Almost every college-bound student has heard of the Freshman 15, and if you haven’t yet, you will soon.  The Freshman 15 is talked about often because it’s so prevalent on college campuses throughout the United States.  We felt the need to come to the rescue, and give you CampusCompare’s tips on how to stay in shape on campus.

…but before getting to that, we just wanted to give you heads up about the newest feature released by CampusCompare - the “What Are My Chances?” Calculator!  Be sure to check it out! Without further ado, here is the list:

Sports / Exercise:
One of the easiest ways to make sure you stay in shape while you’re on campus is to get yourself into a good routine of going to the gym.  Ideally, you should go at the same time every day so it becomes a habit.  Work around your class schedule to find an hour every day to exercise, whether it’s to lift weights, hit the elliptical machine, or if it’s nice out, run a few miles around campus.

Another great way to encourage fitness during college is the intramural program.  Your school offers intramural sports as a way to convince you to keep active…so instead of sitting around this fall watching college football every night, get out and play!  We promise no fans will boo you when you drop a pass.

“Lite-n Up” on the Partying:
It’s one thing to take off a few extra pounds by exercising…but wouldn’t it be that much easier if the pounds weren’t there in the first place?  Here’s one way to make that happen: “Lite-n up” when you party.  Now, we’re not claiming that by drinking a twelve-pack of lite beer every night you’ll lose weight.  What we are saying is that next time you order a rum and Coke at the bar, you should ask for a diet and avoid a few extra calories.

Another consequence of drinking, as we’re sure you’re aware, is hunger, a.k.a. the drunk munchies.  So as long as you’re watching what you drink, you might as well watch what you eat when you’re drinking.  Next time you go to the grocery store to pick up some snacks for the dorm room, keep an eye out for something healthy…if you have a bag of baked Lay’s or a box of Wheat Thins around when you come home after a night out drinking, you’ll be less likely to make that 1am call to Domino’s Pizza.

Everyday Activities:
How many times do you leave your dorm and return each day?  I lived on the fourth floor of my Suite building last year, and I would guess that I left the building an average of three or four times per day.  Every day I took the elevator up and down, when I very easily could have walked the three flights of stairs.  It’ll keep your legs looking great in shorts and help you trim a few extra calories.  Do yourself a favor: unless it’s move-in day and you have to get a TV to the top floor, take the stairs.

Does your school allow you to keep a car on campus?  If not, do they offer a good bus service around the local neighborhood?  Either way, if you need to make a trip that’s less than a mile - to the grocery store or the pharmacy, for example - don’t drive or take the bus, hoof it.  Walking is a great way to burn calories and stay active, not to mention it’s much more conducive to socializing than taking a car or bus.

Study Habits:
This may seem like an odd item to put on this list, but you’d be surprised at how big of a factor studying is to putting on weight.  This manifests itself in two forms: stress and study-snacking.  So the first lesson we’re going to put out there for you is, “do not get stressed out!”  This seems pretty cliché, but it is worth repeating.  Do not get stressed out!  Stress is terribly unhealthy, and has many more side-effects than indirect weight gain (which is does).  My roommate was a freak about schoolwork, and let himself get so worked up over every test that he would actually talk about them in his sleep.  This led to way too much studying, and studying mixed with stress leads to lots of study-snacking.  Study-snacking is an easy way to put on lots of weight: usually it involves large quantities of unhealthy food (chips, soda, candy, popcorn, etc) being consumed late at night, which is a one-two punch for an unhealthy disaster.  Study hard, and study often, but don’t let it get you too worked up.

Eating (and Sleeping) Habits:
This is the most obvious item on the list, but healthy eating habits are so rare in college, despite the fact that they are vitally important.  A typical day eating-wise for a college student might include waking up at 1pm, getting some “breakfast” (from my experience most people opt for omelets, with a side of home fries and bacon), going to class, getting some dinner with friends around 7pm (anything from pizza to steak and fries), and then going out drinking.  After the drinking, there’s usually some late-night eating around 2am, which is something like pizza, mozzarella sticks, chicken wings, or homemade PB&J sandwiches if the dining hall is closed.  Sounds great, right?  To be honest, yeah, it is.  But it’s also terribly unhealthy.  Why not wake up at a more reasonable hour, like 10am? Go to the dining hall and have a bowl of cereal and some fresh fruit.  Get some dinner around 8pm – opt for the baked potato instead of fries, and substitute chicken for steak from time to time.  Also, make sure to mix in some grains, with pasta, and some greens with side-veggies if you can.  Go out, but drink lightly.  Curb hunger pangs with some healthy snacks like dry cereal, tortilla chips, or pretzels.  Get to bed a decent hour.

Don’t take these warnings as forbidding you to have fun in college.  Staying out late, partying, drinking, and eating junk food from time to time are all part of the experience. Do it. Enjoy it. Just do it in moderation!

Before you read this page, be sure to check out 10 Ways to Meet People on Campus (Part I)!

5. Cafeteria
The cafeteria is going to be one of the places you frequent most often in college, and you’re not alone. The cafeteria is always filled with people and makes a great place to meet new people. Often you’ll be there with your own group of friends, but when you’re not, why not sit down at a new table? For the most part people are very friendly, and all freshmen are eager to make new friends, so pull up a chair and ask if you can sit. Who knows, things might just click.

4. Study In the Lounge Instead of Your Room
Have some homework due in the coming week that just has to be done? Why study alone in your room or in silence at the library? Find the nearest study lounge and take a seat with some other students. Study lounges are great because they provide a more lax environment than a library and allow you to interact with others while you study. More often than not, you’ll meet someone else working on the same assignment, which typically leads to some great collaboration. Have a good time studying together? Go ahead and grab some late-night food or a few drinks to celebrate actually getting some work done!

3. Attend Your School’s Sporting Events
Sporting events at almost every school are a big draw, and this means lots of people. These events also tend to bring together drinking and camaraderie, which make them great for meeting new people.

2.  Meet With Groups Outside the Classroom
Depending on your course of study, you will have some (if not lots) of group projects. Often times these groups will have to meet on weekends to get some work done, so the classroom is a pretty typical place to meet. But if you want to get to know these people better, why not discuss your project over lunch, which makes things more social. If you’re getting along great with them, why not invite them to the party you’re going to that night? Often times great chemistry out of class, leads to better in-class performance for groups.

1. Parties / Bars
This is so obvious, we almost left it off the list. But if you want to meet lots of friendly (and by friendly, we mean drunk) kids, then get off your butt and go out to a bar or party. Not a drinker? Nobody cares. Parties and bars are places of socialization, so you’re almost certain to meet some great new people. This is a very important part of college, and it is a huge part of the overall experience, so get out there and mingle!

Bonus #1!
As a bonus, we’re adding Facebook to the list. We’re not condoning Facebook as a way to meet people…because, well, that comes off as a bit creepy. But if you meet some new people in class, at a party, or at the gym, be sure to add them as a friend on Facebook. This will keep the connection alive, and will increase the chances that you keep in touch with your new friend…and as long as we’re on the subject, we started a CampusCompare Facebook Fan Page. It isn’t complete just yet, but we’d love for you to become a fan of ours! Who knows, maybe you’ll meet some great people from your school who also love CampusCompare!

Bonus #2!
I guess we’re not actually supposed to talk about this yet (who cares, right?), but the wonderful folks at CampusCompare have been working hard with college counselors, students, admissions officers, and others to develop a nifty tool called the What Are My Chances? Calculator.  Word on the street is that it’s almost finished, and is deploying later this week, so keep your eyes and ears open for the coolest thing to hit admissions since the Common App!

Your first few days as a freshman in college are some of the most exciting and, at the same time, scariest, days of your entire educational life. You get the fun of a new city and being out on your own for the first time, but of course you also have the daunting task of college courses and, yes, making new friends. But don’t worry, that’s what CampusCompare is here for! Without further adieu, here are ten ways to meet people and make new friends on campus:

10. Play an Intramural Sport
Not only are intramurals a great way to stay in shape, but they offer a fun atmosphere that is extremely conducive to making new friends. You’ve already got a common interest - whatever sport you play - and unless the league is super-competitive, chances are you’ll get along with the other team just fine. Note that this applies more to sports like Wiffleball and Softball, where competition generally takes a backseat to fun, than it does to basketball and flag football.

9. Talk to Your Neighbors
When you’re hanging out in your dorm room, leave your door open and talk to your neighbors. This is a great and easy way to meet some new people, and it requires no effort at all. When you see the same few people every day, you’ll find it easy to come up with new things to talk about. You can also knock on a few of your neighbors’ doors during the first week or two of class just to say hi. A lot of them will end up becoming your close friends for the next four years.

8. Join a Club
Much like playing intramural sports, joining a club is a great way to meet like-minded friends in a laid-back atmosphere. Interested in politics? Join the College Republicans or Democrats. Enjoy writing? Join the newspaper or a journal. In college there is a club for just about every interest, so find yours and go with it. Clubs will also look good on your resume if you decide to go on to graduate school.

7. Go to the Gym
The on-campus gym at school is one of the best places to make friends. Everyone is awake, alert, and friendly…because as we all know, working out is strongly related to feeling better and, as a result, a more pleasant outlook and attitude. The gym also has a ton of great conversation starters; ask the girl on the stationary bike next to you what she’s reading, or joke with the Vin Diesel-looking guy in the wife beater, asking if he wants a spotter for his next set on the bench.

6. Chat With Classmates
Of course, the easiest way to meet people is in class. It’s how you’ve made most of your friends for the last 18 years, and just because you’re in college now doesn’t change that. The people in your courses will most likely be in your major, so you’ll be seeing a lot of each other for the next several years. They leave you plenty of time in between classes to stick around for a few minutes afterwards and chat about anything: your new dorms, the upcoming test, or how the professor spits when he talks.

Update: Be sure to check out 10 Ways to meet People on Campus (Part II)!