There are a ton of urban legends prospective freshmen share with each other, but one that turns out to be true for many students is the infamous “Freshman 15,” which refers to the purported number of pounds new collegegoers gain during freshman year. In fact, for some, the number is much higher. But there’s no need to freak out. A small dose of willpower—not a strict diet or crazy exercise regimen-- is all it takes to keep those dreaded extra pounds away. Here are a few tips that will allow you to enjoy all your favorite foods, snacks, and—ahem—beverages without breaking the scale:

1. Take the long way to class. Want to maintain your weight? Skip the campus shortcuts. That’s right—no more cutting across the lawn to get to class. Walk the long way around campus and learn to love climbing stairs. The kids at Boston College do: their campus is home to the infamous Higgins Stairs, a set of 120 steps that connect the upper campus to the lower campus.  

2. Limit the pizza deliveries. Pizza is practically a food group for college students, so it’s all right to splurge every so often. But don’t make it a nightly occurrence. Limit it to once a week and you might find that it tastes even better. Your wallet, as well as your waistline, will reap the benefits.  

3. Avoid going back for seconds at the cafeteria. If your campus cafeteria serves food buffet-style, load your tray with proteins and veggies that will fill you up. You can still grab some French fries, but you’ll be less likely to make them the focus of your meal.  

4. Beware of the salad bar fixings. Eating a big salad is awesome, but the bacon bits, heavy cream dressings, and croutons that you ladle on to it? Not so much. Be smart with your choices at the salad bar, or else you’ll undo all the good you are trying to accomplish by eating your greens. 

5. Drink plenty of water. These days, water bottles come in so many shapes, sizes, and colors that they’ve become the must-have accessory on college campuses. This is one fad that you should follow. Taking frequent swigs of water throughout the day will not only refresh you and keep you alert through long lectures, but it will also keep your appetite at bay. In fact, many health experts say that you should drink a big glass of water before each meal so that you aren’t tempted to overeat.

It is possible to avoid the Freshman 15 without even stepping foot in the gym. But if you are looking to lose weight or defray the cost of stress eating during finals, a couple of trips to the campus gym each week will definitely help. What’s most important is that you establish habits that will allow you to enjoy your favorite foods, but still fit into all your clothes by the end of the semester.

The SAT and ACT have long been criticized as weak indicators of a student’s potential performance on the college level. Furthermore, many colleges and universities believe that the SAT is downright discriminatory against certain students, including minorities and those who come from low-income families. In order to attract a more diverse community of scholars, more and more schools are waiving the test requirement in favor of a more holistic application review.

Like other standardized tests, the SAT and ACT were designed to be quantifiable ways for students to prove their mettle for college. However, many students would agree that the only thing these tests do is cause a sense of dread that starts long before they pick up their #2 pencils and remains until the scores are released. Test prep programs can certainly help mitigate anxiety, but what happens if you can’t afford to pay for one? As a result, the daunting SAT and ACT has turned away many students who have poor preparation for the test or who simply do not test well—and many schools have suffered from a lack of diversity on their campuses.

It’s not surprising, then, that schools adopting the test-free policy have enjoyed an increase in application pools. Research has shown that the level of academic performance of incoming classes has increased at public schools that do not require the SAT or ACT. However, this might not happen at some elite private colleges that use high scores as benchmarks for narrowing down the application pool. 

Proponents of the no-test policy, including the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, say that it pushes schools to look more closely at the student’s GPA, school activities, and recommendation letters, which are better assessments of academic prowess. Critics of the no-test policy say that between grade inflation and different curriculum standards, it is impossible to use grades as the only quantifiable aspect of a student’s application.

An interesting note is that the schools enforcing the no-test policy are finding that many of their applicants are still submitting test scores with their applications. This could be because students have to take the test for other schools, and so they just submit another score report. It could also be that students are not ready to back down from the SAT and ACT, which are both steeped in the tradition of being a major part of a competitive application process. Only time will tell how much longer the SAT and ACT will cast a shadow over college-bound students.  

You might have been raised to believe that bragging is impolite, but if you plan on getting into the college of your dreams, then you'd better rethink that philosophy. Not only is bragging about yourself perfectly acceptable, but it is also a vital part of the college application process. After all, your grades and test scores can only say so much about you, but when it comes to community service and extracurricular activities, you’d better start boasting—and a brag sheet will help you do so.

What is a brag sheet? A brag sheet is like a resume: it lists your accomplishments organized by school year and category (such as sports, clubs, and community service). You'll want to include information like the number of hours you've spent on each activity, positions you've held, and awards you've won. When college or scholarship applications ask you to list your extracurricular activities, you can refer to your brag sheet in order to fill in the information quickly. Rather than racking your brains for every last hour of volunteering you completed, it will all be there on your handy-dandy brag sheet. It’s a great timesaver!

Like a resume, the brag sheet is also a great way to prepare for an interview with an admissions counselor. Reread it before you go in to refresh your memory, so you are not left stumped when asked about your leadership skills or what you did last summer. After all, attending a Glee Club rehearsal or a lacrosse practice might have become second nature to you, which is why you need the brag sheet to help remind you of all your accomplishments outside of the classroom. The brag sheet is also helpful to give to the teachers whom you are asking to write recommendation letters; they know you well in the classroom, but the brag sheet gives them a sense of who you are after the school bell rings.

Your brag sheet is a work in progress. Update it on a regular basis so that it is always ready to go, whether you are applying for college, a scholarship, or even a part-time job. Brag on! Remember, colleges not only want smart students, they want active ones as well so that their campuses remain exciting and vibrant places to be.

Just when your mailbox thought it could take a breather from all those college brochures and viewbooks, another barrage of envelopes is beginning. These days, however, the mail is probably all coming from one school—the one you’ll be attending this fall! Your chosen college is preparing you for a smooth transition to campus this fall. Keep your eye out for information on "orientation", which is a period (usually before the start of the official academic year) when freshmen and transfer students spend some time on campus before classes begin in order to get acclimated to their new homes.

Sure, you might have ruled the school as part of the Class of 2009, but come fall, you’ll be a lowly freshman again. Whether you are going to a small college that fits on a city block or a large one that could house your high school in its sports complex, you’ll need some guidance learning the ropes. Enter Orientation, a highly orchestrated day or days of events that help newbies, like yourself, get acquainted with what will be your home-away-from-home for the next four years.

Think of Orientation as a GPS device that will take you through your first days and weeks at college. Orientation is so much more than showing you around on campus—that’s what maps are for, after all. Instead, administrators and upperclassmen are there to help you understand the ins and outs of campus life and get you acquainted with the usual (like the best time to hit the cafeteria) and the unusual (like what to do if you get the flu).

From silly icebreakers that encourage you to get to know your classmates to more serious discussions about how to stay safe on campus, Orientation is both fun and informative—which is exactly the point. Colleges and universities want their students to be happy and well-informed, which is why schools usually pull out all the stops to welcome new students. In fact, some schools, like the University of Kansas, view Orientation so seriously that they have taken it from a single event to an ongoing process, providing a knowledgeable staff that is available to freshmen and transfer students during their entire first year on campus.

College is a four-year-long investment, which is why it’s wise to spend a few extra days getting to know your new campus. For many students, Orientation is a great way to relieve some of the anxiety they might feel about leaving home in the fall because it takes away some of the mystery about campus life. Got questions about college? You’ll find the answers during Orientation, along with new friends and the beginning of a whole new chapter of your life.