The Naked Roommate: For Parents Only: Calling, Not Calling, Roommates, Relationships, Friends, Finances, and Everything Else That Really Matters when Your Child Goes to College (Mother's Day Gift)

During the Summer before Middle School my daughter was nervous going in. She'd been from Pre-k through 5th grade at the same school. Knowing what to expect helped greatly. Now she's going to College in the Fall. I really liked this book because it gives you ideas, what to expect and how to not be a helocopter parent. I also read the Naked Roommate for Students book from the same author. Enjoyed both and is honestly one of the better college books out there! I'll be nervous when our daughter goes to college, but this book will help us understand what she'll be going through the first semester.

I highly recommend this to all parents/guardians of kids going off to college. It needs an update, but that’s inconsequential to the material. Excellent information!!

Great Book. Read it in the summer before your kids go to college. its really helpful then. It helps you understand what your kids are going through and how they will react to being in school. As my husband says, it helps you not be offended by what they do as you see by reading the book that most of our kids are very typical Freshmen. Its really helped us adjust. We also loved Letting Go. Reading them together is great!

I am reading this now when my third kid is going off to college and I'd say the advice in the book is spot on for parents of first time college students. The book is funny. My sons college is having upperclass parents lead a book discussion online with new college parents on facebook based on this book. This book discussion would be a great thing for incoming freshman parents to read together and discuss. As a veteran college parent I haven't learned a lot from the book but agree with it and think it would be very valuable reading for a new freshman parent. There is a student version too which I haven't read but I imagine would make a great grad gift for a high school senior. The writing is very up-to-date with current trends.

A very practical guide to all the issues of starting college these days. Could use some updating, but that doesn't stop the guide from being exactly what I needed to remember what it was like to start college. It also helped me make plans for handling issues as they arse.

This book gives a lot of insight and advice and is actually pretty funny. I recommend for all first time parents of college freshman. I even bought the student only version for my son and he was surprised at some of the things that he would have never thought of!

I struggled with what rating to give this book. There are times when it is excellent and times when it got terribly bogged down. It came recommended from my student's university so I thought I would give it a chance. Its long, slightly over 600 pages but in fairness the size, font and white space make it a bit (but not alot) shorter. So, would I recommend it? Probably but it is not a five star rated book (the Amazon rating when I bought it). However, in comparison with the other books I have bought on this subject, it is one of the better ones. The author's writing style is breezy so it is an easy read and the format makes it easy to pick up and put down. The authr's style is repetitive, so it makes it hard to pick it back up especially when things are so busy when your student (and you) are getting ready to transition to college. Fortunately, it never veers into preachy.What the book needs is a good editor and an author with the strength to take a red pen to it. The book gets very redundant and I got annoyed at the upteenth time reading some of the same quotes, "get comfortable with the uncomfortable" and the fifth wall of technology (hiding in your room with social networking sites and texting old friends). There are alot of good insights in the book but it gets bogged down in repeating and repeating and repeating the same themes. I bought the Naked Roommate version for my student, who I am sure won't open it because the length is so intimidating.So, if you are pinched for time or cash, I actually got many of the same insights from the August 7, 2011 Washington Post Magazine article by Jenna Johnston. If you want more, read the Happiest Kid book. Below are the headings for the very short Johnson article with a similar focus:1. "Freshman year is hard. Students need to understand that and be prepared for it."2. "Carfeully plan your first semester schedule - your free time isn't as much as you think it is."3. "Create a communication plan with your family."4. "Take your roommate agreement seriously."5. "Get involved."6. "Build independence from your parents."7. "Be safe."8. "Eat at least one healthful meal a day."9, "Ask for help when you need it."10. "Remember, your primary job is being a student."11. "Be the person who says something."12. "Be open to change."

Our first born is going away to college in a few weeks and during the college's Orientation, they recommended this book as well as several others. This book is fantastic. As I was reading it I would laugh out loud. Harlan Cohen has obviously done his research. This book gave me more information about colleges and dorm life than I actually wanted. Some things I wish I didn't know, but I know it's best not to be naive. If you have a first child going away to college, I highly recommend this book. You might end up going with her!

Surprising and very accurate and fully researched. I think I am now ready to be in the shadows and watch from afar.