Is the Freshman 15 Real?
We’ve all heard of the notorious freshman 15 prior to college. Whether we’ve heard it through jokes with our peers or through movies and other media, it is a phenomenon that has been undeniably acknowledged by our culture. So the question arises; is the freshman 15 a true experience or is it simply a fictitious claim? One wide-scale study conducted at Ohio State University made an attempt to put this question to the test. Researchers monitored 7,417 young people as they transitioned to their first year at the university. After the data were collected and analyzed, it was clear that although a solid trend in weight gain was observed, the 15 pound aspect was a gross over exaggeration. In fact, the actual figure was closer to three pounds 1 . Although it would be fair to consider the “freshman 15” to be a myth based on this study, it is important to note that a three pound weight gain over the course of a year is still 6x higher than that of the general population. The very existence of ...