Heading to college? Here's some advice from a former resident assistant, from the book "How to Survive Your Freshman Year" (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $14.95), straight from people who've done it:
 
 Make friends with your resident assistants. They know most of the professors and staff on campus and can put you in touch with people a lot more easily than if you had to just walk in or cold-call an office.

If you have roommate problems, handle them right away. If you wait, you might get stuck with someone who already had a roommate move out, so you'll probably end up with a worse roommate.

 If you drink underage, use cans, not bottles and be quiet. You're far less likely to get caught if you're quiet.

 If you smoke pot, don't do it in your room. It is very easily smelled and tracked down.

 If you damage your room, report it immediately. The staff likes students who are up-front and appear apologetic. If we find it when you move out, you will definitely get a bigger bill, and your parents will be mad.

 Find out the dorm rules up front. Some schools can call your parents for offenses, some schools can revoke your housing for getting in trouble and so on. You don't want to have to explain to your parents mid-semester that you got kicked out for playing your stereo too loud.

 Do anything you can to move in early. Moving in with everyone else is a nightmare.

 Your residence director can also be a good resource to talk about classes, professors, what to take and what to avoid and other campus tips. Many students avoid the hall staff, but if you drop by on occasion, they will go out of their way to give you good information and help you."

 Hundreds of Heads Books' survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life's biggest challenges and have insight to share.
 
 (c) 2008, Hundreds of Heads Books, Inc.