Best-selling author and humorist Harlan Cohen was the special guest of Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, during a recent “Transition to College” presentation at the school.
Press release from Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School
His best-selling books feature titles like Getting Naked: Five Steps to Finding the Love of Your Life (While Fully Clothed & Totally Sober), The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College, and Dad’s Pregnant Too!: A Guide for Expectant Fathers and Their Partners. And on the evening of March 27, Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School was very pleased to welcome the author of these works and more to the RFH Auditorium.
A nationally syndicated columnist and an in-demand speaker, Harlan Cohen brought his unique brand of humor and wisdom to RFH students, parents and the general public during a special event that was organized by Fran Swift, Director of Guidance at RFH, to begin the conversation with seniors about the transition to college, as well as encourage underclassmen to apply Cohen’s perspective to their college search.
A sought-after guest on numerous radio and TV shows, Cohen has visited more than 400 college campuses to reach students with his message of being yourself and making the most of your college years.
Setting the tone for a lighthearted yet enlightening event at RFH, Cohen opened his presentation by performing the song “My Roommate Stu,” which highlighted the fact that keeping an open mind can make all the difference when sharing a room with a stranger.
Describing himself as a transition expert, Cohen shared the story of his own college experience as well as some important guidelines that he wished he knew before making the leap into college life.
As a high-achieving high school senior, Cohen was accepted into the University of Wisconsin – Madison, which he described as his “dream school.” His lofty expectations were dashed during his freshman year when he failed to get a bid to pledge his top-choice fraternity, his high school sweetheart broke up with him, and his roommate (a nudist) left the campus.
Feeling miserable, he surrounded himself with other unhappy students and decided to transfer to another school. Surprisingly, once he decided to transfer, he began to have the great college experience he had dreamed of.
“I no longer cared who liked me, and I was no longer focused on ‘like me, want me, accept me,'” he said. “My focus was now on what I liked, and who I wanted to be friends with — not the other way around.”
“To embrace the college experience you need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable,” said the author of the nationally syndicated advice column Help Me, Harlan!. “And you need to realize that it can take an average of two years to find really good friends.”
The Naked Roommate takes a behind-the-scenes look at virtually every situation students will face in college, from sharing a bathroom with forty other people to sharing lecture notes.
Cohen suggested that students begin stepping out of their comfort zones during high school, and trying new activities and jobs so that they have a clear idea of what they enjoy — and what they don’t care for as well.
“Look for colleges and universities that offer activities that appeal to you, and then participate actively so you can find a good group of friends,” said Cohen. “Just because a college is described as ‘perfect’ by someone else does not mean that it is perfect for you.”
