offers strong advice, but it’s not nearly as entertaining. Stories of annoying roommates and drunken life lessons are replaced by hypothetical situations like the story of Mason, who wasted his study group by ‘discussing places in town where they could hear the best bands’ and other things that students apparently discuss.

It’s hard to read straight through, but that doesn’t render it useless. It contains a great section on course selection, how to concentrate in a boring class and how to get the most information you can from your college syllabus. All of this sounds helpful, as long as you don’t try to take it in all at once.

‘The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: College’

By Joshua Piven, David Borgenicht, and Jennifer Worick

Four out of five stars

It might not help your grades, but at any party, this book will be your best friend. If the bottle opener is missing for your drink, there are easy instructions to get it open-with a table edge, a belt buckle, even a lighter. Or if that stray dart buries itself into one of your roommates, you’re still covered. There are even instructions on how to vomit properly, provided your vision’s not too blurry. And for the next morning, utilize this handy tool to learn how to go to class with that painful hangover.

Although it’s the least serious of the three, this entry in the ‘Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook’ series contains some of the most useful information but not nearly the same depth as some of the others. The advice inside, while creative and often hilarious, deals with extreme situations rather than the norm.

Published on August 28, 2007 at 12:00 pm