College students trade books for life lessons

In an apartment near the University of Minnesota, a group of young women sit around their kitchen table on a Friday night while two nutrition students teach them the finer points of mashing sweet potatoes for a batch of enchiladas.

Some are obviously seasoned chefs, while others are somewhat less experienced.

"My roommate didn't know how to use a potato peeler, which is kind of embarrassing," junior Katy Kenyon said about the cooking session in her apartment this spring.

It's all part of the question: Are 18-year-olds really prepared to live independently?

A growing number of colleges nationwide are determined to make sure that they are -- or to at least help them get there.

Based on what they see as a strong need, colleges and universities in the past few years have been steadily adding classes to their curriculum that teach students living on their own how to eat better and avoid the dangers of credit-card debt.

But they have also added classes that help students navigate challenges they face beyond the kitchen and their checkbooks.

At the U's Twin Cities campus, "Alcohol and College Life" promises to give students "the lowdown on college life, not just from textbooks but from real students." The "Intimate Relationships" class covers topics from hooking up to therapy for couples. At the U, the classes are popular. A "personal family finance" class scheduled for this summer is full.

The program offerings have grown quickly over the past decade, partly because research shows that there is a big need for them, said Scott Silverman, coordinator of orientation programs at the University of California, Riverside.

"It's a big focus on making sure we're providing all the services that students need at the time they need it," he said.

Fruit, veggies in short supply

The enchilada mini-session for Kenyon and her roommates was part of the "College Cooking 101" program, put on by a group of nutrition students with the help of a registered dietitian at the U.

Known as the Student Nutrition Advocacy Collaborative (SNAC), the group decides on a healthy meal for the semester and storms the homes of fellow students in dorms, fraternities and sororities at dinnertime, answering nutrition-related questions and sharing an easy-to-make, healthful dish.

Learning how the body converts food into energy at the molecular level is important knowledge for a biology major. But it's all moot if the 18-year-old dorm-dweller or the sophomore living in her first apartment can't figure out how to make a nutritious meal worth studying over.

The numbers prove the need. More than 45 percent of students assessed in a Boynton Health Services survey were overweight. The same study found that only about 15 percent of those surveyed ate enough fruits and vegetables.

"I'd say the college diet is definitely not as varied as it should and could be," Kenyon said. "It was nice to have other options that are easy to make."

SNAC goes beyond teaching a few students in their homes to also promote healthy eating for student groups. Brendan Kenny, one of the SNAC members who taught at Kenyon's apartment, said he has taught classes for sororities and sports teams.

College: A 'culture shock'

The payoff isn't always immediate.

"Maybe [students] don't see the benefit right then, but three months later when they're cooking for themselves, the light goes off in their head," said Silverman.

Healthful eating, and college in general, can take a toll on the bank account. A study of students at nine Minnesota colleges found that about 65 percent of students with credit-card debt owed more than $1,000.

That's why the U is stepping in.

The "Personal and Family Finance" class teaches juniors and seniors the basic steps necessary to manage a family's income, stay out of debt and avoid scams. Its professor, Virginia Zuiker, said the U added "Cash or Credit: You Need to Know" in 2004 to address issues related to student credit-card debt.

Silverman said such classes are necessary to help students navigate their newly gained independence.

"Coming to any university is going to be a culture shock," he said, both because new students are unfamiliar with campus life and because college is much tougher than high school. He agreed it's unrealistic to expect 18-year-olds to have living on their own down pat.

For Kenyon at least, who cooks often, the visit by nutrition students was helpful because she is now using the literature that was left with her to plan healthy shopping trips, she said.

Plus, learning the recipe with her friends added to the fun.

Looking down at her handiwork, Kenyon says, "It's the Beyoncé of enchiladas."

James Nord is a University of Minnesota student on assignment to the Star Tribune.