Students have expressed that coming to college is new, fun and exciting.
It is also very scary.
With all the horror stories about college floating around campus, students say the scariest of all would have to be falling victim to the dreaded freshman 15.
What is the freshman 15 some may ask? The freshman 15 is an expression commonly used in North America that refers to an amount of weight gained during a student’s first year at college. Whether it is myth or reality, it is still up for deliberation. However, it is still frightening to think about.
This unproven assumption stems from the fact that students are starting new lives independently when they move on to campus. They leave their parents and friends behind and amongst that, the healthy eating habits they tried so carefully to instill in them.
No longer is there someone to tell what to eat and what not to eat, students have to make these decisions alone. The tough question about the freshman 15 is determining is it real? Or is it fake?
“Yes I believe in the freshman 15. My sister gained 30 pounds her freshman year in college,” freshman, Samantha Cavaliere, said. “I too am scared of gaining the freshman 15, but I can avoid gaining 15 pounds by eating right and going to the gym. I don’t care about what I eat because I have the motivation to go to the gym and work it off.”
Cavaliere isn’t the only one with opinions on the freshman 15. Sophomore Taylor Bookman also felt strongly about the topic.
“I am an athlete and was one when I was a freshman as well so I believe I didn’t get the freshman 15. I was constantly working out and keeping myself in shape,” Bookman said.
Managing calorie intake can be difficult while eating off campus, but what is Sodexo doing to help students make healthier decisions on campus?
“I think in the past Sodexo has not offered many healthy choices,”Brittney Pedrazzi, student supervisor for Sodexo, said. “In the past two years I think the new management has put forth more effort in letting the students know healthy choices are available. There is always the salad bar, but even a salad could be made unhealthy. The options may not be what I wanted in particular, but there are healthy choices.”
Gaining the freshman 15 is up to the student. Making healthy eating choices and regularly exercising are all factors that can affect freshman weight-gain.
