Tough exams, papers and boring lectures aren't the only things college freshman fear.

"I'm constantly self conscious, looking in the mirror and thinking am I the one gaining weight," UW Stout student Cole Segerstrom said.

The "Freshman 15".. you've heard of it, but you may not know the whole story. That's because researchers say it's not an accurate statement. Current studies indicate that on average students gain just eight pounds their freshman year.

The bad news is they keep gaining the next year. And health researchers say it's that gradual weight gain that will cause them problems long after graduation.

So one UW Stout professor and her students have begun a new project to study the "Freshman 15."

"What we're interested in is the 15 to 20 percent who do indeed gain 15 or more pounds and we'd like to find out the predictors for what puts them at risk."

And she says those predictors aren't just pizza and beer.

"There might be links between majors, there might be links between students living in particular dormitories or between students participating in particular social groups," Professor Ann Parsons said.

To find those links, her team will study a number of Stout freshman throughout their first and second years of school. During that two year period the team will measure the student's weight, body composition and assess survey answers.

"The focus will be on the weight report as well as survey answers in terms of the demographic of the individual because we do want to determine the link between predictors and weight gain."

And if they find that link, college students everywhere will thank them.