COLLEGE BOUND
2F Sunday, April 8, 2012
The Daily Nonpareil
Surviving your first year of college A little advice for freshmen MIKE BROWNLEE MBROWNLEE@NONPAREILONLINE.COM
After Asher and Carol Shorey helped move their son, John, into his dorm at Northeast Missouri State University before freshman year, Dad told son: “Don’t let your studies get in the way of your education.” John, now a professor of history and political science at Iowa Western Community College, said classes are obviously very important – “Go to class, take it seriously” – but so is meeting new people, joining organizations and attending campus activities. “Take advantage of everything the college has to offer,” he said. “Take advantage of the college life.” Incoming freshmen will experience many new things that first year of college. Here’s some advice from people who’ve been there a while. ■ When it comes to class, the first piece of advice from Shorey is, “make sure you go to class.” “Your parents aren’t always there to wake you up. The thing about college is you have a lot more freedom,” he said. “Like they say, 90 percent of life is showing up.” Some colleges have an attendance policy, others don’t. Same for professors. Shorey said he doesn’t. “Students who don’t come to class get bad grades anyway,” he said. “I don’t penalize further.” ■ Complete the readings, ask questions, get involved in the class, Shorey said. “Even if it’s a lecture.” ■ Work hard. Joseph Brown, a professor of psychology with the University of Nebraska at Omaha, said ability and smarts are important. But hard work is even more important. “It’s what you do, what time you put in, the seriousness you put into studies,” he said. “Often times people believe the successful students are successful because of ability they have instead of something they’re doing. But they put in the time.” ■ Critical thinking skills are a must. “You have be able to read a textbook, read a chapter from beginning to end and be able to
Staff photos/Erin Duerr
John Shorey lectures a class at Iowa Western Community College. The professor of history and political science said classes are obviously very important – “Go to class, take it seriously” – but so is meeting new people, joining organizations and attending campus activities. “Take advantage of everything the college has to offer. Take advantage of the college life.” use all of it,” Brown said. ■ Quality note taking is a must – “write down as much as you can,” Shorey said. And you have to understand all of the material, according to Brown. “Just having a vague explanation is not going to be good enough in a college course. You have to understand what’s going on, in depth,”
he said. “You have to be able to explain the actual theory or subject.” ■ For that reason study groups are invaluable, the UNO professor said. When studying alone students often go over material, quiz themselves, then think, “‘Oh I understand that’ and move on.” “But in a study group you have to give your
answer, a member might be able to ask for what’s missing, what could be added,” he said. “Study groups are a really useful tool for students.” ■ And do that learning for yourself. “Master the material, not to match the level or what the instructor wants but because mastering it is important (in itself),” Brown said.
Research indicates infamous ‘freshman 15’ is a myth METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION
Hundreds of new students enter college each September. One long-standing assumption about college freshmen is their propensity to gain weight – on average 15 pounds over the course of their initial year in college. As it turns out, a new study pokes holes in that assumption and goes on to point out the truth about freshman weight gain. A study by research scientist Jay Zagorsky from Ohio State University’s Center for Human Resource Research debunks the myth of the “freshman 15,” stating that the average weight gain is between 2.4 pounds for women and 3.4 for men. In total, no more than 10 percent of all college freshmen who were examined in the study actually gained 15 pounds.
Submitted photo
College freshmen may not gain 15 pounds their first year after all. Some even lost weight. The results of this study were published in Social Science Quarterly. The study
pointed to aging and becoming young adults as the culprit behind the weight gain, not necessarily the late-night
pizza study sessions or cafeteria grub. The study also looked at same-aged people who were not in college, and most gained the same amount of weight during the period of time they could have been college freshmen. While students may not gain 15 pounds their freshman year, college-age people do gain about 10 to 12 pounds over the four-year school period. Again, this is attributed to natural body changes associated with moving from adolescence into adulthood. Students concerned about weight gain in excess of the 2 to 3 pounds per year can employ these strategies to keep weight gain at a minimum. ■ Limit alcoholic beverages, which tend to be high in calories and add weight fast. ■ Plan for some daily exer-
cise, even if it’s just strolling the quad. ■ When selecting foods from the cafeteria, fill half of your dish with vegetables and then a quarter with whole grains and a quarter with lean meat whenever possible. ■ Limit consumption of packaged, processed foods, which are high in salt and calories. ■ Go sparingly on drive-
thru foods. ■ Keep healthy snacks on hand in your dorm room so you won’t have to head out when hunger pangs strike. ■ Utilize the campus gym if there is one. ■ Take a class as part of your electives that includes physical activity, like a sport. ■ Surround yourself with friends who have like-minded fitness goals.
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