Posts Tagged ‘freshman fifteen’

How to Eat Healthy While at College

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

Hopefully, you have already given some thought to how to eat healthy at college.  This issue is more important than it might seem for a wide variety of reasons.  At the top of the list is that dreaded and quite real, “Freshman Fifteen.”  If you were thinking that the Freshman Fifteen was some kind of myth, think again, because it is quite real.  Often being away from home for the first time goes hand in hand with poor food choices.  Let’s see how you can keep the Freshman Fifteen from becoming a problem for you.

Beware of Fast Food

The first step you should take is to make sure that you have adopted healthy food choices before you go to college.  In this way, you will know what you should be eating.  Not all food is equally good for you, and that means that there are many foods that you should avoid.  Processed food and junk food should be off your food list, but this could present a problem.

Unfortunately, it is a very sad commentary on the higher education system in general that unhealthy food choices are literally everywhere.  For example, these days, fast food restaurants, are not just near college and university campuses, but have been placed in central areas at many universities.  This change most definitely has played a role in increasing waistlines and the global obesity epidemic.

Why is it such a “big deal” that there are fast food establishments on your college campus?  For starters, it makes it very difficult for students to eat a healthy meal.  After all, if you’re not accustomed to preparing your own meals, you might be extremely tempted to “grab something,” and odds are you will use nearby options.  Fast food is also cheap as well, and you might not have a great deal of money at your disposal.  Third, if you are pressed for time, you are much more likely to take advantage of whatever options are available.

What Can You Do to Eat Healthy Food at College?

You’ve put a lot of time into test prep tutoring and thinking about how to survive college, and the last thing you want to do is ruin your health when you arrive at college.  So what should you do?  Here are a few ways to eat healthy and avoid the Freshman Fifteen.

Five Eating Healthy Tips

  1. Look for healthy options at your school, as they may exist.  Taking the time to know what they are could pay off.
  2. Don’t assume that food that “looks” healthy is indeed healthy no matter where it comes from.  This means asking for nutritional information.
  3. Prepare your own food.  This way you know what you are eating!
  4. Preferably before you go to college, know what healthy food options are out there, and learn to prepare some healthy meals of your own.  You may think that you have “better things to do,” but eating good food will help you feel better, look better, sleep better and maybe even perform better while in college.
  5. Use your food budget wisely.  This means be a smart shopper and look for deals.

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5 Tips to Survive (and Thrive) Freshman Year

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

Making the transition to college—well, it isn’t always easy. But, there are things that you can do to help ensure your college success. My College Guide has five tips to guide you as you begin your college career.

Don't let the work pile up--schedule in study time!

Don't let the work pile up--schedule in study time!

Ensure Your College Success

Network – College is a great time to network. It’s not only a good idea for what comes after college (you know, real life) but it’s doubly good in case you miss a class due to illness! If you can’t be in class, you will have someone else that you can call to find out what you missed—and to have a set of notes from the day’s lecture to copy!

Eat Well – Now more than ever your college cafeteria offers a ton of meal choice. Sure, you can eat French fries and a burger every single day—but don’t! The Freshman fifteen is avoidable but more than that, a healthy diet can keep you, well, healthy!

Get Involved – The wall flower will never have the college experience they had hoped! College is a time to try new things: Get involved in clubs and activities, don’t be afraid to chat up anyone who sits beside you in your college classes, and make your Freshman year everything you wanted. Bonus: If you miss class due to illness, you will have someone around to fill you in on what happened as well as give you notes to copy.

Know Your Professors – Your college professors aren’t just there to lecture, pass out assignments, and assign research papers. While it might seem scary, introduce yourself personally after class (maybe come up with a question about the course as an ice breaker). Knowing your college professor can be really helpful if you run into scheduling conflicts later. If you join the ranks of the majority of college freshman and end up changing your major, having a mentor in the field that you are interested in is invaluable!

Study Time – This might sound a little silly but you should think about scheduling yourself time to study! It’s very easy to fall into the “I’ll get to that later” routine and later never seems to happen. College isn’t like high school. You will have lots of reading and studying to do just about every night. Stay on top of it early to keep it down to a minimum because cramming for a test at the last minute? It just isn’t fun.

Next Year

Don’t stop there! Make a mental note to carry out our advice throughout your college career. Good study habits, networking with others, and having a back-up plan in case of illness is always a good idea, no matter what year in school you are!

Image Courtesy of Flickr, Opensourceway.

Who We Are: Information you can trust. For 20 years My College Guide has produced an annual magazine chock full of free college info for high-achieving high school sophomores. Check out our participating colleges. Subscribe to our blog via RSS or email and stay on top of everything college!

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Posted in Choosing a College, College Campus, College Classes, College Life, College Search, Fun Stuff | 2 Comments »

How To: Choose the Right College Meal Plan

Thursday, May 19th, 2011

After all the paperwork you’ve trucked through, like your application and financial aid, you’ve probably got one last little bit of the registration process to take care of: figuring out your college cafeteria meal plan! My College Guide has hints and tips to help you figure out the best option for you.

How To: Choose the Right College Meal Plan

How To: Choose the Right College Meal Plan

The College Cafeteria Meal Plan

Cafeteria meal plans are covered by your tuition – but you need to decide how much you want to tack onto your total college tuition bill!

You’ve got a lot on your plate right now (pun intended). Some schools don’t give college freshmen a choice about their meal plan. This means you will usually receive three meals a day each weekday and at least two meals on the weekends. But for others, you’ll have to decide! When you look at all that your school has to offer, how do you make the right college meal plan choice?

Make a List

Okay, so you don’t have to be all formal about it and physically make a list, but it helps to think about your eating habits. Do you always eat breakfast? Is your first class scheduled at 8 AM but you aren’t exactly get up and go in the morning?

You should also consider your extracurricular activities. If you are involved in track and know that you will meet and train most mornings each week, will you be able to fit in a long walk to the college cafeteria or will you need to chow down in your dorm room?

In many cases, new college students just aren’t going to use the largest meal plan around. There’s all sorts of other commitments that can get in the way of on-campus meals, like involvement with college extracurricular activities, clubs, organizations, and eating out with friends.

Fixed or Flexible

Some colleges have a meal plan where you purchase so many meals each week for the whole year. You can enter the college cafeteria for dinner only so many times but each time you can eat as much as you want (just beware the Freshman 15!).

At other schools, you will be charged for the items you pick out. It’s a declining balance system much like a debit card — you will present your pass or your I.D. card, whatever your college uses, and that amount will be deducted from your balance for the year. In this case, you will need to make sure you don’t zip through your balance too fast so pay attention to the start and end dates of your college meal plan! Bonus: you are often allowed to treat your family or visiting friends with the declining balance system, just make sure you aren’t too nice about it!

Restricted Diet

If you are lactose-intolerant or have a different diet for other reasons, you should have already made sure that there is something at the college cafeteria for you! Some schools will really work with you but you may also be charged more, too. It’s something to consider and remember as you budget out your first year of college.

Remember, you won’t always eat at the college cafeteria. You’ll go out with friends, on a date, or get free food for involvement in on-campus activities and organizations.

Images Courtesy of Flickr, klynslis.

Who We Are: Information you can trust. For 20 years My College Guide has produced an annual magazine chock full of free college info for high-achieving high school sophomores. Check out our participating colleges. Subscribe to our blog via RSS or email and stay on top of everything college!

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Posted in Choosing a College, College Campus, College Life, Housing | 2 Comments »

8 Tips for New College Freshmen or How to Survive Your First Day of College

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

College is different than high school in so many ways – which is precisely why you are out there looking for all the advice regarding that first day that you can get! Hopefully you get your school year started off with a bang by attending Welcome Week and Orientation – but, either way, here’s a few college tips to help with the transition to college!

You aren't going to successfully transition to college overnight -- give yourself time to get used to college life!

iJammin / Ben Grantham

It’s a Matter of Time: Give yourself time to get used to college, well, everything! The last time school was such a totally new experience, your mom held your hand as she walked you in the doors at Kindergarten. It might be tempting to get involved in every club and organization under the sun but you won’t have time to do it all! Limit yourself to a few that really make you happy – and leave a little time to just do nothing, too.

History of Rock n’ Roll: Maintain your GPA (and keep your merit scholarship) by not taking every incredibly difficult class under the sun! It’s okay to have a fluff or totally unusual college class in there, in fact, it’s a good idea! College professors like doling out papers, group projects, and homework – that fluff class might give you a break from the avalanche of work while getting your elective courses done and out of the way!

A New Beginning: College is a fresh start. Why not try something you’ve never tried before but that always looked or sounded kind of fun? Be the person you’ve always wanted to be! If there’s a big old game of Zombies versus Humans or hide and seek at your college campus, why not join in? You never know if you will like something until you actually try it!

Explore your campus: Don’t just spend all your time trudging from this cool college class to that one to the cafeteria to your dorm – get out there and do some exploring! Big campus or small, each one always has a few tucked away little nooks or scenic pathways. Go on a little walk and relax – it’s okay to take a break, you know!

Night Owl: Don’t feel like you have to stay out all night. Yes, there can be parties at college but failing out of school because you don’t know when to say when – well, that’s just disappointing! There are plenty of other ways to unwind and break up the studying/homework routine. That’s what all those student groups, clubs, and organizations are for! Get involved in college life – join something that you can be proud of!

Remember these? Make hitting the books a priority -- you've spent the last four years getting to this point, don't blow it!

Horia Varlan / Horia Varlan

No Pain, No Gain: You’ve heard about it. You’ve thought about it. Now, we’re telling you: the Freshman Fifteen doesn’t have to be true for you. Forget the convenience foods, fast foods, and middle of the night snacking. When your energy is lagging, grab a piece of fruit, bring a refillable bottle to avoid sugary soft drinks, and you’ll be fine!

Book It: Get to know your college library! Not only does it provide the perfect (quiet) environment for studying, but most college and university libraries go far beyond the usual books and magazines. Many have laptops and other gadgets available to borrow – so if your computer goes bad, you’ve got options!

Writing Labs: Don’t just hand that paper in without handing it over to an on-campus writing lab for a proofread! Sure, it means you have to plan ahead in order to get that paper done but the simple act of having someone go over what you’ve written checking for errors might help you keep from missing out on easy points.

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