College girls share lives in Web series ‘Freshman 15’

Kathryn Robinson had The Talk with her boyfriend last week.

A breakup was inevitable. Robinson, who hails from Tacoma, just started her freshman year at a liberal arts college outside of New York City; her high school sweetheart remains on the West Coast.

“I don’t want to be committed to anything,” Robinson says. “It just doesn’t make any sense when you’re in college and you’re just meeting so many new people.”

And Robinson is “meeting” far more new people than the average freshman.

The aspiring music journalist/actress/obstetrician is documenting her first year at the State University of New York, Purchase College, for the new Web reality series “Freshman 15.”

The program, a joint venture of Seventeen magazine and MySpace.com, follows 15 girls as they experience the first taste of university life and its various pressures.

More than 1,000 teens applied to be on “Freshman 15,” Seventeen Editor-in-Chief Ann Shoket said.

Those selected range from a devout student trying to stay sober while her peers party, to a girl who comes from a strict family and wants to let loose, to the bisexual teen dating girls for the first time.

Their stories can be found at www.myspace.com /freshman15. Each has an individual profile which features regularly updated content, including blogs, videos and photos.

They’ll also impart collegiate wisdom to Seventeen readers in upcoming issues. The October issue, on newsstands Tuesday, features their tips on how to get into college.