For many first-years, college represents a dramatic change in lifestyle. While many worry about dorm living and finding their niche in the Whitman community, one of the biggest changes often goes unnoticed. Food and eating styles can transform dramatically in the college environment in response to eating in a dining hall or new study habits.

For Whitman students, being on a meal plan affects eating habits in a range of ways. While many feel that the variety and wide availability of new and enticing foods causes them to overeat, others argue that the opposite is true.

“I feel as if I eat way healthier [than at home]. Obviously, there’s not a salad bar at your house. There’s always a salad option. I feel like I’m more of a vegan or vegetarian here. It’s healthier,” said first-year Taylor White.

Sophomore Elana Congress agreed, addressing the issue of meat.

“At home we have chicken every night for dinner. It’s good for people to reduce their consumption of meat and it’s easy to do here because there are so many options,” she said.

However, there is also a negative side to the extraordinary number of options in the dining halls.

“There are so many options here that you can pig out on. I have trouble eating salads every day because there are so many other options,” said first-year Owen Lowry.

Other students complain about the high number of delicious and tempting dessert options. In Prentiss, the dessert cart is strategically located so that students must pass it in order to get to the entrees and often must stand in line next to it.

“Sugary food is at hand. I feel like it’s really hard when it’s a buffet style to regulate yourself. At Reid it’s much easier,” said first-year Emma Newton.

First-year Diana Dulek takes a harder line with regards to the tempting options in the dining halls.

“It’s an exercise in willpower,” she said.

Perhaps because of these sugary options, in a recent survey, the majority of students living off campus who participated in a recent Pioneer survey said that their diets improved after moving away from the meal plan. Out of 84 off-campus students surveyed, 68 percent said that they eat healthier living on their own.

Although they can be overwhelming, some students still living on campus have come to expect this multitude of dessert options.

“I cry when the ice cream machine is out of order,” said first-year Jack Lazar.

Despite the high number of sugary options, the majority of Whitman students living on campus who participated in the survey still see themselves as conscientious eaters.   Out of 174 students surveyed, 70 percent described their eating habits as “healthy.”

The dining halls also change student eating habits by limiting the number of meals they can eat and when they can eat.

“At home, I eat four or five meals a day. Here I eat larger meals,” said sophomore Brynne Haug.

It is clear that dining halls do not affect all students’ eating habits in the same way. With the variety of options, it is entirely possible to choose healthy options. But do students want to?

Besides living on a meal plan, the long hours of often stressful studying at Whitman can also cause major changes in a student’s diet. For many students, food becomes an important part in study sessions.

First-year Sarah Schaefer described how she likes to take food from the dining hall to consume while studying.

“I love to take grapes from the dining hall to eat while I study. Sadly, there haven’t been grapes recently, so I’ve been forced to take desserts for my study snacks,” she said.

Other students feel frustrated that they often end up eating sweets while studying.

“The quantity of sugary foods that I eat has gone up tremendously,” said Newton.

Lazar agreed, noting the issue of well-intentioned but unhealthy care packages.

“It doesn’t really help to have my grandma send me 10 pounds of cookies,” he said.

So what causes these poor eating habits?

“Most of it revolves around staying up later. When you’re sleep-deprived, you tend to make poor choices in food,” said first-year Diana Dulek.

Some students pursue healthier options.

“I drink a lot of tea and I eat spicy Indian snack mix,” said sophomore Kaitlin Cloud.

First-year Cassandra Baker practices another technique: she doesn’t eat at all while studying.

“I normally don’t eat when I study because when I study I don’t think about food. And then afterwards, I realize I’m really hungry,” said Baker.

Another option is to take active study breaks. First-year Rex Rolle  goes for walks when he needs a rest from studying.

Not surprisingly, healthy options were not the choice of the majority of students surveyed; out of 258 Whittie respondents, 65 percent eat more junk food during stressful study periods.

Jennifer Shields, a registered nurse with the Welty Health Center, knows about student eating habits and how they affect health.

“Between stress and scheduling and competitive athletics, people aren’t taking the time to get the right nutrients,” said Shields.

At the same time, Shields recognizes that the average Whittie is health conscious.

Shields has also seen how being sick negatively affects a college student’s diet.

“From the nursing standpoint, when people get sick and run down, it’s hard to eat right because of lack of appetite,” she said.

In an attempt to remedy this effect of illness, Bon Appétit delivers meals to the health center for students who are feeling under the weather and can’t make the trip to the dining hall.

The college environment can be both helpful and detrimental for students attempting to maintain a healthy diet. Cafeteria-style eating presents a new environment for those used to eating home-cooked meals. Whether it be in a dining hall or in a residence hall room while studying, college life gives students a new level of freedom and responsibility when it comes to diet choices.