<p>Any advice on the meal plans for U Del/ I'm a little confused on what would be better for an incoming freshman. Thanks!</p>
<p>Strongly advise more points and less meals because if a student has a lot of classes up near Trabant, they are likely to eat there at lunch or dinner time, which is points and not meals. I just think points are more flexible. Which we learned the hard way.</p>
<p>I can see the advantage of flexibility … however, when looking at the plans, it seemed to our family that the number of extra points in the lower meals/higher points plans didn’t come close to making up for the “lost” dining hall meals (ie: 200 more meal points won’t last long if a student is only able to get half her meals in the dining halls, and in order to have fresh fruits/veg and a variety of healthy foods, the points meals won’t come that cheaply). Looks to me like it wouldn’t be long before a student would be taking out of pocket to pay for meals and/or eating the cheapest points food available. Any thoughts on this?</p>
<p>DD took the middle plan first semester (15 meals). Had the experience that zoosermom mentioned - she could not get to a dining hall for lunch and used points and then flex in Trabant instead. We realized this AFTER the deadline for changing meal plans (check the date and make a note of it - check in with your student to see how many times they are actually getting to the dining hall in and make change if necessary). Live and learn.</p>
<p>For this semester, she took the minimum plan - (10 meals). This is working out much better.</p>
<p>She never gets up for breakfast in the dining hall and has a stash of breakfast food in her room to grab before class (and I load her up on fruit and yogurt for her refrig when I am there for a visit).</p>
<p>Make your best guess and note the change deadline. That’s my best recommendation.</p>
<p>That is helpful Linymom … but has she run out of points? The points per week on the highest point plan is still only less than $20 per week. Doesn’t seem like much money to cover approximately 10 meals per week. Maybe I’m thinking the NYC prices we are used to? 
I won’t be in a position to bring my D food … she will have to purchase it there, in one way or another. As you suggest, perhaps the best thing to do is see how it works out schedule-wise.</p>
<p>She ended up using flex points which equates to cash. You add that online through their account. Make sure you get access!</p>
<p>Sent from my ADR6300 using CC App</p>
<p>All of my D’s classes and her job are right near Trabant and she’s not a morning person, so she doesn’t eat breakfast in the dining hall, but ends up eating almost every lunch, snack and many dinners at Trabant or on Main Street. The Panera Bread gift card she got for Christmas was one of the best gifts she ever got. She’s going to be in Brown next year, which is not really near any dining halls, and all her classes again are in or near Old College, as is her job. She will probably almost never eat an actual meal in the dining hall.</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions. My S will be in Russell. It sounds like the 15 meal plan might make sense. My S is not the kind of kid that will wake up for breakfast!</p>
<p>ShakepeareDad, is your S a Freshman? Do you already have a dorm assignment? My D just decided on UD over the weekend, but do most freshman already have dorm assignments?</p>
<p>My DD (going to be a soph) just got her housing assignment yesterday. Last summer, she didn’t get it till August. They are doing things differently this year (such as the dorm request and roommate request), but this is our experience.</p>
<p>My D got hers yesterday, also, and is quite happy. Thank God. Because she registered for classes yesterday, as well, which process was fraught with hysteria and I couldn’t stand another situation like that.</p>
<p>mhc 48, I am guessing he knows his S’s room assignment b/c he will be housed in Honor’s housing in Russell, which is also true for my D. I do not think specific assignments come out for incoming freshman until mid-late summer.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your help. D is a morning person, breakfast eater (at least up to this point in her life … who knows?), who is used to lots of walking in her urban life, so if her schedule permits, a high meal / low points plan is probably (hopefully) best for her. I would really prefer not to spend additional money on meals by adding flex dollars for that purpose, as we are already buying a meal plan. Actually, all D’s “pocket money” is her own responsibility, so I hopefully won’t have a lot of difficulty convincing her of the merits of finding a way to eat in the dining halls most of the time, where we are paying for it :).</p>
<p>momof2giants, my D is in Russell so there is a dining hall right there, but there aren’t classes on that side of the campus. If your D is a breakfast person, she can certainly eat breakfast every day without any difficulty. Linymom had the best advice. Assess your daughter’s needs prior to the deadline for changing the meal plan and you can’t go wrong. Good luck to you and your daughter!</p>
<p>My S will be a freshman in Russell hall, I do not know his specific room assignment yet.</p>
<p>I did see that there was a dining hall near Russell. Congrats to all!</p>
<p>I attended the UofD many years ago, and now my son is a Freshman there. Before I go on a rant about the food plan options, let me say that I believe the UofD is a WONDERFUL school and a great choice for your son or daughter! But here goes…</p>
<p>I have probed deeply into the subject of meals, because his schedule is such that my son cannot make a lot of them, due to a tight class schedule during the week (he hits Trabant, Main Street, etc often), missing meals on weekends (either because a lot of kids don’t like to get up early for brunch, or because the Marching Band performs thru many dining hall hours when they perform at football games), and his frequent dinner outings with his fraternity brothers (think “academic” vs “Animal House”) centered around their many functions. As a result, on top of the $2k annually we overspend on the never-completely-used meal plan, my son (and we) end up paying MORE for his alternate meals! </p>
<p>So far this semester, our son has done WORSE than we anticipated, using only 100 out of 250 meals, with just under 4 weeks to go. This means he has a max of 80 more meal chances - - and will at best likely only use 40 more in that time. Suddenly, that 250 meal “block” plan for $2k (if he only uses 140 of them) jumps to an average of over $13 per meal actually eaten from the $7 or $8 “best scenario”!</p>
<p>Obviously, I think the UofD meal plan options as constructed are far from what they should be. The University requires that all students living in dorms buy a meal plan. I can see where they are trying to ensure kids eat healthy while out of the control of their parents, but the way their plans are constructed is just wrong! They should come up with a reasonable “minimum” # of meals required & charge a certain rate for it, and then have additional options at different rates based on people’s tendencies to eat that amount or more. But they don’t. You are a captive audience. Their rate structure shows they are really more concerned about getting another $2k out of you than really serving their students’ best interests. If the student moves off-campus, suddenly they gain better judgment for themselves to determine what meal plan fits and at what cost, and have more options? Just because where one chooses to live, one is more capable of figuring that stuff out & qualifying for better meal plans & rates?! I would like to either see that system revamped as I mentioned above, or at least add a feature where there would be “standard” daily meals offered at the various Trabant food court eateries that could also count as a “meal” vs a-la-carte only for points - - at least during lunch! Many of the classes just aren’t close enough to the dining halls, and the lines are often long - - so students skip them & grab a quick bite elsewhere instead - - at added cost to them and us. (NOTE: It would also be nice to offer a similar option as I proposed at the football stadium as well.)</p>
<p>But back to the meal plans as they are, since on-campus students are stuck with it… First, the trade-off of meals for points stinks. If you buy the most meals available (block of 250) for almost $2k, after deducting the amount of points that come with it, each meal (if all 250 are eaten) would cost something like $7-$8 each. Yet, as you reduce the number of meals you buy for that same almost $2k, they only “give back” to you a measely portion of that amount in “points”. Call it point, but it’s really just giving you back less of the $ you already paid into the plan! You can’t buy a comparable meal for the pittance they give you back. So, by opting for less meals & more bucks, you’re really “buying-back” points/money at a premium! GOTCHA!!</p>
<p>There’s really no good option as long as you live in the dorms. It ends up being a guess as to which will “cost” you the least extra when all is said & done… I was told to go with the “block” option because you have 250 meals to play with all semester long, vs if you buy a “so-many-per-week” plan, once you use them all, you’re done for the week & would have to buy any more with points. So, if you plan on buying a 10-per-week plan over the course of the 15-week semester, it might make more sense flexibility-wise to go with a block of 150-175 instead. (Of course, by the time you get up to the 250 plan, that’s close to the max # of meals you can eat over the 15 weeks anyway, and it’s a moot point)… But look into “blocks” vs “per-week” plans & see how they compare.</p>
<p>FINALLY, here’s a tip for you that the Food Service doesn’t advertise … One or more of their dining halls offer a “box lunch”. I contacted them, and found out that such an option can be arranged at ANY dining hall! basically, as long as you coordinate it in advance with them (so they know how many to have on-hand), if you know your schedule is such that you can’t make the dining halls for lunch say 3 times a week, you can arrange with them to make a box lunch available to you on those days at your preferred dining hall. As I understand it, once set-up, you would simply go to that dining hall for breakfast (swiping your card for that meal), and then, as you leave, you’d pick up your box lunch & swipe your card again (counting as your lunch). VOILA!! You have a good lunch to eat on the run or in the short time between classes without costing you more money!</p>
<p>I have to add a caveat on the above, because my son has yet to contact the Dining Services to arrange said box lunches. I also don’t know whether you can do the same at breakfast or lunch for a “box dinner” either… But it’s certainly something to call Dining Services about & ask, and MIGHT just be the ticket for your child (especially if includes fruits, etc).</p>
<p>So that’s what I can tell you from our experience this year. I hope it helps & gives you “FOOD” for thought! ;-)</p>
<p>UDGradBE80 - Thanks - What a helpful post! I guess that is how schools “get you” when you are a captive consumer! I appreciate you taking the time to inform us.</p>
<p>Thank you for your tip, will look into the box lunch issue. Thanks also for affirming my own “math” on the meals/points balance. This is also good info in helping D prepare for scheduling classes … when possible, allow extra time for lunch (we’ll see how that works out I guess).</p>
<p>My pleasure!</p>
<p>Remember… aside from my disappointment with the meal plan options, I believe the UofD is a TREMENDOUS school!!</p>
<p>Good luck, everyone!</p>
<p>The box lunch option is advertised. My D and her friends all get them most days for one meal or the other. They were told about them by the cafeteria ladies when they first came to campus. My D happens to be a vegetarian, so not getting meat allows here to get more bang for her points. We don’t think it’s an optimal situation and wouldn’t have designed it that way, but we do find more points to be the best option we could come up with.</p>
<p>Go with the more points option. D got snagged too with too many meals and we needed to add points in Fall and Spring terms. D dormed in Russell and her schedule didn’t allow time to eat in the dining hall. Despite adjusting her work schedule to allow her to eat dinner in the Spring term, it still got messed up. </p>
<p>Some good tips are offered here. I honestly think that the dining hall hours are terribly limited @UD compared to some of the other schools that is often the problem-causing issue. <em>chuckling</em> about the fresh fruits being desired. D said the fresh fruit offerings really sucked and that she specifically sought the fresh fruit.</p>