Spring Break
The Daily OrangeMan vs. College
Survival guides offer humorous and useful solutions to bizarre college situations
By Eric Meyers
Posted: 8/29/07, 12:48 AM EST Section: Bindings
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.
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.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Ron Polomoff
posted 8/29/07 @ 5:52 AM EST
.(parody of DesiRatta)
S U Alma Ratta
***Go placidly amid the japs and jocks, and remember what peace there may be in drop/add forms. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with your roommate. (Continued…)
kim
posted 11/21/07 @ 11:23 PM EST
Surprised to see this was headed by the name Ron Polomoff...I just read his obit. Is he still with us?
kim
posted 11/21/07 @ 11:24 PM EST
Surprised to see this was headed by the name Ron Polomoff...I just read his obit. Is he still with us?
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