One of the notable things about Tulane when we visited was that the campus is fairly compact for the student body size. The guide said if you forget something and have to run back to your dorm for it (his example was wearing flip flops which aren’t allowed in lab and had to retrieve real shoes) it’s not more than 10 minutes across. My S20 is headed there and we are attending the admitted students day next week! Here’s hoping he still loves it.
U Richmond food is really excellent, but my third year still says it gets old so he won’t let me go when we visit. I think I also embarrass him by getting six desserts and an exit cookie. Okay exit cookieS. I’ve found that all of my college kids tend to get the same things over and over almost every day. The assortment is dazzling but they tend to have a go-to and hit that hard, changing only periodically.
Haven’t been to Bowdoin or UMass, two famous for quality grub, but the only d-hall comparable to Richmond’s in my experience is Bryn Mawr’s. Also fantastic. The Haverford kids will often take the long walk or shuttle over there just to get the enhanced chow. (This is a thread that could stand on its own.)
@OCDaddy Ha! I too had three different puddings when we visited S19 last weekend and took two exit cookies! Even the vegan one was delicious!
I’m sure food gets old no matter how good it is. When S19 comes home, he just wants a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the peanut butter and bread he likes from home.
@OCDaddy. Awesome comments. In the parenting rule book page 34 section 5 it states “embarrassing your child is paramount for their growth into adulthood” . Thanks for keeping up that tradition ?.
All this talk about Boston and New Orleans… Like my two favorite cities for a fast weekends is making me hungry. Clam Chowder at Legals and thin Boston pizza is great then Poe Boys and Muffuletta sandwiches etc in New Orleans Plus the Jazz Quarters… Geez… I want to go back to college… Lol ?.
Or those insane doughnuts in NO where you have to be careful to not inhale the sugar dust but it’s hard because you can’t conceivably stop eating long enough to breathe. What are those things called? I want one. Also chicory coffee. Don’t know what it is exactly but love it.
@OCDaddy Beneits
@OCDaddy Beignets
Yes! Though the one I ate definitely had crack in it.
Is quality of cafeteria food really that important of a factor in deciding upon one’s target schools ?
I can understand concern if the daily food is horrible, but otherwise it should not be a major factor in my opinion.
I still fondly recall last year’s Spring Break visit to Wake Forest…and especially the amazingly fresh off the grill burgers (that were 1/3 ground mushroom in order to reduce carbon footprint of 100% beef burgers) and it was SOOOO good. Complete with grilled onions. And I do NOT like mushrooms so this was a big deal to me.
And the homemade pasta and the omelette station…Shall I continue? Am happy to share my joyful memories. 
@Publisher Food service is expensive and, since D is looking for a residential experience where she will spend three or four years in campus housing, it is kind of important. Of course it’s not a deal breaker if everything else about a school checks her boxes. At this point, though, we still have a long list of wants including good food. As the process unfolds, we will see what she will have to compromise on! Why not start with a comprehensive list of what would be ideal?
@homerdog – I’d give Davidson dining a B / B+ for its dining food. But important to remember that most women end up in eating houses where (surprise!) they take a lot of their meals, esp. Sophomore and Junior year. My D likes this food better – it’s more home cooked tasting. Each house has a chef – they sometimes cook for more than one house.
Senior year most students live in on campus apartments with kitchens and my D is looking forward to cooking more b/c that’s her thing. So you can reduce meal plan to minimal if that’s what you want by senior year. Though she says a lot of students don’t want to cook and still have meal plans!
@homerdog, I agree. With so much uncertainty (‘I mean, I GUESS these kids look like me’, ‘I THINK I want this major’), and hair-splitting over small differences having something that is a certainty like an appealing campus or good food or can be meaningful. I don’t think anyone chooses a college based on a killer mushroom burger but it’s definitely one for the pro column. You could eat as many as 400 meals in college. It’s a lot.
@OCDaddy College can be stressful and, I’m telling you, having a nice dorm and good food can go a long way. S19 is super comfortable and fed well. If he was eating bad food and living in a small yucky room, that would be a real bummer. Being able to get a good meal and going back to a light filled, big, new dorm room makes life better.
And, I know…none of us had that, right? We lived in dark, dank, small dorm rooms. BUT we didn’t pay as much money as we are paying these days. I find that room and board costs don’t seem to be much different from school to school so why would we want to pay the same for a lesser living situation?
My kids had better food choices at school than they had at home. The cafeteria never ran out of lettuce for sandwiches or soup like we did at home, always had more than one meal choice, always had pizza available.
After 18 years, mine were pretty tired of the same chicken choices at home.
Are most freshmen in triples are Richmond?
Very few. Vast majority are doubles.
I think the secondary accommodations of a college can and do matter for many students whether it’s good food, nice dorms, access to a quality gym, easy travel back home, quality of clubs/intramural sports, Greek life, even weather, etc.
I think @homerdog like many families are weighing the pros and cons of each college to best make an educated decision on where their student will thrive and have an enjoyable time for the next 4 years of their young lives.
Looking forward to following your D’s journey @homerdog!
I saw that Franklin and Marshall was mentioned early on on the thread, but have not read all posts. F and M is a lovely LAC, has dance as a major, along with a wide variety of others.
My eldest D, who ended up URichmond, had F and M in her top 3, and a friend’s D attended and had a wonderful experience.
Lancaster is about 90 minues W of Philadelphia, and is a small city with cute restaurants, cafes, and the like fairly close to campus. There are many shopping areas in the sprawling suburbs surrounding the city.
As far as traveling goes, there is rail service between Lancaster and Philly, and there is also Harrisburg airport, with flights to some major airports.
@mamag2855 ooh might pick your brain about Richmond! We are in Chicago and F&M and the other PA schools are just too hard to get there! I also can’t see being full pay for F&M. Again, random choice from out here in the Midwest even though I’m sure it’s a great school!