Numbers Game: Answer

According to a recent study at Brown University, the average college student gains 7.8 pounds throughout the course of their freshman year

So it seems we're technically speaking of the "freshman half-fifteen". I can't say this figure surprises me.

Although university dining halls can be the source of nutritious meals, they can also provide abominable food day in and day out.

A typical all-you-can eat situation allows someone to customize a salad with various salad greens, vegetables, seeds, and lean protein sources, or have sandwiches on whole grain bread.

At the same time, if you want to eat hot dogs, cheese fries, and ice cream for lunch and dinner in unlimited quantities every day, no one's going to stop you.

What we're looking at are the consequences of an absence of portion control and nutrition education.