Every year, many first year college students worry about the notion that gaining some extra weight is inevitable.  By gaining multiple pounds at a time, students are more susceptible to falling under the category of obesity, are less likely to loose the weight, and naturally decrease labor productivity (Zagorsky 1389).  In order to avoid these negative effects on the lives of young college students, authoritative roles in the college staff need to provide more options to a healthy college lifestyle.  By not only offering, but promoting healthy eating options, exercising regularly, and providing on–campus events that allow students to be continuously active. 

In 1985, Hovel introduced the thought of the freshman fifteen after a case study on a small group of first year women who gained around “eight to nine pounds during the first year of college” (Zagorsky 1390).  At first, the freshman fifteen only was heard about on occasion, but in the late 1990’s more and more publications started to be released containing information of the weight that was said to be gained in the first year of college (qtd in Zagorsky).  People started to grow confident in the matter, did not “question or refute the reality of the “Freshman 15”” (Zagorsky 1390) and came to the realization that it is a real problem that needs to be focused on, in order to prevent future complications.  In the modern day, the freshman fifteen “has become as much a part of orientation as the campus tour” (Kwiatkowski 1).  Everyone knows about the problem, but it seems that more and more professors, students, parents, and official faculty members are seeming to accept the freshman fifteen to be exactly what is it coming off to be, inevitable.

In college, it’s all about stress and the student.  “It’s almost like a rite of passage in college to see how much caffeine and how little sleep you can get” (qtd in Kwiatkowski 1).  There are many issues that lead to having a stressful schedule, which eventually leads to irresponsible eating habits, and poor weight management skills.  Many high school students pack their schedules full in order to impress colleges, and when they register for their first year of college they keep the same mindset and still fill up their schedule as if they are still working to impress a long line of judges.  Many students register for a “full academic course load, plus 10 extracurriculars” (Kwiatkowski 1), and this puts a huge of amount of stress on the student, which causes them to place healthy eating and exercise low on the scale of importance.  “Stress is a sizable amount to weight gain, but there are other factors” (Kwiatkowski 1) in addition to these.

In college, many sweet and tasty drinks and snacks are desirable, not to mention easily available. Alcohol, energy drinks, and coffee are all college go-to drinks that are used in attempt to keep up with the hectic schedule that was mentioned before.   “A typical alcoholic beverage can carry up to 300 calories” (Kwiatkowski 1) and “having one soft drink a day was linked to a 44 percent higher adjusted risk of developing abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and elevated blood pressure, a recent study found” (Sansone 198).  Most of those calories found in the tempting beverages sit in the stomachs of students, and do absolutely nothing but allow them to continue gaining pointless pounds.  In order to avoid the binge eating sessions that seem to be overwhelmingly popular with the students, educators should be encouraging students to carry around healthier snacks as opposed to Pop Tarts, donuts, or the thousands of other tempting, sugary, and delicious foods that students who have busy agendas to stay up to date with seem to turn to.  “Since college is a time for learning, it is an opportune period to teach young adults about proper nutrition, healthy cooking, optimal portion sizes, and appropriate levels of physical activity” (Zagorsky 1403).
Although young adults in college should have some knowledge of how to properly take care of themselves in attempt to avoid the extra weight, staff members at the colleges “need to think about how to best reach this group” (Zagorsky 1404).  It is important that the leaders and policymakers that the first year college students look up to for guidance are actually providing them with such information to keep them on track with their physical and mental upkeep.  Without this information, students are bound to continue to get caught up in the quick and easy lifestyle, which also happens to be fattening, irresponsible and dangerous to their future health. 
Most colleges only host events for their students on important weekends such as visitor days, or spring break festivals.  Because these events are so rarely found on campuses, many students find themselves sitting in the doom rooms either relaxing, studying, or naturally, snacking.  By providing outside activities on a regular basis, and improving cafeteria lunches to offer a healthy option to students, college students are likely to participate in such events, therefore cutting back on unwanted weight as well as wasted time and binge eating.  It is said “on campus services and media directed at university students focus on helping them (students) avoid the weight” (Jung, Bray, Ginis 523).  By allowing the students to see that the faculty goes out of their way to provide opportunities for students to continue being active, not only for themselves but to enhance the way the college looks to future students.  Along with colleges providing positive physical events, as well as a solution to binge eating due to boredom, officials should also be promoting walking to class whenever possible. 

Just by walking a few extra steps throughout the day, students are bound to keep off the calories from the pop tart that they consumed for breakfast earlier that morning.  A lot of schools offer shuttle buses to different buildings, which is nice when the weather is not suitable for walking, but when the weather is nice the shuttle buses could save the gas, therefore pushing students to walk to class.  By doing this, students will get in some exercise and the colleges will benefit from not having to pay a driver, and not have to pay for gas. 

Most school officials would argue that the college that they represent does offer physical activity options, as well as healthy eating habit meal plans, but why do students not want to participate in such things?  The options that the colleges offer are simply not appealing.  Not to mention the fact that they are not advertised and pushed by the school officials hard enough for students to care.  By placing a sign outside of the main dining hall stating all of the healthy eating options that are available to students would raise awareness of the options, which puts the idea of a healthier lunch in the minds of the student.  Offering lunches such as salad bars, and special sandwiches of the day, like turkey burgers, and maybe even an organic treat are all ways to encourage young minds to eat healthier to preserve their future health.  It can also go a long way by offering “water spiked with lemon, lime, or cucumber slices” (Sansone 198) instead of plain water in the cafeterias.  By adding variety of tastes to the water students suddenly feel intrigued by this new option, and are therefore more likely to go for the tasty water.

Of course by attempting any of the ideas stated before in order to prevent weight gain, money has to be provided by the schools and people in charge.  Just in case it is not enough that “a substantial number of college students (33.7%) are classified as over weight or obese” (qtd. in Young, Sturts, Ross 641), there are actually quite a few pros that are handed to the colleges if they were to go to the lengths necessary to keep their students and campuses pro healthy living.  By keeping the obesity rates down on the college campuses, they appeal to high school students, and high school athletes who spend most of their time working out to stay fit to begin with.  Spending the money necessary to provide healthy food options, advertisements, and providing on campus physical activities events will eventually pay off when students begin to pay for and participate in these programs, rather than spending their money elsewhere and on unhealthy and lazy options.  By adding multiple options to students, and allowing students to chose their lifestyles on the campus’ it only improves their chances of wanting to attend the institution.  Having these options not only helps future students, but it also reassures the parents of the prospective students that their children will have the option to stay fit, and will be given the opportunity to be active on campus, therefore resulting in their children to be keeping out of trouble.  Offering different options to students, you not only lessen their chances of damaging future health choices, but it also increases the chance of the colleges bringing in more students, having an active and appealing campus, and the earning approval of parents. 

Colleges have hundreds of students living on campus who are classified as overweight and there is nothing being done about it.  The freshman fifteen is taking over and people are letting it happen.  By providing the funds to promote healthy eating options, activities to keep students from wasting time snacking, and pushing physical activity in college, officials will see that the well being if their students will eventually pay off for the school itself.  Counselors and people in charger should be enforcing this information to their students to make it known to them that they need to be preventing the so called inevitable freshman fifteen because with small measures, and big movements, it is more than possible.