<p>As a future parent of a CC student I was wondering- where do Columbia students on the meal plan eat a full breakfast? I understand you can grab a cup of coffee or breakfast sandwich in Lerner or on Broadway but what do you do if you have an early class (say 9:00 AM) and want to get some hot food before class starts.</p>
<p>According to the Dining Web site, John Jay does not open for business until 10:00 AM.</p>
<p>Was wondering which one is it. If JJ does not open early where do meal plan freshman eat a warm meal if they want to fill up before class. Do most students grab something at Lerner or at the various Blue Java Cafes </p>
<p>Thanks everyone - you know parents always worry their kids wont eat.</p>
<p>My son, who is starting at CC in the fall, would always rather sleep than eat. I suspect he won’t be doing breakfast. I’m a parent who has reason to worry!</p>
<p>Um, what college kids “eat a full breakfast”? Even if your kid eats one at home now – likely because his parents are there to ensure it / fuss over him w/ a home cooked meal – that doesn’t mean that he’ll want to bother at CU.</p>
<p>^^LOL. I’ve been MIA on this board for 2 weeks, and I gotta say, Columbia 2002, I’ve missed you.</p>
<p>OP: if your son ends up taking 9AM classes, it’ll most likely be because he’ll be pre-assigned to it as a freshman, or required to take it for his major. Unless he’s a morning person, in which case you can stop reading htis now. Most students avoid early classes if they can, and the first meal of the day ends up being lunch bc we like to sleep :)</p>
<p>In my case, at least, I usually had cereal or a sandwich in my room/suite before I went to my morning class, if I ever had one.</p>
<p>they set up some breakfast foods outside of john jay which you can buy with first year points from 7:30 to 9:30… but yea, noone eats a “full breakfast”… forget breakfast before class you’d be lucky if your son woke up in time for class …noone is going to have a sit down meal before 9am class…not to mention 9am class won’t be an everyday occurrence and for some might never happen freshman year</p>
<p>i cant speak for “most students” but i can speak for myself…freshman year before 9am class (or work…unfortunately) i would usually not eat and then eat at the dining hall after my first class or grab a muffin on my way to class from work. like NYC, columbia is very fast paced and if you are getting up at 7am every day to “eat breakfast” then you aren’t enjoying college (which tends to happen after midnight) enough.</p>
<p>basically…don’t worry…your child will be fed</p>
<p>I’m trying to formulate a mental picture of some theoretical college dining hall filled w/ dorky waspy kids in blazers with school logo patches sitting down at 7:45 with trays containing fruit, juices, eggs, pancakes and meat discussing the readings for their 9am class.</p>
<p>I feel like “a full breakfast” is the least of John Jay-related woes. Last semester I ate like one meal a day, and even now my “meals” usually consist of surreptitiously shoving the non-perishable food that I got in from John Jay takeout in my mouth during class.</p>
<p>The most important thing you can do for your kid is to make sure that he/she has at least 40 minutes free at the time when John Jay is open, if you’re really worried.</p>
<p>^Well my schedule is sort of extreme. It’s fine if you get used to it, but the point I’m trying to make is that otherwise I think it’s good to make sure there’s plenty of time to eat.</p>
<p>I eat breakfast, although not on the meal plan. Pinnacle near 114th an Broadway sells egg on a bagel for around $2, as does Strokos which is on 114th and Amsterdam. I don’t believe either take the meal plan, but for $2, it’s not bad.</p>
<p>Good example of why poor people in America get so fat. (Not saying you’re fat.)</p>
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<p>Who spends 40 minutes eating (assuming you’re not at a decent restaurant and/or eating as part of a social activity)? Most meals can be consumed in 5-10 minutes at most.</p>
<p>^But you don’t spend 40 minutes eating at John Jay. You spend 5 minutes walking there, 5 minutes waiting in line to get in, 5 minutes finding a table (especially if you’re trying to eat around lunchtime), 10 minutes getting food (god forbid you want an omelet), and 5 minutes getting wherever you have to go next. So then you have 10 minutes to eat. </p>
<p>From whence comes the fact that if I try to go to John Jay at 12:30 when I have a 1:00 class, I will not be able to eat for more than 5 minutes even if I hurry. The half an hour thing works ok if you go earlier than 11:30.</p>
<p>John Jay does open early in the morning with a limited selection of breakfast foods (mostly bagels, muffins, and cereal). You can either get stuff to go or sit down in the dining hall (which will be pretty empty, since most people either don’t know about JJ ‘breakfast’ or don’t get up that early). If you’re desperate to use up your meal plan, breakfast might be worth it. Otherwise, it might just be easier to keep a box of cereal in the room.</p>
<p>On weekdays, I think Cafe 212 and Butler Cafe open as early as 8 am. While you won’t be able to get sausage & eggs or anything, they’re always stocked up on (stale) bagels, muffins, fruit, and coffee. There are also several street vendors on the streets near campus, and those usually sell hot breakfast sandwiches and the like. The prices are pretty cheap. But anyway, I don’t think most students really eat real breakfasts. (But we manage to survive anyway, so I don’t think you need to worry too much if your son doesn’t eat breakfast.)</p>
<p>yea i agree with es four…this comment is beyond ridiculous… it’s not like he said he ate 3 sausage mcmuffins for breakfast and washed it down with a large non-diet soda. </p>
<p>you aren’t really getting a good calorie bang for your buck with some scrambled “egg” on a roll (sorry, that stuff at pinnacle can’t be real egg)…that’s why “poor people” frequent fast food places because you get a better “deal” (more calories per dollar) than elsewhere …but of course we all know the downside to that</p>
<p>can’t you always look for places in the city that are open? how far is Columbia from a neighborhood with decently priced and healthy food items? not that I would do that as I’m fine eating yogurt in the morning (and besides, I don’t eat breakfast until after 10 most days anyway) but I guess that could be an option?</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your responses - they have been very helpful.</p>
<p>My questions originated not only out of typical parental concern but financial ones as well. My son is already looking at housing and dining choices for next year and we were discussing the various meal plans. After speaking with some students and reading much info on this board I suggested the plan with the most points and least meals - apparently a popular choice. My son was not so sure as he is a breakfast eater (at least for now - I fully appreciate the fact that might change next year and he may not see daylight until noon). He will probably have at least one 9AM class next year for his major (If the scheduling stays the same as this years classes-I know that might change as well). So to buy too many meals with less points did not make much sense to me especially if you loose them at the end of the semester. I know you can change somewhere into the semester but that might be a pain.</p>
<p>Demeter - your answer was exactly what I was looking for. So you can get into JJ early and sit down and grab something. I assume these are done as points and not as a “meal” so it still makes sense to pre-pay for as few meals as possible. Thanks for clearing that up. The dining web site is not at all forthcoming on this option. And stale bagels at Caf</p>