<p>I'm wondering if a student can "roll over" the 16 meals allowed on the default meal plan. In other words, if she uses 14 meals in one week, does she lose the 2 meals or does she have the option of using them later in the semester? Also, do the unused flex dollars disappear at some point - end of semester, or end of year? Finally, if one buys a meal at one of the cafeterias with flex dollars, is that at a discounted rate compared to someone walking in off the street to eat there?</p>
<p>My D eats 3 or more meals per day, and it looks like her dorm doesn't have a kitchen. She's likely to go out to eat at least once on the weekends, but I'm left wondering how this is all going to work out for her without going way over budget.</p>
<p>Great questions, FauxNom. I have also been wondering about the flex dollars – can parents (or student) go online and add more if they run out toward the end of the semester? I was disappointed that Pomona did away with the 19-meal plan, because like your D, my S definitely eats 3 meals a day. Even the normal brunch-and-dinner on the weekend will be difficult for him, so I’m sure he will run out of flex dollars. I believe we can choose a different amount of flex $, rather than the default amount of $160 (I think that’s the amount I read). But it would be nice to know if any extra can roll over to the following term.</p>
<p>FauxNom, what dorm is your D in? My S was assigned to Lyon Court.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, there is no rollover with either meals or flex. Any unused meals at the end of the week (which are Sunday to Saturday) are forfeited. Flex expire at the end of the semester - but don’t worry, most people end up using up their flex way in advance; or if they don’t, they can use them to stock up on less perishable snacks and drinks at the Coop Store. And yes, FauxNom, meal prices when paying with flex are much lower than when paying with cash.</p>
<p>BengalMom, you can’t add more flex past the deadline for choosing a meal plan, which is usually the 10th day of the semester or something like that (I think it’s the same day as the add deadline for courses, but don’t worry, students always get a reminder email for changing their meal plans). Once you run out of flex for a semester, you would usually start using Claremont Cash - the same stuff you use for laundry - or just plain cash. And Claremont Cash is something that you can add to with a credit card online or at many locations on campus, including the Coop Store. I don’t think Claremont Cash gets the same discount at the dining halls as flex does though.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is that lifestyles and habits tend to change a lot in college. I definitely used to eat 3 meals a day when I was in high school and living at home, but then when I got to Pomona I started going to breakfast only on days when I had morning classes. And then in later years, I often went to class without eating breakfast at all. Your best bet would be to wait and see what your child’s daily routine becomes after s/he settles down to college life. You might be surprised at the result. ;)</p>
<p>And finally, if your kid does end up eating 19 meals a week in the dining halls and has to flex some meals, s/he should try to remember to flex only breakfast, since breakfast is much cheaper than lunch or dinner. Sometimes it’s easy to forget to plan ahead, but then again, learning to do that is part of what college is supposed to be all about, no?</p>
<p>Thanks for those answers, chopsticks, and the excellent advice about flexing breakfast! It will be interesting to see how and if the sleeping and eating habits change radically. Based on my older son’s experience, his sleeping habits changed but he probably started eating more in college (maybe more waking hours to burn all those calories :)) Luckily, his college had an unlimited meal plan, and he would often eat there 5 times a day - just to pop in for a bowl of cereal or have yogurt while sitting with his friends at their meals. Too bad Pomona doesn’t have that option.</p>
<p>Thanks, chopsticks, for the useful info! So when a student enters the dining hall, they can choose whether to use a “meal” or flex dollars? Thanks again!</p>
<p>I am here, because my D will be applying this coming year. My son is at another school - not in the Claremont area. They have no weekend meals. The cafeteria is not even open. They tried to create a full week meal plan and everyone objected, so they dropped the idea. Kids like going off campus for the weekend meals, and it is usually cheaper. There are lots of places to eat near campus, and they can get a meal for less.</p>
<p>S is at CMC. With late classes resulting in wake up after breakfast, or early classes with not enough time to get breakfast and get to class on time S found that keeping, quick and easy to prepare meals on hand like instant oatmeal solved the breakfast problem on most days and there was no need for 3 meals/day every day.</p>
<p>My daughter is a freshman this year and we are trying to figure out the best meal plan. Beside the meal plan we signed up for and the option of using Flex dollars, can you use cash/debit to pay for food? And if so is the cost for food the same? What are the dining hall hours, she will be up fairly early due to the sports practice schedule and my fear is she will skip breakfast altogether. I will reinforce the need to have some cereal on hand.</p>
<p>Paying for cash is more expensive than using flex, so definitely try to avoid paying with cash. Also, it is much better for a student to “swipe” or “flex” a guest into the dining halls as students get a reduced rate.</p>