<p>I just looked because I thought we paid much more than people here are talking about, and we paid a lot. All you can eat and 100 flex dollars is 5880, and 15 a week plus 500 flex dollars is 5710 per year. He’s off campus this year and I’m hoping 300 a month will cover him.</p>
<p>This thread inspired me to look up meal plans at D3s college ( covered by FA so I hadn’t really paid attention) . First years are required to stay on the full plan, 21 meals/week for $6300/year. This includes 20 guest meals and various grab 'n go etc. options. That does seem like a lot of $ but the food is so incredibly good, I don’t think I’d mind if we were paying. Of the college dining I’ve tried only Bowdoin had better food, OK and maybe Pomona. Knowing she’s eating so well somehow makes me so comforted. When we were paying for S at Cornell, I always pushed him to choose more on-campus meals than he wanted, worried about what he would end up eating if those healthier options weren’t available and free with a swipe.
Anyway, I’m amazed at how affordable dining is at U’s like Wisconsin and Michigan! </p>
<p>I guess S is getting a pretty good deal. His meal plan is $1780, which includes $100 worth of dining dollars that never expire. This plan gives him unlimited access to the dining hall, plus 10 trips per week to the food court restaurants many of which are name-brand franchise operations. He has shown no hesitation to simply pass through the dining hall on the way to class to grab a slice of pizza for a snack.</p>
<p>Wow $1780 a semester, that’s great. </p>
<p>I hear you honeybee, if I buy more dining dollars I don’t want my son trying to skimp on meals or healthy items because of cost. It’s hard to make him understand that we may still come out ahead even though the “all you can eat” plans makes it SEEM like you can eat as much as you want etc because the cost is front loaded. </p>
<p>I worry he will skip buying an apple or milk because it costs more when he would have picked them up in the caf. We will see how it goes. </p>
<p>The “board” part of room and board is the food, it is part of the budget.</p>
<p>From Wisconsin, they had a version of the same a la carte plan eons ago and son did it. I can’t believe how expensive so many food service plans are. UW’s Res Halls pays its way without gouging the students. They try to use local food sources (including an on campus garden people can observe I believe) and do most of their cooking. </p>
<p>The freshness at various dining halls can vary (anyone can eat anywhere) as per a UW CC thread post about how one place had freshly made sushi while another was brought from another on campus building. The same thread mentioned how people get sick of the same menu after first semester. My comment- how varied is the menu served at your house? I’ll bet students avoid foods they had to eat at home but weren’t thrilled with and so limit their diversity.</p>