<p>I don't know why I'm asking the most random question. I was wondering what current students thought the best meal plan is. At my current school, our meal plans are about $400 cheaper, and we can eat an unlimited amount of times at the dining halls. </p>
<p>So: recommendations?</p>
<p>I'd also be interested in hearing some opinions...</p>
<p>For students living on West Campus...you are required to participate in a House Meal Plan. These plans offer unlimited meals in the house dining halls, a specified number of meals in the other all-you-care-to-eat halls as well as Big Red Bucks (used for food in the same way as cash...but are tax exempt). When I lived on West...I hardly went to the other dining halls and used my BRBs on campus. If I lived on campus now...I'd go with the House Choice. 250 BRBs is a lot...but if you like to eat big meals you might want to purchase a higher plan or add BRBs.</p>
<p>For students living on campus but not on West....there are the traditional meal plans....go to the website to see the choices. I went with the 7 meals/week because I was hardly on West. 7 meals/week gave me dinner every night or dinner 5 nights + weekend brunch....also the 500 BRB is a lot(!) and I found myself with nearly 100 BRBs left at the end of semester. I recommend you start with 10 meals/week...you have a few weeks to decide if you'd like to downgrade. You can upgrade your plan at anytime during the semester but only have a limited time to downgrade.</p>
<p>Asking such question in such time....I am jealous of your dilemma....</p>
<p>haha....breathe jaysong...deep breaths</p>
<p>don't wanna give yourself a heart attack before decisions...especially if there's good news for you ;-)</p>
<p>It depends on your living circumstances. Some people do not live in places where the a la carte meals are convenient, and instead stop off at places like trillium between classes or something. in this case, having fewer meals and more BRB's is desirable. </p>
<p>As mentioned, west has house meal plans. </p>
<p>If you're off campus, you have it best. No expensive meal plan, you shop for your own (much cheaper!) groceries, and you can eat much healthier, if that matters to you. Considering what meal plans have done to a few of my friends' waistlines over the past couple of years, maybe it should matter at least somewhat ;-p</p>
<p>^^tell me about it...took forever to lose the weight I gained my soph. year.....then I got an off-campus debit plan 2nd semester senior year and gained it all back. Cornell food is too delicious for its own good :-)</p>
<p>Ha thanks everyone. Looks like since I'll be in the houses, I'll have to get one of those plans, which works out the best anyway, I think. </p>
<p>Jaysong: I'm really really sorry about this post :) But as dewdrop eluded to, deep breaths...</p>
<p>lol thePhilosopher...didn't you not apply to Cornell yet? I remember you posting recently that you weren't sure which school to apply to :)</p>
<p>ive heard numerous times that cornell has good food, but are they healthy as well?</p>
<p>Oh yeah....Cornell does a good job of providing healthy alternatives. All of the dining halls have fantastic salad bars and plenty of low-fat entrees are offered. Everything is delicious....just had to watch myself on the tortellini and alfredo from Mac's (in Statler) and the grilled cheese at the Ivy Room.</p>
<p>Ha yea stargazer, I didn't apply yet. But from my discussions with the admissions dean, I'm good.. :) For PAM at least, which I've decided on.</p>
<p>mmmmm goood foood... that makes me want cornell even more
but how come cornell has such good food compared to other schools?
does it somehow relate to the fact that we have a hotel school?</p>
<p>The Princeton Review has Cornell ranked fourth in the country for best campus food. - (Princeton</a> Review picks Bowdoin for best campus food - Slashfood)</p>
<p>I may be alone on this one, but I really don't like the food here. I'm very health focused and it's definitely hard to find healthy options. I usually end up eating egg whites, cottage cheese, and lettuce at dinner and then a protein bar in my room because its so hard to find lean proteins in the dining halls. I like chicken, but the chicken here always looks pretty suspicious. Even when they have things like tofu, they are fried or doused in fattening sauce. The vegetables are also usually pretty greasy. It's very easy for people without self control to pig on fried food and baked goods, and people with it to go hungry.</p>
<p>^the food here has gone down in the last couple years, especially at Oken and the mess they call lo mein. I think it's 'cause they changed the staff. It's still better than other campus foods, but its lacking...</p>
<p>But I wouldn't say people who eat the food don't have self-control. That's a little "holier than thou". It's more like people realize that they've paid good money for the food and there are many in the world who are dying to have that much selection even if its doused in trans fat. It must be so hard to be a health freak around so many fat pigs....</p>
<p>^^ I will generally agree. If you really don't care about being too healthy, you're gonna eat well and be merry here with hardly a complaint. However, I too am health conscious and if you are like me in that you regiment your diet and wish to supply healthy/lean fuel to your body, life may be tougher and a meal plan is not the smartest idea. You can only eat so much dry salad and the buffet style dining halls only lead to overeating of the 98% of unhealthy food. The ONLY place I would eat last year was that sandwich bar at trillium where you can get a sandwich or wrap custom made. They had 12grain bread and lean turkey with what they claim are 'fresh' veggies, but once I got sick from it and have never looked back.</p>
<p>A wegman's card and my own stove have saved my life.</p>
<p>mmmmm... fried food</p>
<p>I can eat terrible food without gaining weight, so hopefully that will hold true. My breakfast the past 2 1/2 years has been about as healthy as it gets, but my lunch and dinner have progressively gotten worse as I have less time, and I need to start frequently exercising again. Do the Cornell gyms have heavy bags or any other boxing equipment? It feels like I never have any time lately, but thankfully that is over after my last exam thursday. I won't be working 2 jobs and filling out apps my first semester at cornell this spring, so I would like to start working out again.</p>
<p>wait....when we live on west campus, we're not just limited to house dining rite? Aren't we still allowed to go to like okenshields and north campus whenever we want?</p>
<p>And yes, $500 BRBs is a lot, I still have $230 left over =D</p>
<p>You'll have unlimited meals on West...and depending on your plan anywhere from 25-75 meals that can be used at the other dining halls.</p>