<p>*“what do they have at bryant that is so special that it costs TWO swipes?”</p>
<p>Football players 
*</p>
<p>When we ate at Bryant the Friday after the Georgia St game, the lunch was only 1 swipe. Dinner is 2 swipes because they have good steaks and other higher priced items.</p>
<p>However, even at lunch they had prime rib that day. </p>
<p>And, there were football players there that day. LOL</p>
<p>Wow, are you serious, mom2ck? How about grilled chicken? Son loves that. I’ve really got to get him to check it out. </p>
<p>Sounds like a good place to use up those accumulated meals.</p>
<p>Bring a Bama mini helmet and get autographs while you’re there!</p>
<p>my daughter said she wet to try eating at bryant for dinner and it was one swipe plus 10 dollars. they wouldn’t take two swipes.</p>
<p>if that’s the case, then that won’t be a way to use up extras.</p>
<p>Son had the same experience as Mike’s D (1 swpie + $10) but he did say the steaks and the food in general was generally A LOT better in Bryant.</p>
<p>has anyone been successful in downgrading their meal plan?</p>
<p>Not yet. Still working on it. D sent another email either Monday or Tuesday and hasn’t said she’s gotten a reply yet…</p>
<p>i was looking for a FAQ to see if i could find anything.</p>
<p>this is what i found:</p>
<p>First-year undergraduate students are required by the University to participate in the Freshman Year Experience Meal Plan</p>
<p>Upperclassmen undergraduate students can choose between 5 meal plans that fit different lifestyles and eating habits.</p>
<p>^^^hmmmm, I think that might be a change from what that was before. During the summer, I had looked through the dining site and all references to mandatory meal plans mentioned “freshmen.” I wonder if the rising popularity of UA with kids who are coming in with a good amount of AP credits has made them change the wording.</p>
<p>I’ve already paid for the 160 meal plan. If it can get changed, great. If not, it’s only 1 more semester.</p>
<p>but there is still wording about downgrading … wonder what thats about then?</p>
<p>Well, I suppose that if you were a soph, jr or senior and realized that you’d bought the wrong meal plan for the fall, you could downgrade. Especially for transfers?</p>
<p>Checked with D who said she did get a response this morning, again with a “sorry but no.” She’s going to forward the message to me, so I haven’t seen the exact wording yet. Ah well.</p>
<p>Anyone want to take wagers on how many of the 252 meals (plus 10 guest meals) she’ll have left on May 8th? Closest answer gets a free dinner at Lakeside ;)</p>
<p>I think it’s too early to try to change…your D’s status still probably reads as “frosh”. </p>
<p>I would call again in January and not mention that she “was” a freshman.</p>
<p>Well, D forwarded me the email so apparently now “all first year students at UA are required to live and dine on-campus during their first year” and “The first year experience is not based on credit hours earned, it is based on the first year of entry to UA based on your application term and type.” </p>
<p>Which is fine. Somewhat silly but fine. Especially since if she’d gone Greek she could have downgraded to the 50 meal plan (and I know that then we would have been paying the sorority fees which include meals so it would have been a wash.) DH & I were just telling her that next semester if she just wants a soda to stop in one of the dining locations. And I just showed her the Julia’s Online option for the Boar’s Head Deli location in Lloyd. </p>
<p>Thanks for all your help everyone!</p>
<p>RobD: Do what my guidance counselor friend says. Have your daughter stop in Lakeside for a to-go box of salad fixings. Or dessert. She’s using up that meal plan, isn’t she? We’ve told our son that. Come to think of it, maybe your daughter could get the salad. My son could get the dessert. And someone else can do the pasta. Sounds like dinner for a group.</p>
<p>i told my daughter to use some to-go meals for “grocery shopping”. go to breakfast (which she <strong>never</strong> eats in the dining hall) and load up with fruit and stuff that will save easily in the dorm. and some milk.</p>
<p>I was in a similar situation as the OP. I went to the office in Lakeside Dining Hall in person and asked to downgrade my meal plan for next semester from the 160 meal plan to the 50 meal plan (not the Greek one). They did it for me with no hassle at all. There was a $35 fee and none of my meals rolled over, but I saved a little less than $1000. It really is not a problem for them to downgrade if you go in person. They also told me it would take at least 1 business day to take effect and with this meal plan I did not have any guest meals.</p>
<p>Pramirez: did this happen this year? The language on all the meal plan sites has changed from “freshman” to “first year students.” Although I will be telling D to try this on January 11th…</p>
<p>pramirez - are you a freshman now? when did you do this?</p>
<p>I did it right before Winter break and I am technically a junior but a second year student. I don’t know if it will work if the language says first year student instead of freshman though</p>
<p>^^^and that’s the rub. D (and our other 1st year students) won’t have any issue changing meal plans after their 2nd complete semester at UA.</p>