<p>I'm trying to decide whether I should buy the 14-meal plan or the 8-meal plan (those are my two options as a transfer student).</p>
<p>It seems like it won't make that much of a difference if I don't spend too much money on extra food (around 7 to 8 dollars per meal not covered by the meal plan might be fine), but I think everything will really depend on the average price of a meal outside of school.</p>
<p>It will also depend on whether or not the school food will be disgusting enough to make me miss enough meals and waste all my money.</p>
<p>I'm trying to decide on this before July 15. </p>
<p>An email from Vandy informed me that I'll get a discount if I "login and make changes through 07/15/2010 to receive the discounted rate." </p>
<p>But it didn't tell me what the specific discounted rate is, and neither did it inform me of any more specific procedures I need to follow to get a discount. Am I missing something?</p>
<p>What do you guys think? Thanks.</p>
<p>DEFAULT
The 14 Meal Plan - $2,000.00 (+tax = 2185)
14 Meals per Week
$225.00 in Meal Money per Semester
$3.10 in Rollover Meal Money per Missed Meal per Week
5 Flex Meals per Semester</p>
<p>MY CURRENT SELECTION:
The 8 Meal Plan $1350.00
8 Meals per Week
$275.00 in Meal Money per Semester
$3.10 in Rollover Meal Money per Missed Meal per Week
5 Flex Meals per Semester<br>
One meal available per meal period per day.</p>
<p>Say you eat lunch between classes on campus everyday. That’s five meals right there. With the 8 meal plan that leaves you with 3. If you don’t think you will do dinner on campus very often or get breakfast or brunch on the weekends than the 8 will suffice. Keep in mind you can also use a meal as a late night snack from one of the Munchie Marts or Quizno’s on the weekend.</p>
<p>Are you transferring as a sophomore or a junior? If you will be a sophomore, you have to get the 14 meal plan; if you will be a junior, you have a choice between the two.</p>
<p>My D had the 14 meal plan as a sophomore & had a ton of roll-over money to use at area restaurants - they will even give you a gift card if you don’t use all of your roll-over money before the end of the year. She had the 8 meal plan as a junior & that was plenty for her - she had a refrigerator & microwave and made her own breakfast/lunch.</p>
<p>Will I be able to get a wide variety of food (Subway, burgers, pizza, school snacks, etc) by paying $7.50 or less for each meal?</p>
<p>I’m actually not from the States, so besides the thirty dollars it cost me all the time at my previous school to get a large Domino’s pizza, chicken and a 1-liter Coke (+delivery and tip), I really have no idea what to expect, and I am doing everything I can right now to plan ahead to avoid that kind of ridiculous food cost before school gets started and work piles up and I get lazy and careless with my budget.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t get the meal plan unless you have to. As a transfer, you might be able to slip through the cracks and not have to buy a meal plan. If so, I wouldn’t. The main benefit to having a meal plan is convenience. The thing is, for the 9 bucks you’d average per meal, you should be able to get a decent meal off-campus or at the hospital.</p>
<p>Where and what kind of meals do you get for under $9? I’d be hard pressed to eat a decent meal, especially for dinner, if I want to avoid fast food or pizza or subway. And even those can push $9 if you’re not ordering from the value menu.</p>
<p>“I’d be hard pressed to eat a decent meal, especially for dinner”</p>
<p>A decent meal is up for interpretation.</p>
<p>I mostly did something quick, either from my fridge or fast food, for lunch (3-5 bucks) and then something in the 6-9 range for dinner. Typically, I went once a week to Qdoba, Satco, Jasons, Bread & Co for dinner. Then, usually once or twice a week, I’d split a pizza from Jets or Michaelangelos with a friend. The remaining days, I’d end up at like Chilis or Fridays or Cabana.</p>
<p>All in all, my monthly food bills are a little more than 400/month.</p>
<p>What do most people tend to choose? I like the idea of not having to worry about ever eating in one of the cafeterias… but I hate the idea of wasting money! How often does one eat on campus?</p>
<p>I know everyone is different… so give me your point of view and that of your friends! Thanks!</p>
<p>I agree with Lauren. The on campus food is pretty good. I ate on campus everyday of the week for lunch. Don’t think of the cafeteria as a high school cafeteria. Vanderbilt’s features two sides - a Chef James side with more homecooked selections while the other side has several options to choose from. These include a Mexican station where you can get quesadillas, burritos, taco salads, etc.; a burger station where you can get a burger, chicken sandwich, and fries; Lunch Paper which showcases a different ethnic food every two weeks or so; and a sandwich line. A short walk out of the cafeteria and down the stairs brings you to a smoothie place that can be used on the meal plan. Upstairs is The Pub, with a bar type atmosphere (they even serve beer). And that’s just in the main building. Down by Branscomb you have two more options - one is pizza and paninis, the other vegetarian cuisine. If you live over in Highland Quad you have a Quizno’s. Same goes for the Towers dorms, in addition to a BBQ joint. And then there’s The Commons Cafeteria which is just plain amazing. </p>
<p>For dinners I usually ate on campus during the week and ate out at surrounding restaurants on weekends. Almost all of my friends and classmates followed this trend but I can’t speak for the students I don’t know.</p>
<p>dtotheustin09, that doesn’t sound bad at all. I just think, since I have both the 14-meal and the 8-meal choice, and either way I’d probably end up paying the same money if I keep track of things (it’d be a lot cheaper to go with the 14-meal plan if I spend over $7.50 per meal not covered by the plan, and cheaper to go with the 8-meal if under $7.50), I might just go with the 8-meal and at least have more flexibility regarding what I can buy (?)</p>
<p>I don’t wanna be worrying about missing school meals all the time…but after all, if there’s four meal periods a day, I assume there will be places open in school pretty much any time of day so that I won’t have any excuse for missing meals.</p>
<p>I come from a place where a decent meal costs under two dollars, and after two years of living in the states, the food prices still seem absurd.</p>
<p>I definitely don’t want to deter you from choosing the 8 meal plan. Just thought I’d explain the options. I know lots of people choose the 8 meal plan and are perfectly happy with it and some don’t even use the 8 meals each week. But personally for me, I never really wanted to cook or go grocery shopping. I also wanted to avoid fast food unless absolutely necessary. Plus I’m a hungry guy, so even fast food isn’t cheap for me.</p>
<p>dtotheustin09, do you remember the retail price of a typical school meal? If there isn’t a giant discrepancy between the meal plan and non-meal plan price, that might make it easier for me.</p>
<p>I can’t make up my friggin mind. You make the meals sound yum, and I’m probably just about as hungry a guy as you are.</p>
<p>Honestly, it depends on where you eat. If you eat in the cafeteria it can be over $10 because you may be able to get several sides, dessert, etc. included on the meal plan. But if you get a smoothie, Quizno’s, The Pub, or one of the other places it may be $6-$8. So I think you may find it balances out financially with the 8 or 14. Major difference for me was the fact it is I felt it way more convenient to just swipe your student ID versus dealing with my debit/credit card or cash as well as the proximity factor. In addition, the meal plan fee was lumped into my college expenses and easy to pay with a loan. I think you will be fine whichever you choose, so don’t beat yourself up about it. I think you can change it second semester if you aren’t happy with what you selected.</p>