If you haven’t heard of this term before, it’s a university-wide anomaly experienced by first-year students.
Symptoms typically involve a 15 per cent increase in GPA as well as a 15 lb increase in one’s waistline, which is often attributed to the extremist nature of university students. Extensive research has linked this grade and weight fluctuation to activities such as: drinking while studying, drinking instead of studying, showing up to class drunk or drinking to get rid of a hangover.
Another contributor to the dreaded freshman 15 is one’s intake of marijuana, which, as studies show, exponentially increases once a student enters university. If you breathed a sigh of relief because you treat your body like a temple and would never harm it with any of the aforementioned substances, think again because the number one factor in the development of the freshman 15 is stress.
Unlike in high school, teachers do not spread out your assignments and whether they be essays, projects or mid-terms you can always be certain that your most heavily weighted work will be due at the same time — if not the same date.
Many students who have not kept up with their assignments and have fallen victim to procrastination will attempt to drown their sorrows in alcohol, but other common forms of self-pity involve a large amount of fast-food or anything deep-fried and wrapped in bacon. Welcome to university: finishing your readings will take precedence over your daily jog, cramming for a midterm will seem more important than preparing yourself an organic meal, and when you’re leaving the library at 2 a.m. nothing hits the spot like a Big Mac.
Quite simply it’s impossible to eat healthy or find time to maintain your active lifestyle when you are constantly trying to play catch-up with your schoolwork. The sad reality of the situation is that no matter how organized or perfect you may be, you will surely fall victim to the freshman 15, or at least parts of it. PHOTO
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