By Carol Svec

What's special about freshman year?

There are psychological and social reasons why freshmen are prone to weight gain.

Psychological Influences

Many people eat when they are under stress and freshman year can be a particularly stressful time. Simply changing from one environment to another can be difficult and the college environment usually is quite different from high school.

Furthermore, most teen-agers move out of their parents' home for the first time in freshman year. Some move across town, others move out of state, but all are meeting a whole new set of peers. With the stress of all this change, many students turn to food for comfort.

Social Influences

Food also is used by freshmen (and others) to socialize. Pizza parties, midnight raids on vending machines, and other food-oriented activities are easy ways to develop a sense of community among students. Unfortunately, this type of social eating usually is done in addition to meals, which can add on pounds rather quickly.

Another important factor is that freshmen usually eat on campus in the cafeteria. Meal plans typically offer unlimited buffet-style food ... including desserts, making it all to easy to overeat.