<p>My daughter will be a freshman this year and wed love some feedback about the University of Miamis meal plans. We were thinking of going with the 19 plan because she will have long days and Im pretty sure shell be eating 3 meals on most days. However, after looking at the dining website, Im thinking the 14 plan might be better because it has more dining dollars and the places where you can spend those look pretty good. What is the food like (quality/variety) at Hecht-Stanford dining hall? Would you get tired of eating three meals a day there? Also, is it possible to add dining dollars to the students account mid-semester? Any tips are appreciated!</p>
<p>Another question to add to the great questions from the OP. Can you change the meal plan early in the semester if you see that a different one will work better for you? (My DD’s university gives you a chance to do this for about two weeks after the semester starts.)</p>
<p>mkiwiuni:
Definitely go with the 14-meal plan. I had the 14 last year, and I didn’t come close to running out of meals at any point (to the point where I actually decided to go down to the 8-meal/week plan this year). I would suggest doing something like cereal and milk (or, what I’m doing next year, yogurt, fruit, and granola) for breakfasts. Quick, easy, and saves a hell of a lot of time if your daughter has an early schedule in the mornings. Also keep in mind, the dining hall closes fairly early on the weekends. This could become a problem, especially if she plans on going to the football games or doing fun things on the weekends.</p>
<p>The food is decent, but it definitely gets old after a while. I couldn’t imagine eating there 3 times a day, 7 days a week for the entire semester. </p>
<p>There is an option to add dining dollars mid-semester. It should be on CaneLink once the semester starts. Also, the dining dollars are cumulative per year, so if your daughter doesn’t use all of her dining dollars first semester, they will still be there to use second semester.</p>
<p>LINYMOM:
You are able to change your meal plan. There’s a link on CaneLink to do that.</p>
<p>I signed up for the 14 meal plan for my D who will be a freshman. She has classes starting at 10 MWF and 930 on T TR and I know that she would never get up for breafast during the week or on weekends. And I am sure that she will be eating out at least a couple of times per week. Coffee maker, bananas, yogurt and breakfast bars should fill the meal gap.</p>
<p>Regarding variety, aside from daily hot offerings there is an omelette bar in the AM, salad and sandwich bar at lunch and dinner, and a stir-fry bar at dinner. Go with 14 meals. I was adding lots of dining dollars during exams- Starbucks fueled hours in the library$$$</p>
<p>I did the 14 meal plan my first semester and ran out of meals almost every week. Mainly because I never skip breakfast like a lot of kids do, and I also was a huge fan of going to late night dining with my friends (which is really great for when you get back after nights out on the weekends). I switched to the 20 meal plan for the second semester and definitely enjoyed being able to hit the dining hall more. This year, I dropped back down to 14 because my floor on Mahoney has a communal kitchen and I’m trying to eat healthier, so I’ll definitely be cooking for myself. </p>
<p>For me, more meals is better because I am constantly eating and prefer several, smaller meals as opposed to fewer larger meals. Most people aren’t like this though (although it is healthier :p). </p>
<p>And dining dollars can always be added to your CaneCard to spend on campus. The food places on campuses are severely over-priced though.</p>
<p>My son signed up for 14 thinking he would prefer more options.</p>
<p>Thank you! Some great suggestions.</p>