What 1 University Is Doing to Help Students Avoid the "Freshman 15"

Adjusting to life as a college student can be a tough transition. One of the biggest concerns is maintaining a healthy lifestyle while balancing schoolwork and a social life, and Oral Roberts University — a Christian university in Tulsa, OK — totally understands. That's why it has introduced a program requiring all incoming freshmen to wear Fitbit watches to record their heart rate and physical activity every day.

The experiment, which is mandatory for all incoming students but open to the entire student body, is somewhat of an extension of the values ORU already has in place. "Our university is world renowned for its focus on body, mind, and spirit, and ranks in the top five healthiest universities in America," ORU President William M. Wilson told Tulsa World.

The university hopes that the data collected through a process integrating Fitbit information into the school's grading system will determine if there is a correlation between exercise and academic success, while also keeping its students on a healthy path.