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" By Stacey Colino If you&amp;#039;re heading off to college for the first time, we&amp;#039;re about to deliver a spoiler: The parties are that fun. The boys are that cute. The freedom is that cool. But amid all the giant pluses are a few pitfalls. &amp;quot;For decades, freshmen have faced challenges like homesickness and hellish roommates, but things have changed,&amp;quot; says Jennifer Wider, MD, author of The Doctor&amp;#039;s Complete College Girl&amp;#039;s Health Guide. &amp;quot;Today&amp;#039;s college students can add cyberbullying, intense drinking pressure, and campus crime to their list of worries.&amp;quot; To arm you with the info you need to sail through, Cosmo has identified the seven most nerve-racking things about college and asked experts whether these fears are founded and, if so, how to navigate them.  THE FEAR: BECOMING THE SUBJECT OF CYBERSLANDER THE REALITY: It can happen. Just ask Megan (not her real name), a 19-year-old college student in New York who logged on to Juicy Campus (a nasty Website that currently allows students at 63 colleges and universities to post anonymous messages about their classmates) and saw she was being called a slut who &amp;quot;loves cock&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;has a big butt.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;I was shocked and mortified to read these things,&amp;quot; Megan says. Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube also can serve as the birthplace of evil and damaging rumors. For example, &amp;quot;friends&amp;quot; can upload humiliating pictures or videos of you in an inebriated state or some other unflattering condition. Says Dr. Wider, &amp;quot;Nowadays, you constantly have to be worried about who&amp;#039;s watching. And the emotional fallout from being the victim of an Internet smear campaign is horrifying \u2014 it can lead to depression, anxiety, and wanting to drop out of school. There have even been some cases of suicide.&amp;quot; HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF: For starters, try to avoid embarrassing yourself in public places. Before you hook up with a guy on a fraternity pool table or lift up your shirt for beads at a Mardi Gras\u2013themed party, remember these fateful words: It will end up online. More disheartening is the fact that removing distressing images and vile statements (regardless of whether they&amp;#039;re true or fabricated) from the Internet is difficult. &amp;quot;Much of what is posted is likely protected under the First Amendment,&amp;quot; says Gregory Eells, PhD, director of the counseling service at Cornell University. One cleanup method you can try is a Website called Reputation Defender (reputationdefender.com). For a fee, Reputation Defender will locate and attempt to remove negative information about you (taking down an item can cost between $29.95 and $200 each per hour, depending on the extent of the job).  THE FEAR: GETTING SICK THE REALITY: Living in close proximity to other students means sharing clothes, class notes...and germs. According to Dr. Wider, most students won&amp;#039;t come down with a serious illness. But since colleges are breeding grounds for disease, getting sick is a valid concern. Cases in point: In 2006, there were nearly 1,500 cases of mumps in Iowa, many at colleges. Last year, there was a whooping-cough outbreak at Bob Jones University, in South Carolina. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has concluded that freshmen have the highest rate of meningitis (a potentially deadly bacterial infection that can affect the brain) of any age-group besides children under 2 and that about 4 million teens contract an STD each year.  HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF: &amp;quot;Don&amp;#039;t share eating utensils, toothbrushes, razors, towels, or drinks,&amp;quot; Dr. Wider advises. In addition to practicing safe sex, consider getting the meningococcal vaccine, the strep-pneumonia vaccine, and an annual flu shot.  THE FEAR: FALLING VICTIM TO A CAMPUS CRIME THE REALITY: After last year&amp;#039;s Virginia Tech shootings, in which a student killed 32 people, college kids have begun wondering if any of their classmates could pose a threat. &amp;quot;Statistically, the person down the hall is unlikely to become homicidal,&amp;quot; says Kathleen Bogle, PhD, assistant professor of criminal justice at LaSalle University, in Philadelphia, and author of Hooking Up. But such mental illnesses as schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety and bipolar disorders do usually first manifest themselves in the late teens and early 20s, which helps explain why a seemingly average person can suddenly begin to exhibit bizarre or violent behavior.  HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF: If you suspect another student is emotionally unbalanced or capable of hurting himself or others, alert your RA, the office of student life, or security. &amp;quot;Say, &amp;#039;I&amp;#039;m worried about this person because he or she has all the signs of depression or mental instability,&amp;#039; &amp;quot; says Susan Lipkins, PhD, author of Preventing Hazing.  THE FEAR: BEING SEXUALLY ASSAULTED THE REALITY: When it comes to the terrifying prospect of being date-raped, it&amp;#039;s surprising to learn that you may be more vulnerable in a crowded social setting than out with a guy alone. Party rape &amp;quot;is the new term for date rape since you&amp;#039;re not actually on a date,&amp;quot; says Bogle. It entails becoming too drunk to refuse \u2014 or consent to \u2014 sex. According to a recent study, more than 97,000 students between ages 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault each year, though experts speculate that many more incidents go unreported. HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF: When going to a party with friends, always follow the buddy system, suggests Bogle. In other words, make a pact with a friend to keep an eye on each other and leave together at the end of the night. If you decide to hook up with a guy, &amp;quot;go to your place, not his, because there&amp;#039;s a home-court advantage \u2014 you&amp;#039;ll be within screaming range of your friends if you need help,&amp;quot; Bogle says. To avoid being slipped a date-rape drug, never leave your drink unattended and stay away from party punch bowls.  THE FEAR: GOING BROKE THE REALITY: College students are among the hardest hit by the recession. &amp;quot;The average amount of student-loan debt accumulated by graduation is nearly $20,000,&amp;quot; notes Tamara Draut, author of Strapped: Why America&amp;#039;s 20- and 30-Somethings Can&amp;#039;t Get Ahead. What&amp;#039;s more, 44 percent of undergrads with a credit card carry an outstanding balance. HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF: Choose the best college at the best price; log on to scholarships.com, which lists 2.7 million scholarships; and commit to graduating in four years or less, says Jean Chatzky, author of Pay It Down! From Debt to Wealth on $10 a Day. Most important, limit yourself to one credit card, and use it sparingly. To manage day-to-day finances, find a part-time job with perks \u2014 clothing stores offer employee discounts and restaurants provide free meals. Save gas money by biking or walking to class, and shop for things like furniture and electronics on freecycle.org, which gives away unwanted items.  THE FEAR: GAINING THE FRESHMAN 15 THE REALITY: Thanks to all-you-can-eat buffet-style cafeterias, excessive boozing, and midnight snacks, like pizza, most freshman pack on a few extra pounds. But a recent study at Rutgers University found that average weight gain is 7 pounds, not 15. A larger concern is eating disorders. To some degree, college life lends itself to anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating (the most pervasive of the three) &amp;quot;because college students are living alone for the first time, and feelings of stress and anxiety can be overwhelming,&amp;quot; says Dr. Wider. &amp;quot;This puts them at risk for eating disorders \u2014 they use food to cope and exhibit control.&amp;quot;  HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF: To prevent weight gain, use a smaller-size plate in the cafeteria to avoid taking too much. Snack on fresh fruit and healthy prepackaged foods, such as low-fat yogurt and nutrition bars, which have calorie info on the label. Skip dessert if you plan to have a few drinks, and base your meals around whole grains, lean proteins, and vegetables. If you suspect you have an unhealthy relationship with food, visit your school&amp;#039;s psychological-services center.  THE FEAR: NOT HAVING A BOYFRIEND THE REALITY: The recent surge of friends-with- benefits relationships seems to have marked the death of dating, and now lots of women feel hooking up is their one and only option. &amp;quot;Many guys define college as a time to party and experiment, which means they don&amp;#039;t necessarily want to settle down into a relationship,&amp;quot; Bogle says. The problem is, women don&amp;#039;t always find the hookup experience to be particularly satisfying. In fact, a national study on college women found that 44 percent of respondents felt disappointed after hooking up and 23 percent felt exploited. Unfortunately, with women outnumbering men on many college campuses these days, it may be getting statistically more difficult to find a guy who has boyfriend potential.  HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF: Beware of guys who party hard, flirt incessantly, and hook up with different girls all the time \u2014 these are signs that a dude isn&amp;#039;t ready to settle down. &amp;quot;Women frequently make the mistake of thinking a player will treat them differently than he does other girls, but that&amp;#039;s rarely the case \u2014 past behavior is the greatest indicator of future actions,&amp;quot; says Eells. And now for the good stuff: Read on for the coolest things about college...  5 Very Cool Things About College Meeting your BFFs: Because you&amp;#039;re on your own for the first time, the friends you make in college become like a surrogate family. And those bonds tend to be lasting ones. Not having a curfew: Now that Mom and Dad aren&amp;#039;t waiting up, you can come home pretty much whenever you want...if at all. Getting a fresh start: College is a clean slate \u2014 no one will know you had a nose job or were considered part of the nerd herd in high school. Plus, with so many students with diverse interests, you&amp;#039;ll easily be able to find people who are your type. Enjoying more free time: Because you have more control over your schedule, you may be able to sleep in a few mornings a week and have Fridays off entirely. Taking interesting classes: A few core requirements aside, you can choose courses that appeal to you and avoid ones that don&amp;#039;t. 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<http://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/advice/a2692/Your-College-Survival-Guide/?click=rel>