<p>topic 10char</p>
<p>Here is the page detailing the different kinds of meal plans:</p>
<p>[Meal</a> Plans 2011-2012](<a href=“http://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/husky-mealplan1112.html]Meal”>http://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/husky-mealplan1112.html)</p>
<p>My understanding is that most students living in residence halls where meal plans are not required (or who are living off campus) will generally chose to purchase a profiler plan of some type. </p>
<p>Those in meal plan required residence halls will generally use either the 15 or 10 meals per week plans- I don’t think I’ve met anyone who has the 19 meals version. I had a 15 meal plan last year both semesters, and I would rarely use all of them in a given week. However, 10 probably would have been too few (This year, I’m planning on using the 10 plan, as my suite has a kitchen, and I will presumably be cooking at least one meal a day during the week). </p>
<p>Do note that extra meals can be spent on food from Outtakes (where you can trade meal swipes for microwavable meals, beverages, snacks, etc.), which has recently improved its selection, though it closes early on Fridays (meal plans reset each week on Sunday), and often seems to be low on stock if you go close to the end of the day. </p>
<p>My advice? If you have to get a meal plan, think about how often you plan on eating out, whether you’ll eat breakfast in your room(You can trade one meal at Outtakes for enough breakfast for about two days if you’re into cereal and milk, or just buy your own) or in the dining hall(or at all), if you normally eat three meals a day, and even if you could settle for a large late lunch/early dinner in place of both meals. You will eventually get sick of dining hall food, not to the point of nausea, but to the point that you’ll probably eat out more later in the semester than earlier, so keep that in mind. Think all of that over, and decide whether or not you’ll be better suited to the 10 or 15 plan (I wouldn’t use the nineteen plan unless you’ve already use one of the lower ones and feel that you desperately need to eat more meals in the cafeteria). Remember that the 10, 15, and 19 plans all cost the same, and that only the amount of dining dollars you receive varies.</p>
<p>How does the dining dollar work? How often do you get them?</p>
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<p>???</p>
<p>19 meals (w/$130 Dining Dollars) = $3,095 per semester
15 meals (w/$165 Dining Dollars) = $2,865 per semester
10 meals (w/$200 Dining Dollars) = $2,485 per semester</p>
<p>[<a href=“http://www.northeastern.edu/financialaid/studentaccounts/fees.html][/url”>Tuition and Fees - Fee Descriptions | Student Financial Services][/url</a>]</p>
<p>Dining Dollars are given as a lump sum at the beginning of the semester-- very easy to accidentally run out of them in a matter of weeks if you don’t keep tabs on them and spend them wisely.</p>
<p>^blinkangel44, which plan do you recommend? </p>
<p>Can anyone with the 10 meal plan tell me how they space out their meals? Because even if I only eat 2 meals per day on the weekdays, on the weekends I’d have to eat out/ cook every meal and I feel like after awhile I’d run out of dining dollars. :/</p>
<p>I have heard a lot that a 15 meal plan is plenty – but can someone explain why? This seems very odd to me, seeing as </p>
<p>7 days
times
3 meals a day</p>
<p>does not equal 15. At all. I understand missing breakfast if you have a super-early class, maybe you get free food from an event/club meeting, but 15 meals a week is just shy of skipping a meal every day; I don’t really have any money to eat out so I’d end up eating a lot at those two meals a day. I’ve heard multiple times that 19 meals a week is too much…</p>
<p><a href=“I%20wouldn’t%20use%20the%20nineteen%20plan%20unless%20you’ve%20already%20use%20one%20of%20the%20lower%20ones%20and%20feel%20that%20you%20desperately%20need%20to%20eat%20more%20meals%20in%20the%20cafeteria”>quote</a>
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<p>As someone who really won’t be able to eat out (except at places that accept dining dollars), would the 19 plan be better for me? or will the 15 plan work by bridging that gap with dining dollars/free food opportunities/clever Outtakes use?</p>
<p>10 is perfect</p>
<p>Hate to sound like a slob college student, but the idea of eating 15 meals a week to me is crazy high.</p>
<p>People rarely eat breakfast. It’s just a fact. At most, people will eat the fruit they stole from the dining hall, or some cereal and milk from Outtakes (so one meal for several days worth of breakfast). There are some people who will actually buy a box of cereal from Shaw’s. But seriously, even if you have a 10:30 class… most people just don’t eat breakfast.</p>
<p>Lunch completely depends on your class schedule. People start off going to the dining hall. But its PACKED around midday, so a lot of people give up and buy food. If you have a class during the normal lunch time, people tend to buy food or bring in fruit from the dining hall. </p>
<p>Dinner depends on who you go with. It kind of sucks to go to the huge dining hall all by yourself for dinner and try to sit there alone when the place is packed. So if the group is going- great. But if you are just hungry and no one else is going… you might end up buying boloco or eating that box of cereal from breakfast. Surviving off of ramen is obviously a college norm.</p>
<p>So 15 meals might not equal getting three square meals a day, but it’s not like Northeastern is just punishing you by not giving you food. People just seriously don’t eat that much. And when they do eat, it’s usually things they shouldn’t be eating anyway like replacing dinner with eating Cappy’s at 1am.</p>
<p>I’m glad I finally got some elaboration on how that worked, thanks…I didn’t mean to seem like I was bashing the meal plan options or anything it just seemed odd.</p>
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<p>Eh, in that case it seems better for me to just deal with the dining hall with a higher meal plan; at least the costs from that will be deferred a lot by my financial aid.</p>
<p>I’m not sure why you quoted me several times, but my point was to explain the average student and why 15 meals is usually plenty. </p>
<p>RAs receive free 19 meal plans, and they never ever use them all. So if you get it, don’t say we didn’t warn you. Remember too that you can always increase your plan, but you can’t decrease it.</p>
<p>Also- you are moving to a city. I’m all for cutting costs, and definitely buying food is my worst splurge that I should limit. But if you are actually concerned about your ability to buy food (as opposed to just being something you wished you did less of), then you need to talk things over with your parents. And if they can’t help, then you should think of getting a job. Working might totally suck, but if it allows you to do more than go to the dining hall every day and never go out with friends, then its worth it.</p>
<p>I was highlighting concerns with the typical student situation you outlined - buying food. So, you do understand the quotes correctly, I apologize if that came off as snarky but I thought it got my point across better.</p>
<p>That’s alright. And it’s true. It’s not like college students go on expensive vacations or buy fancy cars or fork over child support payments. Most of the wish-I-had-cut-back-some is food.</p>