Hi everybody,
I have just began my college search, but I have some pretty severe food allergies to shellfish, avocado, and peanuts. What are some colleges that are really good about allergies? Feel free to leave your college below or give information about other colleges- I am just trying to do some research.
Thanks so much!
The experience we had as we considered and toured schools was actually promising, but in most cases you need to dig to get the answers. Most “tour guides” will probably not have the answers you need.Some universities have details on their websites (I wish all did).
My recommendation is to reach out directly to the dining hall management. They will be happy to discuss. When we toured schools we made it a point to meet f2f with dining hall management and most of our experiences were positive. Most schools listed allergens, some had apps that did this, some had separate serving lines, and a few had entire dining halls to manage food allergy needs.
Luckily (in many ways) our son was accepted at Stanford and their food allergy program is awesome.
https://rde.stanford.edu/dining/food-allergies
Here’s a link to an old thread where food allergies were discussed. It might help a little. Hope this thread gets more replies…
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1875270-food-allergies-and-college-living-p1.html
I would look first for colleges where you don’t have to live in residence or can at least get your own apartment after freshman year.
middlebury college
My niece has a wide range of severe food allergies, and graduated without issues from St. Louis University. https://www.slu.edu/
That said, I suspect that you’ll probably find that it’s less a matter of finding a school that’s “food allergy friendly” than one of learning to advocate for yourself.
Oh wow! Good question!
On the whole, I’d be less worried about the dining halls than I would be about a roommate match. People habitually bring food into dorm rooms, even those without a kitchen.
Total agreement on the dorm room. Having a place you feel comfortable in is key. Being able advocate for your self is important. Finding a school that makes you a priority is priceless.
You should look at the app called Spokin. It helps you manage food allergies and find places that are safe to eat and stuff. They have a lot of colleges recommended already that are food allergy friendly. Good luck with your search, as soon as you find a safe college you should recommend it!
Everybody that replied to this who said they have navigated college successfully with allergies, you all should download the Spokin app and recommend your schools. I assume they are trying to build their database up with a lot of schools so that people don’t have to “dig” for the answers.
I’ve done that, and S uses Spokin for general guidance. Another good source is the FARE college site, for two reasons. First, it lists several colleges with excellent programs. But, maybe more importantly, it illustrates the extent to which some colleges go to provide support, so it can act a a guide when you ask questions to schools you’re interested in.
http://college.foodallergy.org/schools?keywords=&page=1