New York Times best-selling author, nationally renowned advice columnist and speaker for over 400 schools, Harlan Cohen, captivated the attention of Fairfield students with his comical persona and meaningful advice on Sept. 20 in the Egan Chapel. Whether discussing roommate dilemmas or relationship struggles, Cohen was able to inspire students and help them learn how to spend their time on campus.
Inspired by his own college experience, Cohen hopes that by giving advice to college students, he will be able to help them fully enjoy their time on campus.
“I went to college and it sucked; it shocked me and it surprised me. I felt like I was the only person on the planet who was struggling. I wanted to let the world know that this can be a really big change and it can be really hard and that’s just the way it’s suppose to be for most of us. But it gets so much better,” said Cohen.
Since the event was sponsored by the Fairfield University Student Association Class of 2020 Programming Board and offered credit for First Year Experience students, Cohen’s event attracted 310 first-year students, compared to only 10-15 non-first-years, according FYE intern Adam Murphy ‘19. Freshman Abby Sakoti commented on the positive experience that she had.
“I thoroughly enjoyed that talk tonight for many reasons; one being Harlan’s humor which lifted the mood and kept us always on our toes,” said Sakoti. “His interaction with the crowd, like answering questions and picking on ‘victims’ to engage in a conversation about their experiences was so interesting.”
Throughout the event, Cohen would choose certain students to share their personal experience at Fairfield. Additionally, Cohen displayed his cell phone number on a screen for students to message throughout the event with any questions they had for him.
Having students send him private messages during the talk allowed them to feel comfortable asking personal questions that they sought answers to. New Student Leaders were overly appreciative of Cohen’s talk with the freshmen.
Sophomore Olivia McEvoy, an NSL on campus, said, “I was really happy to see so many of my students in attendance at the event because I think he really captured a lot of feelings that I had been hearing from some of them, whether it was roommate problems or homesickness. I could really tell he wanted to cater the show to problems Fairfield students face during the transition to college, and I think he did an amazing job interacting with the audience in that regard.”
Sakoti agrees that the topics discussed during the event were relevant to her own experience at Fairfield.
“One of my original anxieties I faced before coming to school was being able to have a roommate that I could potentially be friends with. Harlan addressed this anxiety by reassuring me that a friendship with my roommate is just a bonus. Also, Harlan’s discussion about long distance relationships is what I related to the most. Before leaving for college, my boyfriend and I talked about what our goals were for ourselves. I believe that a healthy relationship starts with communication and allowing the other person to grow intellectually and socially,” said Sakoti.
Cohen addressed these topics in an easy-going way and constantly included ways to make the audience laugh. The atmosphere allowed for heavy conversations, such as relationship struggles, to be taken light-heartedly.
Sophomore NSL Daniella Musacchio said, “I thought it was a great way to have a very laid back conversation about topics that are really hard to talk about, like hook-up culture and roommate problems. I thought that by him incorporating humor into it, it made everyone feel very comfortable and relaxed.”
Cohen explained that he enjoys coming to Fairfield due to the interaction he has with the students. Returning to campus after his last visit, which was held on March 30, 2015, Cohen spoke highly of the positive energy provided by students. The audience at the talk was fully engaged and students were eager to ask questions. At the end of the talk, many students approached Cohen with private questions, demonstrating the effect that he had on audience members.
“Fairfield is a great place and it has great energy. People were really opening up throughout the night and I thought they had really good questions. Good vibes are nice and moments that are real unfold and that’s really the power of these events,” said Cohen.
Students were captivated by Cohen and although there were mostly first-year students in attendance, any grade could have found a piece of advice to resonate with them.
“I’ll see students year after year and they’ll give me little updates. Sometimes I’ll do events and there will be students who are survivors or have dealt with something traumatic or are feeling disconnected and I’ll be able to reach through to them,” said Cohen. “I’ll be someone in their corner to reassure them that it’s just a gift. This is the thing I love doing.”
Students who were unable to attend the talk or who want to further explore what Cohen has to say are encouraged to read his sixth edition of “The Naked Roommate,” in addition to his book “Getting Naked,” which discusses how to find love while clothed and sober.
For additional information people can view his website at harlancohen.com where there is access to his advice column, videos showcasing different talks and helpful advice, in addition to a link where people can ask Cohen personal questions that he answers each week in his column. Cohen also encourages students to reach out to him on all social media platforms, especially his snapchat account where he offers “snapadvice” on a daily basis.
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