Observations of a College Student, Part II

The Freshman Fifteen

Many people may be aware of an amazingly accurate phenomenon called the "Freshman Fifteen" which often refers to the fifteen pounds a college freshman gains during his first year of college, on average. In the past I have often found myself simply brushing such thoughts aside without much of a second thought. However, on Friday I had a chance to take advantage of some first-hand observations and come up with a bit of insight.

It's been a bit chilly and rainy lately, so I've been in the process of re-situating myself at lunch hour from the tables outside to find a place inside. Friday afternoon, I was lucky enough to find an open seat in Pat's Diner, the prime eating location for Tippie's business students in the Pappajohn Building. As I sat down with my sandwich, apple, carrots, and pretzel sticks and a warm bottle of water, I began to look around. What I saw brought me to a state of awe.

I will start with the young man sitting at the table next to me. He walked out and sat down with a huge slice of pizza and a bottle of soda.

The next young lady came over with a Mountain Dew, a bag of candy, and some chips. She proceeded to consume all three.

I continued to look around. Across the way, I saw a table of two. One with Sprite and the other with (this one's healthy...) a bottle of water. One was accompanied by a massive sub sandwich and a bag of chips, the other with a massive sub sandwich, a candy bar, and (healthy again!) an apple. 

Similar cases surrounded me, and now I see it everywhere I look. I hadn't ever noticed this before. Now, I'm not trying to say I necessarily eat healthy and that apples and carrot sticks are all I ever eat these days. That is certainly not true. But moderation, folks. My intuition tells me that these eating habits are common for a large majority of young college students. I know this is a big generalization and I won't say every college kid eats like this, but as I said, I'm generalizing.

However, I will say that I am beginning to understand why the Freshman Fifteen is so obvious and relevant. Students come from high school, where full healthy lunches were always provided and they were likely even fed meals at home. Then they go on to college, where there is nobody to feed them and see to their dietary needs. Eating pizza, chips, and candy every day for lunch has got to do a number to a person's weight. Hence, we see the Freshman Fifteen. 

I hope any high school student or younger will look at their school lunches with a deep appreciation. It is better than having to fend for yourself, and you truly are eating healthier now than you will be eating in a few short years when you end up at college. Unless you are a careful person, of course. Or if you are lucky enough to have good parents who teach you about feeding yourself. And if that isn't enough to convince you, look at it another way: you probably aren't paying for your food now, either. Now that's something to be thankful for!

And so I am inspired. By food. After all, I am a college student.