<p>So, when I went to college eons ago there were no such things as dining plans. If you stayed in the dorms you were given three meals a day for seven days a week for the entire year as part of the cost. (Maybe that's the reason for the infamous freshman 15 pound weight gain!). Of course we also didn't have the array of dining choices around the campus, it was the dining hall, student union, or nothing.</p>
<p>Now it seems that housing includes meal plans that range from 7 meals a week in the dining hall to 13-15 meals a week, plus some sort of dining dollars.</p>
<p>How does one make this decision? Do we assume these days that most students will skip breakfast or grab something in their room? I don't want my S to starve by limiting his meals, but I really have no idea what is typical.</p>
<p>So, what have people done? What has worked for them? I have seen that some forego a meal plan altogether; hard to imagine that a kid could exist without any meals at all in a dining hall.</p>
<p>I will soon be dealing with this. ONe of the schools still in d;s choices has light, regular and hearty meal plans. They do it based on how much you eat. Well d is very skinny but she sure does eat. At that particular school, you can go up in levels but not come down until the second semester. So I guess if she chooses that school, I will do light, then move to regular and if necessary, hearty.</p>
<p>Most schools have a “grace period” at the beginning of each semester (~ two weeks at D2’s school) in which you are allowed to change your meal plan. That gives students chance to determine where/when they are likely to eat – which will depend on their course schedule.</p>
<p>So just take your best guess, and make changes if necessary. I also figured that it was no big deal to get it “wrong” for the first semester; the students quickly figure out how to work the system for their particular plan and will likely know exactly what they want by the second semester.</p>
<p>I think the recommendations depend on the school – if it goes by meal, by cost, by flex points (or whatever a particular school calls it). I would suggest asking this question on the board for the school you (your D/S) will be attending.</p>
<p>As an example, I got my DD (a freshman) 15 meals per week in the fall - package came with points (=$) plus flex. Well she couldn’t get to a dining hall between classes so used up her points because she ate in the student center. We missed the cut off her school has for changing meal plans early in the semester so I had to add pts ($). This semester, she has a different plan - only 10 meals plus pts (more pts) and flex. I have no idea how that is working out, but I bet there is less waste. I’ll have to ask her…</p>
<p>For my daughter and son I purchased a plan for freshmen year that gave them the maximum amount of meals. I wanted to make sure they were covered if they wanted to eat every meal at the cafeteria. Then after the first semester we re-evaluated and make adjustment to the plan as needed. You may pay an extra few hundred the first semester but in my case I thought it was worth the peace of mind that they had enough to eat.</p>
<p>It is very confusing, and more to the point, I don’t LIKE it! I think it has to have a negative effect on the cohesiveness of the campus. I posted this elsewhere, but I’ll repeat myself:</p>
<p>I went to a college where everyone lived on-campus and there was one meal plan–all-you-can-eat, unlimited, no “swipes” or meals or points, just flash your bursar’s card and walk in. If you wanted to, you could go to breakfast at 7 and again at 9:30! You could sit in the dining hall drinking coffee straight through until lunch if you didn’t have anywhere to be. </p>
<p>Consequently, much of our interactions took place in the dining halls and the dorms. Everyone ate there. There was no reason not to. It was PAID FOR. Eating somewhere else would cost money.</p>
<p>As I went through the college search and selection process with my kid, I discovered that not all colleges were like this. (Believe it or not, I didn’t know that. My mother’s college was like that. My sister’s was. My husband and brother went to the same school I did. Our dataset was small.) I couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea of eating, basically, in a mall food court all the time, which is what almost every school seemed to offer as a “meal plan.” </p>
<p>I find it inefficient–the kids stand in line to get their food and then again to pay. I find it distressing that the menu options seem to amount to, essentially, fast food 24/7. And, on top of that, it’s confusing and hard to plan how to use the mix of meals/points/dollars and whatnot. But most of all, I feel like this has to undermine campus social interactions and cohesiveness. Why eat in the school’s Starbucks and not the one across the street? Or better yet, just grab breakfast and lunch in your room. Never mind you won’t get to interact with classmates over meals. </p>
<p>I know there is nothing to be done about it, but I’m dismayed.</p>
<p>Many colleges have a required freshman meal plan. My DD’s had an unlimited plan in the dining halls with the right to go to some other on campus spots (e.g., Subway) at certain times when the dining hall was closed. The plan also included the option to pre-order a lunch or dinner, which was great when she was volunteering off campus or when she had late classes. You could buy dining dollars but we didn’t because she got more than enough to eat on the plan and didn’t want the junk most people got with the dollars.</p>
<p>This year, she switched to a dollar plan. Each meal has a value and that value is deducted from her card balance when she swipes it. To make the most of it, she eats her biggest meal at breakfast and then eats a late lunch. Most days, she’ll just buy a snack in the evening or eat something she keeps in her fridge. She eats dinner on the plan about 3 days a week.</p>
<p>Part of what influenced her change was that the dining halls are not near where she lives (she’s an RA so was assigned a dorm rather than being able to pick one) whereas the places she can get her food are closer to where she is during the day. Also, the plan she’s on now is $200 per semester less than the all inclusive plan.</p>
<p>Her school has a nutrition program as well as a culinary and hospitality program so the food is pretty good. There are organic options. There are even nutritionists on staff who will meet with kids and help them devise eating plans.</p>
<p>DeskPotato I agree with you. I think socializing at meal times is an important part of the college experience. As to how many meals to get - I suggest the student ask on the college folders and/or facebook. At Carnegie Mellon the universal recommendation was to get the smallest meal plan possible with the most flex dollars because everyone hates the food. We did and didn’t regret it. My son there eats breakfast everyday and gets up early, however he didn’t eat the plan breakfasts because he prefers to eat Life Cereal every morning and nothing else. He had an apt type dorm room so it was easier for him to eat there. </p>
<p>At Tufts the freshman are required to be on a full meal plan which includes ten guest meals. I like it.</p>
<p>I had forgotten about the socializing aspect. I agree completely! Because all of our meals were in the dining hall, we made it a point to always get there. Rather than a rushed meal, there was always time to talking, laughing, and just being together. I would imagine that is lost when kids eat in their rooms and avoid the dining hall.</p>
<p>Got the “all you can eat” plan for our two sons for the first semester. S1 really made good use of it, ate three meals a day most days. S2 did not. So we cut down on his meal plan and bought him more “board bucks” instead for the second sem.</p>
<p>It’s important to find out if the meal plan, points, whatever, can be used for the “restaurants” at the dining hall. Like subway, chick filet, etc … it’s also helpful to post this on the board for THAT school, as those folks can give you specific advice for that school and plan. In general, what I learned last year, to buy the smallest “plan” possible … and it was still too much for m S. He can’t use it at those places. Next year, he plans to have no meal plan, and just pay the higher cost when he eats there.</p>
<p>Agreeing that when it comes to meal plans - smaller is better. I found with S1 that he rarely made it to the dining hall for breakfast - and frequently ate off campus on the weekends. So, after getting a more extensive meal plan for freshman year - we scaled down to12 meals a week for sophomore year. The bottom line is that they usually have some kind of flex points that you can replenish if they run out towards the end of the semester - but if they have leftover meals - it does not carry forward. So - when in doubt - go smaller.</p>
<p>D was happy that sophomores weren’t required to buy the big meal plan – she’s quite happy with the smaller one that comes with more points, and still has plenty of time to be social. I’ve heard from some moms of boys who are still in the eat-everything-in-the-fridge stage of life that the all you can eat plan is better, and some of their kids hit nearby fast food places for a midnight pick-me-up.</p>
<p>One D found it difficult to get to the cafeteria in time to eat dinner. Orchestra or tennis practice at times has not given her a spare minute at the established times. Points work better for those who need meals at odd times. </p>
<p>Both Ds have ended up deciding to cook for themselves as the college years have progressed. Vegetarian, and with weight concerns, they’d prefer to choose their own healthier food. Saves us money! They’re still on campus, but in houses with kitchens.</p>
<p>Minimize the meals, maximize the points. This gives the student the greatest flexibility. In most cases, the points can be used to pay for dining hall meals, but not vice versa. </p>
<p>If there are different sizes of meal plans – say 7 meals a week versus 14 – taking one of the smaller options may be best, if you give the student the difference in cash to buy food in other places. </p>
<p>In my opinion, even if it’s not required, the meal plan is a good idea for freshman year, for social reasons. After that, if my kids didn’t want to be on the meal plan, I gave them the amount it would have cost for the standard full meal plan (14 meals plus a substantial number of points) in cash and let them figure out what to do. Not my problem.</p>
<p>Again, definitely post this question on S’s college thread for specific comments.
Typically you can increase the number of meals and dining dollars at any point in the semester but not decrease. Also check whether S can buy meals with dining dollars (usually at a higher price) if he uses up prepaid meals. It’s really an unknown until you see how they work it out. How does he eat at home: three squares a day, always skips breakfast, grabs something on the run, grazes, always eating . . . ? </p>
<p>Take into account the location of the college. H’s parents bought him the 15-meal plan (B-L-D M-F) because when they went to college, they were always off-campus on weekends (in Boston). We went to college in a tiny, wintry town with not many off-campus options, too far and too cold anyway. He says he starved on the weekends. I think plans are more flexible these days though with when and where you can actually eat.</p>
<p>I remember being dismayed by the available choices as I, too recalled having the all you can eat experience in the dorms. But then I flashed back on a few “white meals” = mashed potatoes, cottage cheese and a dab of vanill yogurt. As compared to the other option, grey meatloaf. And I realized having a few fast food options were probably an advance. But it was terribly stressful to mom (me) when first giant boy eater went off without the all you can eat plan since at his school his dorm precluded that option - it happened to be far from any dining hall. He ate a lot of pizza for two years. Yeah, there were complaints, but now four years later it has faded in memory. He survived and still appreciates mom’s home cookin.</p>
<p>Before I became allergic to everything in the cafeteria, I had a 13 meal a week plan and that worked really well-- I had brunch and dinner every day except one weekend day where I’d get subway or something else, or sometimes honestly I’d sleep through both breakfast AND lunch on Sunday… At my school you have like a 30 day grace period to adjust your meals. After last fall semester I adjusted mine to like 6 or 7 meals a week because I am doing almost all my cooking in my dorm anyway.</p>
<p>At least at my school, little to no social aspect is lost by not eating in the dining hall. There are like ten different dining halls and everyone is on a different schedule anyway. I think when I ate in the cafeteria, I ate with friends maybe once or twice total because we were never eating at the same time, it was way too much struggle to synchronize schedules well enough to eat at the same time. And now that I am an upperclassmen, I am the only person in my friend group who EVER eats in the cafeteria anymore, so having the meal plan versus money in the bank to go out is really limiting socially-- my friends are going out to eat while I have to stay home and cook or eat in the cafeteria.</p>