Good food, good results
My work with high school students goes well beyond helping students with their college applications. Last week I was working with a small group of ninth- and tenth-graders, and we were discussing the importance of good nutrition in setting themselves up for success academically. There is a considerable body of research showing a clear relationship between students' diet and academic performance, and I have witnessed in my own experience as an educator that students perform best, and are best able to pay attention and retain knowledge, when they start with a strong foundation of a diet comprised of quality protein and plenty of vegetables and leafy greens. Conversely, students who consume a lot of sugar and processed foods throughout the day struggle with attention, learning, and sometimes behavior.
For this reason, choosing a college that provides students with great-tasting, healthy food can make a huge difference for students. One college's dining service that really stands out is Bowdoin College. (Full disclosure: Bowdoin is my undergraduate alma mater.) Bowdoin consistently ranks among the top colleges and universities for the best campus food. Bowdoin purchases local produce from local farmers to offer the freshest ingredients to their students. Bowdoin’s chefs develop menus with gourmet meals such as squash fettuccine, Mongolian beef hot pot, and jalapeno haddock. Bowdoin’s website boasts, “Even though we feed hundreds of people in our dining halls, most of our cooking is done in small batches so that we can offer a product that is as fresh and delicious for our first customer as for our last. We try hard to strike a healthy balance, including whole foods, and local and organic ingredients, while ensuring that those favorite comfort foods are still available.”
Other colleges renowned for excellent campus food include UMass Amherst, Washington University, Virginia Tech, Pitzer College, St. Olaf College, Kennesaw State University, Tufts University, and University of Dayton.
If you'd like to learn more about healthy practices, college rankings, college admissions, and more, use the contact form on my website to schedule your free one-hour consultation.
