1st year experience meal plan

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
61

<p>*This is really irritating me. DD has not even started and I am getting the “nickle and dimed” feeling. I had no idea there was a fee for BB til a few minutes ago, rooms rates have gone up and now this. </p>

<p>We have compared colleges down to the dime cost wise in our decisions and now this is all throwing me off course. Argh! Thanks for letting me vent :slight_smile:
*</p>

<p>Yes, there is a fee for BB because the kids stay overnight and there are some meals included (and linens). There is a dinner at Lakeside, and a very nice parent luncheon. I don’t remember if the kids are given a swipe card for lunch?? And the students have a party at Outdoor Pool Complex. </p>

<p>You may think you figured costs to the penny at all of the schools, but there are likely costs or lesser-known fees at the other schools that you didn’t know about.</p>

62

<p>This reminds me of planning my step-daughters wedding. I thought I had it budgeted down to the last dollar…let’s just say that the $435 to HEM the six-hundred dollar wedding dress (no lace, no nothing, she’s tiny and didn’t want to look overwhelmed by the dress) was only ONE of the unanticipated surprises.</p>

<p>Private HS is the same way. $100 for after-prom, $70 for each AP test, $112 for dance show fees…who can anticipate it all?</p>

63

<p>Don’t worry, it gets better and less expensive for the most part after the first semester. M2ck is right, it would be the same at other schools. It’s like buying a car…there is some sticker shock and then there are destination fees, taxes, title, transfer fees, etc. I promise it will get better.:)</p>

64

<p>I once attended a school that charged an “Academic Success Fee” in addition to many other fees. Tutoring services were not free at this school either, whereas UA has free tutoring for many popular courses.</p>

<p>The reusable to-go box has a $3 deposit that is refunded at the end of the year. UA used to use disposable plates and cups for late night meals, but has recently switched to reusable plates and silverware. Bryant is the only dining hall which uses trays as it’s operated under a different foodservice contract.</p>

<p>Lakeside now has individual gluten free pizzas available upon request and Bryant always has a gluten-free option for lunch. Additionally, anyone can request food items without the added bread/carbs if they so desire.</p>

65

<p>Hah! Transfer fees! That’s EXACTLY what they are!</p>

66

<p>Humm, I think they will be losing money on my son…I hope that he can learn to eat healthy as much as possible and prevent weight gain!</p>

67

<p>OP here. Once again, thank you for all of the information and discussion. For DS, the extra $175 for unlimited swipes vs the silver plan will probably be a good investment. The ability to stop by for snacks and drinks whenever he chooses will save $$ at the grocery store and vending machines. Not to mention how convenient it will be. I’m sure he will grow weary of the food selection (I haven’t heard of a college student that hasn’t at any University). However, the unlimited plan allows a student to get a bit more creative with how and where they eat. And psychologically, the students will not have that "I have to stuff myself, because will not have anthing to eat for hours mentality. Personally, I really like that.</p>

68

<p>Just received the following reply in response to an email about b’fast hours at Lakeside Dining for Fall 2012. Looks like students will be going to Fresh Food… </p>

<p>Thank you for taking the time to contact us with your suggestion for Lakeside breakfast. You bring up a valid concern that has been considered by the Bama Dining team, but after surveying the students (70.89% find the current breakfast offerings convenient) and analyzing our transaction history we have found that opening Lakeside for breakfast in the fall is not necessary at this time. Currently the north end of campus (Lakeside, Riverside, Ridgecrest) has a population of 5,000 residents, most of which are Freshmen. As you mentioned, crowding is a concern at the Fresh Food Company because it does become congested during lunch. However, on average only about 250 students come to Fresh Food for breakfast on a daily basis. Therefore, we do not anticipate that the All Access plan will cause the same crowding issue during breakfast as it does during lunch.</p>

<p>We highly recommend for students, especially on-campus residents, to visit the Fresh Food Company for breakfast on their way to class. It is in a central location on campus and is actually only a 3.5 minute bus ride or 4.5 minute walk from Lakeside. Also, they have a wide selection of breakfast items including a waffle bar, smoothies, homemade biscuits, breakfast sandwiches and much more.</p>

<p>In addition, Lakeside offers a full breakfast bar when they open at 10:30am each morning for the students that wake up late or prefer to eat breakfast later in the day. Some items include made-to-order fried or scrambled eggs, grits, bagels, fresh biscuits, and sausage. Burke on the south end of campus is open for breakfast as well for students that live or take classes in that part of campus.</p>

<p>With that all said, as the Bama Dining policy to meet the needs of our customers, we will continue to watch the student traffic patterns in the fall. If we find that there is a need for breakfast at Lakeside in the future we will definitely revaluate our decision.</p>

<p>Thank you again for your suggestion and please feel free to contact me directly with any other questions or concerns you have in the future. Have a great day!</p>

<p>Kelsey Faust
Marketing Programs Manager
Bama Dining/ BSC Hilltop Dining
<a href="mailto:faust-kelsey@aramark.com">faust-kelsey@aramark.com</a></p>

69

<p>^^ 70.89% of students probably find the current breakfast offerings sufficient because they have meal plans where it doesn’t make economic sense to eat breakfast in the dining halls. Fortunately they seem open to reevaluating in the fall, because I suspect they’ll see increased breakfast traffic. It’s hard to imagine that if they have 5,000 students on the north campus, most of whom have an all access dining plan, only 250 will be going to Fresh Foods for breakfast. But I suppose anything is possible with teenagers.</p>

70

<p>I agree that they will see a problem because I think the freshman will go to breakfast more as it is included, and doesn’t take one of their lunch or dinner meal swipes. On the other hand with the all-access plan perhaps the kids will go “shopping” the day/night before and get the cereal, milk, yogurt and fruit instead. Its nice that in the suites at least they’ll have a full-size refrig. to store everything.</p>

71

<p>^^^
They mention 5000 in Lakeside, Riverside, and Ridgecrest. Did they forget about the other 1000 that will be in Presidential Village up north there as well?!</p>

72

<p>I know that my daughter never goes to breakfast before her first class (she’d rather sleep a few extra minutes) but quite often will head over to Burke for breakfast after class with classmates from her first morning class – I think that is actually fairly common for students with meal plans.</p>

73

Is there any way to get out of the meal plan?? My little sister might be interested in UA but she is very put off by the required unlimited meal plan for freshmen. She eats like a bird and could use the money from one semester of the meal plan for food for the whole year. We live in CA so travel fees will add up, and the extra $1.6k that we would be paying for the meal plan is unacceptable.

74

Here is the form if you wish to try to request an exemption.

http://fawp.ua.edu/bamadining/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/07/First-Year-Meal-Plan-Exemption.pdf

75

Unless there is a documented medical reason, she will not be exempt.

76

Meal plan costs are kept relatively low due to people who purchase required meal plans, but don’t eat very much. One also has to consider that eating at a dining hall will most likely be more expensive than cooking similar food oneself because people are being paid to cook and serve the food. Also, there are times when cooking ones own food or eating out somewhere other than the dining hall can be more expensive, especially if one doesn’t shop the sales. Even a small sandwich, chips, and a drink at a local sandwich shop will often cost more than a dining hall meal.

Another way to consider things is the all-in rather than itemized costs. For example, a school could raise the cost of housing to cover “free” meal plans. One would still be paying the same amount of money, but the specific charges would be different.

Remember that meal plans are only required the first year. The unlimited meal plan is $1715 per semester. Depending on her other financial aid and scholarship packages, UA might still be less expensive or not significantly more expensive. Remember as well that UA tuition includes many things which are not included at other schools such as Rec Center Access, tickets to most sporting events, generously catered receptions, tutoring sessions, etc.

It’s a similar discussion to people refusing to pay for checked luggage or pay resort fees at hotels. Add all the costs together and then compare. It’s difficult to rationalize paying $200 extra to avoid $50 in baggage fees or paying $100 room with no resort fee when there are rooms for $50 plus a $25 resort fee.