<p>Can anyone give me insight as to whether or not I need to get my son a meal plan.
Will he just eat the same junk as he would if he went out?
His housing assignment does not require one.
Is is cost effective or would he do better just getting/making meals on his own.
Does anyone have experience they could share.
Thanks</p>
<p>You are lucky, my D residence hall requires a meal plan. Your son has more options. He can try the meal plan and cancel it if he does not like it or he can start without a meal plan and add one later if he so desires. During orientation I tried both dining halls, and I really was not impressed; in fact it solidified my decision to purchase the 7 meal plan with the flex bucks. I will feel better if I know she has one complete meal for the day, and I don’t think she will get tired of the selection if she is going there only one time a day. The workers are very friendly, and the atmosphere was very nice. </p>
<p>Since she is going for summer C, I will get an idea of what her eating habits will be, and my decision may change for the fall semester.</p>
<p>There is a social aspect of going to the dining halls together especially their first year but definitely most students will get tired of their meal plan rather quickly. Flex bucks cost more but you can use them at any of the restaurants and fast food places on campus and they don’t expire and are refundable after graduation (this is not GARNET bucks which expire at the end of the spring semester). A Publix gift card is also an easy way to send money specifically for food too. You can have it imprinted not for cigarettes or alcohol. You can purchase a large canvas insulated bag for carrying groceries if the student is taking a bus to the grocery store. Dorms do provide communal kitchen facilities or you can have a microwave in your room.</p>
<p>As stated by APK you will more than likelly know after you attend orientation what you will be able to tolerate. There is no way I am eating that food 3X a day at the dining halls.
On meal per day & the rest flex in bucks is the way for me. Probably different for everyone on this board.
It seemed that the meal plan you chose also had a lot of social implications. Where your friends hung out. Where you went for meals together etc.</p>
<p>Yea it all depends on your diet. Another thing, I know sororities have a meal plan included in their bid fees, I imagine it’s the same for frats, if your son was pledging. But even that is breakfast/lunch Monday thru Friday and dinner thurs thru sunday.
I’d suggest the 7 meals a week with flex bucks, or, if he prefers to cook for himself you can purchase garnet bucks that roll over each semester and he can just buy groceries and cook in the kitchen on his dorms floor.</p>
<p>D liked the any 125 block meal plan. She could use less meals some weeks and more others. When she was tired, overworked etc it was easy to go get two meals a day. When it was midterms or finals, ditto. She also liked getting a meal to go here and there. You get more food for the buck than just buying Garnet bucks. </p>
<p>Hellomello, the sororities she is familiar with, including her own, serve lunch and dinner M-F for members who do not live in the house. This is included in the fees. Breakfast is only for house residents (who would not be freshman) and the extra breakfast fee included in the rent, with no meals fixed on weekends. The 125 block plan (which includes additional flex bucks) worked out to about one meal a day–but some times none sometimes two, rather than 7 meals a week plan where those meals are lost if not used.</p>
<p>Nolesmon, getting and making his own meals means making time to shop, keeping limited amounts of perishable foods in the room/fridge, making time to fix the meals etc. I think as much as the kids complain about the “cafeteria” food, “making their own” frequently means making their own simple meals over and over After while, they grab microwaveable meals, ramen noodles, mac and cheese. Or, they spend alot more of your money eating out, eating at the fast food places on campus… They buy good food with best intentions and then see it spoil. Nutritionally, Suwanee and Fresh Foods are not that horrible. You can get fresh fruit and salads. The food, after a while just gets repetitive. But unless your son is a gourmet cook, what he fixes will soon get even more so. And at exam time, time is valuable. He may not take the time to eat the way he should if it is up to him to fix it. Suwanee and Fresh Food are open long hours, you can go in and fix meals to carry out. </p>
<p>If he is going to summer C, he might give it a try. If not, he can try without and always add one. Once you have one I don’t think you can drop it.</p>
<p>Yikes, I just went on to seminoledining.com. Prices really went up. They actually had a 100 meal block plan last year as on option in addition to 125 and 150. We had the 100 meal plan. I had to sign into D’s account to double check, and it was 100 meal block. I only paid 1099 for the 100 block plan with what was either $200 or $250 flex bucks. Now, the lowest is 125 meals for $1479 with $300 flex bucks. No wonder folks are questioning whether to even get a meal plan. I think when they raise the lowest plan so much, they will have fewer takers when it comes to getting a meal plan.</p>
<p>Given the rise in tuition, and the rather large rise in meal plan, it is going to sting a bit this fall for more families.</p>
<p>I opted to get the 14 per week plan for the summer.</p>
<p>I ate at both cafeterias and thought they were just fine. After all, it is a cafeteria. I would have killed to have options like this when I was 18.</p>
<p>Another thought is to know your son or daughter. Being my son’s FTIC, I opted for a choice with less options. If he plans on eating, he knows where he needs to be at least two times a day. Less options – less confusion.</p>
<p>As far as getting tired of the cafeteria, he’s eaten at home for 18 years (without much complaint. </p>
<p>I suspect he will relish the thought of home cooking pretty soon.</p>
<p>Thank all of you for your input! Gives me alot to think about. He’s not starting until fall and we go to orientation on Monday, so we will have a little time to think about it.</p>
<p>Does your son cook at all? I would go with GarnetBucks.</p>