<p>He loves (LOVES) his university, but wants to opt out of any college dining plan next semester. It's his only complaint. He's not a fussy person so I can accept this as a legit complaint.</p>
<p>He uses the fewest number of points possible for cafeteria meals and maximizes the number of flex-points to buy from cafes. There seem to be limited hours open for the cafeteria (closed by 7 p.m.) so his evening options are only the basement vending machines. He's price sensitive and says he can't stand to pay $6 for a "hot pocket."
It's so expensive that his flex-bucks get used up for overpriced fast food. The "cafes" within the school are pretty much like Taco Bell fare, pizzas, and he knows it's not really nutritious. The cafeteria food is basic institutional stuff. I think it's just so uninspiring and overpriced, he can hardly stand to go after their food any more. </p>
<p>He says he'd rather walk a few blocks to this great Cuban restaurant or other ethnic take-out eateries. For the same $6 he can buy something delicious, overflowing, that lasts for one or two meals and has great flavor.</p>
<p>They rented a microwave-refrig so could keep and reheat food. </p>
<p>I wonder if he'll really like living that way, and am interested if anyone else has experience with this.</p>
<p>just ask the school...i can understand, but if they let HIM opt out, then others will, and schools don't want that...so bet he wont be able to opt out</p>
<p>The meal plan is almost always required for freshman, with rare exceptions for severe and extensive food allergies that the dining hall can't deal with or for religious reasons, again, if the dining hall can't deal with whatever the requirements are. So, he's probably out of luck for this year. The thing your son needs to do is check to see whether meal plans are required for all students in housing and, if so, whether there's one that he could be satisfied with (such as a minimum plan that's all "flex"). If not, he should consider moving off campus next year. </p>
<p>For now, he's probably going to have to make do. He can probably fit dinner before 7 PM into his schedule. He can buy food for late night snacks or missed meals at the local grocery or convenience store. I keep 100 calorie snack packs, bread, peanut butter, hot chocolate mix, popcorn, and some other rotating food items in my room. For now, just tell him that the meal plan is paid for--it's pretty much a sunk cost already--so try to find a few options he can deal with. I'm sure the cafeteria has a salad bar, a pasta option, a place to make or get sandwiches, cereal, and some kind of chicken. Those are all relatively healthy and basic choices. They're boring, especially day after day, but he'll survive it. All the other students are dealing with the same thing. In fact, students on dining plans at most colleges are dealing with similarly boring, overpriced food, or at the very least food that gets boring if it's the same thing every day for every meal. Maybe he can even get a little creative and invent his own meals by combining foods from different food stations. He can buy some spices and seasonings at the store and flavor his dining hall food that way.</p>
<p>As the other responses said, they probably won't let him opt out.</p>
<p>Even if they do, though, not being on the meal plan can be isolating--someone on a meal plan isn't going to want to go off campus much and spend "real money" on food, someone off a meal plan isn't going to want to buy overpriced dining hall crud, and bam, there goes an easy and convenient social outlet.</p>
<p>It's also easy to underestimate the impact going off-campus for food can have on a cramped schedule. I'm not on a meal plan because I have a kitchen and it's cheaper (and healthier) to cook, but there are lots of days my schedule is so tight that I have to choose between eating at reasonable intervals (and by that I often mean "eating my first real meal before 9pm") and getting the most for my dollar. Such is life :)</p>
<p>Really, as long as your son understands that there are benefits to dining halls sometimes and that paying for the overpriced whatever is worth it on occasion in order to spend time with friends or save time, it'll be fine. Though if he doesn't have a kitchen, I'd be sure to warn him that even the tastiest takeout gets boring eventually!</p>
<p>Actually "a" meal plan was required for all students living in the dorms (except apartments) where both of my kiddos attend(ed) college. And as the OP did, mine also opted for the most "convenience points" and the least meal points. BUT both also did NOT eat a lot of carry out food. It gets expensive, is inconvenient, and yes...it gets boring and is usually higher calorie than say..the salad bar in the dorm cafe. They did keep some things in the fridge for those later snacks which was their choice. Personally, I would advise against an "eating out at restaurants or carryout" only meal plan for the student. </p>
<p>My S was able to opt out of the meal plan entirely, but not until after frosh year. He's not in an apt type room, but finds lots of healthy carryout for much less than the plan would cost (which, he calculated a couple years ago as about 11 dollars a meal.) but, then, he lives in NYC, so there are lots of great cheap choices. It sure saves us money, as we don't give him as much as the plan would have cost us.</p>
<p>I would suggest that your son call the dining service at his school, ask whether he can opt out of the meal plan, and also ask whether, if he finds out during the semester that this was a bad idea, he can opt back in or whether he is closed out for the entire semester.</p>
<p>Every family is different, but I think that this is a decision I would allow a college student to make on his own. I think it would be a good idea, though, for him to think it through ahead of time, including the social effects, the time involved in obtaining food, and the ways that different ways of dining would fit into next semester's class schedule.</p>
<p>When I was in college, I opted out of the meal plan at the beginning of my sophomore year even though I was living in the dorms because my schedule didn't allow me time to get back to the dining hall for lunch most days. It was cheaper for me to be off the meal plan because I was always paying for lunch twice (the meal plan lunch that I couldn't eat plus the lunch from a cash-only snack bar on campus where I actually did eat). The trade-off was that I couldn't eat dinner with my friends because they were in the meal plan dining halls, and I had to eat in various cash facilities. It was a difficult decision.</p>
<p>One of the biggest rip-offs in higher education is my kid's college food plan! It is required for freshman, and comes to $13 a meal! They can eat locally (carts abound around campus with great food) for MUCH less than that.</p>
<p>If he CAN opt out, I'd say go ahead. Meal plans tend to be rip-offs. I spent years in college politics trying to make sure that, among other things, ours would never be mandatory. I am very glad that in my four years I was NEVER required to buy into some overpriced, few-choices meal plan.</p>
<p>In all likelihood, the college's cafeteria is run by a contractor, and in all likelihood the contract between them requires that the college make the meal plan mandatory for freshmen. That's not to say you can't get someone to make an individual exception, but as everyone has pointed out, it had better be on a basis that is pretty unique. Not liking the food or the hours, and thinking it costs too much are . . . not very unique.</p>
<p>If he can't get out of the plan, get him a copy of Tray Gourmet: Be Your Own Chef in the College Cafeteria (Paperback)
by Larry Berger (Author), Lynn Harris (Author).</p>
<p>I always assumed these 'required meal plans' are just another way for the colleges to make money. My Ds both are light eaters, took the smallest plans available, and still ended up wasting a lot of the meal points'. On top of that one D is a vegetarian and the school really didn't have anything that appealed to her since their idea of vegetarian was butter drenched noodles or something. The good aspect of UCSD's plan is that the points could also be used in a store on-campus. Not the bookstore but like a 7-11ish type of store that also had a few other things so she could 'waste' her excess meal points by buying things like socks, a toaster oven, etc. at the ridiculously inflated prices they charged. The UCLA plan doesn't work that way so she takes the smallest meal plan and ends up just wasting some of the points every week. It's frustrating.</p>
<p>It would be even worse if the dining halls closed at 7pm since 7pm to a college student is like 1pm to you and me.</p>
<p>Since every college is different it's worth trying to opt out if possible. From your post it sounds as if he has acceptable alternatives outside the dining hall that's actually better for him and less expensive.</p>
<p>My freshman is required to take the "full boat" meal plan and then some "extra dollars" - mandatory. My S says the food is starchy and greasy and gives him a stomach ache so he tends to eat only breakfast and maybe a sandwich or salad. The only time it will really bother me is when I have to write the check for next semester. After freshman year they can have a limited meal plan which will work much better for my son. The neat thing is he has an off campus friend who is an upperclassman and the boys actually get together and cook and grill. He's e-mailed me for a couple recipes so he's definitely eating...just not the dining hall room. He just got home and we hadn't seen him since August. He's lost about 7 pounds and looks just fine.</p>
<p>My son's school requires full meal plan (21 meals per week) first semester freshman year. By second semester, they can choose to scale back to 14 meals and extra points for the cafes, snack bars, whatever. Since the dining hall closes early and the Grill right next door is open really late and has good food, I'm quite sure he'll opt for plan B next semester. The food is pretty good though. He especially likes an Asian noodle bar they have some nights. As the time goes on, I believe they can opt out of more and more at his particular school. I'd agree to consider the social ramifications.</p>
<p>Lots of kids at S's college complain about the food S. has no complaints- we wonder if it's because we raised him in Indonesia, where we didn't have access to all the wonders of the western grocery stores.</p>
<p>Meal plans at mega-universities are usually optional - they have enough of a critical mass to provide food service for whatever number opt in. For smaller to medium size schools, that critical mass has to be guaranteed, or else the school or food service can't afford to provide it. Think of it in comparison to the taxes you pay that pave roads you'll never drive (except in this case, you have the option to drive the tray line whenever you choose). At the university where I work, it comes out to about $6 a meal. But $13 is gouging, and I'd guess that the school has a surcharge built in to fund another auxiliary enterprise or building project.</p>
<p>I've never heard of a freshman meal plan that wasn't mandatory, no matter what size school. My son came home at the end of freshman year with CASES of candy bars, trying to use up some of his left over meals. The kicker is that he doesn't eat chocolate and we're not big candy eaters either. Some of them are still in the freezer.... </p>
<p>My daughters school actually rebated the unspent money at the end of the year. That was nice!</p>
<p>at my school they are required for freshmen, and they also don't offer the money only type plans. First semester I had one of the 'unlimited' plans, which was a huge waste of money. Then I was on the 14 per week plan. Then when I switched to an apartment style room (still campus housing) I went to 60 meals per semester which was good for one semester, and then the next semester I only used like 15 meals b/c the dining hall where I usually ate, at the sandwich place, they switched something up that I didn't like. So now I'm on no meal plan, which is great. I have a kitchen in my apartment so it's very convenient.</p>
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Even if they do, though, not being on the meal plan can be isolating--someone on a meal plan isn't going to want to go off campus much and spend "real money" on food, someone off a meal plan isn't going to want to buy overpriced dining hall crud, and bam, there goes an easy and convenient social outlet.
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<p>This is true. However, usually people with a meal plan will offer to let you use one of their meals, or pay with their 'meal dollars' for you, so you don't have to spend real money. Because as you said, I would definitely not pay cash to eat at one of my dining halls.</p>
<p>My son lives on campus in a freshman dorm and having a plan is mandatory. We had heard about the food at CMU and so I got the cheapest meal plan from the list they sent me. When he got there, he switched it to the COMMUTER plan which was a Mon-Fri thing. Technically, he's still on a plan, but with the money he saved he can buy some decent food from places in the area. (He's not a picky eater either!)</p>
<p>If you figure a way off the meal plan, please share. The amount of money wasted this semester makes me ill. Daughter had the minimum 5 dinners a week plan ($1365) and maybe ate in the dining hall once a week. And she had $300 left over on the money part that was required. She will be buying lots of whatever they sell in the college convenience store next semester with the money part instead of it going to waste. Meal plan is required if you live in a dorm and only juniors/seniors can live in apts.</p>