In "The Naked Roommate" (Sourcebooks Inc., $14.95), Cohen dishes on everything from financial aid to college hookups.

In addition to having been a college freshman twice, Cohen interviewed thousands of students on hundreds of campuses to glean information for the book, and he uses their stories to illustrate the tips.

Here are a few of Cohen's favorite tips from the book:

• Beware of the fifth wall of technology. "For a student it's really easy to be physically in one place and emotionally at home or with your long-distance relationship and never give college a chance. For parents it's really easy to crowd your kid because there are so many ways to get in touch with them now. ... They need to be careful on both sides."

• Expect the unexpected. "So many times students come in with this idea of what college is supposed to be like, and when it isn't what they anticipate, they get really disappointed. But the truth is, it's not like (what is expected) for most people, and if you go in there expecting the unexpected and being comfortable with the uncomfortable, then you're guaranteed to have a great college experience no matter what it turns out to be."

• Be yourself, not him, not me, not her. "What a lot of students found is that if you work hard to try and be what everybody wants you to be, you'll end up not knowing who you are, and you'll leave college lost. The beautiful thing is there are enough people in the world to where you don't need everyone to like you."

• When it comes to life in the classroom, talk to professors. "People freak out about not doing well. ... Talk to your teacher. Over 27.8 percent of surveyed freshmen frequently or occasionally felt intimidated, and to me that's amazing because the professors are there to help."