<p>From the Today show on NBC Monday</p>
<p>I can vouch for Dickinson-S is a first year. In HS, did cross country/track freshman year and did no sports and not much working out after that. At Dickinson, he has been working out almost daily and has gained 7 pounds (in muscle, he says-he has always been thin).</p>
<p>Could someone summarize the video? No speakers at the office :(</p>
<p>Roanoke is number 19!</p>
<p>Summary: </p>
<p>Men's Fitness magazine surveyed 115 colleges on student lifestyle, condition of fitness equipment, etc. and came up with the 5 "fittest" colleges. They are:
1 - Dickinson
2 - Colgate
3 - Boston College
4 - Wheaton (IL)
5 - University of Vermont</p>
<p>They also came up with the 5 "least fit" colleges (in no particular order):
Cal State - Long Beach
Carnegie Mellon
Eastern Michigan
Seton Hall
University of Michigan</p>
<p>The video also had some tips on avoiding the Freshman 15, one of which was to avoid drinking too much. (35% of freshman gain 15 or more pounds).</p>
<p>D is 3rd year at Dickinson. The athletic facility has so much to offer all students! Cafeteria seems to have good healthy choices for those who desire them. Carlisle is a good town for walking - and kids without cars frequently walk a couple of miles to Walmart or Target shopping centers. The president of the college led early morning walks around town twice a week this past summer. Neither of my other 2 kids had the phys ed requirement at their respective colleges. I've been happy to see the importance placed on fitness there.</p>
<p>Our student newspaper reported on this one, probably because UVA got "Hottest for Fitness" in one of the college guides and was ranked 11th on this Men's Fitness magazine list.</p>
<p>The top two on the list require either a PE class or a swim test, which boosts their percentage of students who participate in athletic activities to 100%. UVA, at 94%, is ranked #11, which makes me think a lot of the schools on the list have healthy, active students.</p>
<p>The rest of the list (lots of VA schools ;)):
1. Dickinson College (Penn.)<br>
2. Colgate University (N.Y.)<br>
3. Boston College<br>
4. Wheaton College (Ill.)<br>
5. University of Vermont<br>
6. Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.)<br>
7. Grove City College (Penn.)<br>
8. Texas Christain University<br>
9. Baylor University (Texas)<br>
10. University of Richmond (Va.)<br>
11. University of Virginia<br>
12. University of Wisconsin - La Crosse<br>
13. University of California - Santa Cruz<br>
14. Washington & Jefferson College (Penn.)<br>
15. Albertson College of Idaho<br>
16. Santa Clara University (Calif.)<br>
17. Lafayette College (Penn.)<br>
18. Georgetown University (D.C.)<br>
19. Roanoke College (Va.)<br>
20. California Instutute of Technology<br>
21. Virginia Tech<br>
22. University of Denver<br>
23. Ithaca College (N.Y.)<br>
24. University of Mary Washington (Va.)<br>
25. Gonzaga University (Wash.)</p>
<p>Baylor, Wheaton, and Grove get a boost from "no alchohol" dry campuses.</p>
<p>Guess they didn't include the service academies. There fitness is compulsory.</p>
<p>My daughters college mandates four pe classes for graduation plus they have to pass a swim test. Oh, well, I doubt mandated fitness is going to sway any students to choose one college over another. Maybe get them to look at it but that's about all. I noticed that my son's college was quick to post the rating on it's website!</p>
<p>I don't see how a requirement to pass a swim test has anything to do with fitness at the college. If the kid knows how to swim, they take the test and they're done - perhaps to never swim again while in college. Is this just a way to manipulate the stats?</p>
<p>Actually, at daughters college they require it because they think it's a life skill that everyone should have. If one doesn't pass the test they have to have swimming classes for their pe requirement. From what I have read in the student newspaper, it's kind of controversial because some foreign students (I think they were from Africa) said that in their area there is no place to swim and there was a deep fear of swimming. I doubt daughters college would care about stats from a Men's Health magazine. In fact if this was an opt in survey, perhaps that's why her college, the service acadamies and probably many other great colleges were not named.</p>
<p>kathiep:</p>
<p>I was mostly referring to Dean J's post:
[quote]
The top two on the list require either a PE class or a swim test, which boosts their percentage of students who participate in athletic activities to 100%.
[/quote]
If all they do is take the test and pass, it doesn't add one iota to their fitness level.</p>
<p>My HS (>30 years ago) required that every student take swim for the same reason as your D's college - they regarded it as an essential life skill. I actually became a Red Cross Water Safety Instructor and taught swim to freshmen while I was in HS there. It was fun.</p>
<p>I just looked at Dickinson's graduation requirements. They require 4 blocks of phys ed activity class, or 3 blocks activity and 1 block cognitive (like nutrition). There is no mention of a swim test taking the place of an actual class. There are several levels of swimming instruction that can be taken for credit, a swim test probably determines the level in which a student is placed.</p>
<p>I mean, we're not going around doing marine pushups but I hardly think we're a 'least fit' uni. We have a drama department full of beautiful fit people!</p>
<p><em>goes off to corner to sniffle</em></p>
<p>Somehow when I saw the title of this thread, my mind was screaming that Colgate had to be at least top 10! LOL No kidding.</p>
<p>We just did away with swim test- too many seniors "forgot" to take it and couldn't graduate on time unless they were willing to cut their senior week in SC to come back to Colgate.... We used to have 4 PE uints for graduation tequirement and now it's down to 2. Club sports count and so do varsity. So for many, why not just earn PE credits through club sports when it's about playing with your friends? The fitness center isn't too bad though it lacks several machines... but certainly is packed solid from 3 PM until 7 PM.</p>
<p>I'm going to show this list to my athletic brother!</p>
<p>I agree with ucla-dad that it is misleading to include a swim test, but I thought it was interesting to see that they're still around. Swim tests for graduation go back a hundred years or more on some campuses. I think it's a good idea (when culturally appropriate), but years too late. Before Katrina, the Red Cross, our public schools, and some local swimming pools had teamed up to make sure that every child got chance to learn to swim in third grade. One of the things that "ain't dere no mo'" as say down here.</p>
<p>I wonder if they counted dance as an athletic activity. It would be misleading to leave that out, since a serious dance student is likely to be pretty darn physically fit.</p>
<p>Wow thought I was the only other wyo grad on here woo hooo</p>
<p>Interesting to see UW-LaCrosse at #12, understandable given the draw some of its majors have. Unfortunately they also have a problem with binge drinkers, more than one intoxicated student has died in recent years after falling into the Mississippi river after hitting the bar scene.</p>
<p>If you read the magazine article, it's much more telling than the video clip. It seems sort of random, the number 1 school last year isn't in the top 25 this year, and this year's #1 wasn't even in the top 25 last year. They also mention that the service academies were purposely left out since they require a much higher level of fitness in general than any other colleges. Even the Dickinson students don't put much importance on the article according to yesterday's Dickinsonian (student newspaper).
And yes, Conyat, dance is considered a phys ed class at Dickinson - my D is a ballet dancer and they are very fit!</p>