Before I began my freshman year of college, I was warned of three things: keeping my scholarships, staying away from drugs and the supposedly inevitable freshman fifteen.
Roped in with the same categories as drugs and academic failure was the extremely common phenomenon of gaining a few pounds during freshman year.  
In a society that is already shrouded by rigid standards of beauty, it was hard not to panic over the mere possibility of weight gain. After all, even if it was an ordinary occurrence, that certainly did not mean that the beauty standards ruling society would give me a “pass” for the added pounds.
The term freshman ten, which predates “freshman fifteen” by about eight years, was first used in a 1981 article criticizing the eating habits of Jodie Foster during her first year at Yale. 
The term we know and hate today is a product of the obvious healthcare pioneer and source of all medical knowledge, Seventeen magazine. I hope my sarcasm can be excused. 
Since then, the term has only increased in popularity with the trendline almost pitching straight up as soon as the early-aughts began. While the world might have become slightly more accepting of differing body types since the days of “heroin-chic” supermodels, no one would deny that the issue is still prevalent in today’s world. 
First of all, multiple studies done over many years have concluded that the term is just plain inaccurate. A study done at Boston University concluded that freshman weight gain is actually closer to 2.5 to 3.5 pounds. An observation also worth noting is that the weight gain of people not attending college in the same age group was only about a half pound less than college students. 
The main reason behind most people’s freshman year weight gain is largely due to the enormous amount of change that is experienced. Leaving the comforts of home to start over in a completely new environment is a true test of a person’s substance. 
Alexandra Harrington, a researcher based out of Merrimack College in Andover, Massachusetts, performed extensive research on this exact phenomenon. 
“This is the period when many young adults are entering college and living independently for the first time, meaning that they have to make their own decisions regarding things like food choices and making time to exercise,” Harrington said.
We choose to leave behind our families, our hometowns and everything else that is familiar. Not only that, but there is a whole new range of responsibilities to take on. When all of this is accounted for, I feel it is fair to say that gaining a bit of weight is understandable.  
Whether freshman weight gain is closer to three pounds or twenty, the fact of the matter is that body image is the least interesting thing about a person. Getting to know someone for who they are will outweigh visual judgements every single time.
With freshman year already being a starting over point in terms of friends, can we afford to make such shallow judgements about a person?
Given the benefit of hindsight — as well as a few extra pounds — I wish that I could reassure the fresh high school graduate I was a year ago. College has been the most exciting experience of my life thus far. Change is scary and difficult, but what is life without it?
Over the course of the past year, I have cried through failure and laughed through success. I have met more new people this year than I probably have in my entire life. I have made friends that I feel certain I will find myself gossiping at lunch with forty years from now.
In short, I did fall “victim” to the freshman fifteen. But that is truly and genuinely the least interesting thing that has happened this year. Those few pounds are nothing to lose sleep over. Whether you gain the pounds or not, be sure to prioritize the experiences and relationships that make the college experience what it is.