<p>Ok, so how often do you really eat in the dining halls? Is it really necessary for an unlimited plan, or could you get by with like 10 meals a week? I am totally lost, and don't want to pay for unlimited and end up eating in the dining halls like once a day. Thanks for any input!</p>
<p>Are you an athlete?</p>
<p>If not, do NOT go for the unlimited. </p>
<p>I had unlimited freshman year, I had around 10-12 meals at the dining hall per week. And my suite ate out a fair bit and there is free food every week within the dorms for some kind of event.</p>
<p>meal plans are excessive in most cases</p>
<p>I am not playing a sport, but yeah I’m athletic… Im going to be in Navy ROTC so I will definately be doing some physical activity.</p>
<p>And it’s mandatory that 1st years get a meal plan, but I have an option of 8, 10, 12, or 14 meals per week, or unlimited</p>
<p>14 meals is good. Two a day. One morningish, and then dinner is usually good for most people.</p>
<p>I remember years ago when I was just starting university, I was required to get an unlimited meal plan. All freshman had to get one because the university claimed it was “promoting healthy nutrition.” More like a healthy bank account (for them). The food was disgusting and I probably only ate there 3 times the entire year. What an absolute waste of $. Do yourself a favor by getting the least amount of meals possible. If the food at your school is half as bad as it was at mine, you’ll be saving yourself money and grief.</p>
<p>Does your school have non-cafeteria style eating on campus or nearby? If it does, you’re better off eating there or doing grocery shopping.</p>
<p>I’d say 14 is good.</p>
<p>At my school, you are adjust your meal plan at the begining of each semster, </p>
<p>So get 14, if its too much, just adjust it.</p>
<p>Yeah, I think there are quite a few places to eat nearby, and I believe that with the meal plan I can eat there and count it as a meal if I keep it under a certain price. And thanks for the advice! It helped alot!</p>
<p>I’m in the same sort of situation. I think I’m getting 12 meals. I basically never eat breakfast, and will probably be in class during lunch 3 days a week.</p>
<p>2 a day is the most I’d go with. Unless your unlimited includes retail food places (BK/Mcdonalds etc). I had few morning classes and didn’t really eat breakfest all that much, only on weekends when I didn’t have class. Plus you’ll likely eat a lot in the halls at the start and eat there less and less as the semester progresses. I switched spring semester to a plan that was open so you could go to retail places with your allowance rather than just the halls. I got soo bored of the hall food, and had a ton of meals left at the end of the semester b.c I grabbed retail food.</p>
<p>I’m getting the smallest plan my school offers. As we don’t have cafeterias (it’s all restaurants, fast food, a convenience/grocery store, and the such), it’s all based on dollar amounts. I believe mine has $1600. Once that runs out, you can reload your plan.</p>
<p>The incentive to buy a larger plan is a % discount on your total (8%, 10%, or 12%), though obviously, if you want to play it safe, the smallest is sufficient, as you don’t get reimbursed the remainder at the end of the year.</p>
<p>Probably the least helpful post, as I think my school does meal plans totally different than most others. But I just signed up for mine, so this was all fresh in my mind.</p>
<p>I had the 14 a week meal plan and was just fine.</p>
<p>People who had the unlimited tended to waste their money. Most people have one lunch and dinner and most don’t wake up quite in time for breakfast. ;)</p>
<p>i would say the 12 or the 14 would be sufficent.</p>
<p>i wish that i had a choice, but no. all freshman and sophomores MUST have the full meal plan, 19 meals. then for your junior and senior year you are allowed to get the 10. but those are the only two options we have. gotta love the small schools.</p>
<p>thelilodance - That’s quite odd. I’m going to a small school, but we have choices ranging from 8 I believe, to unlimited.</p>
<p>some schools have plans like Another_Adam where you purchase a total dollar amount, sometimes called ‘meal points’ or ‘dining points’. you then pay for what you eat, so if you just want an apple or a drink its .59 or 2.19 and not a whole meal swipe. pros for dining points include:</p>
<p>-you pay just for what you eat
-no need to stuff yourself at the buffet
-you can sit with your friends and chat, even if you’re not eating (most meal-plan cafes require you to swipe your card to gain entrance to the cafe, thus only people who are eating can be inside)
-can eat 4 or 5 times a day if that’s your style (I find that I don’t have enough time to, though I prefer it)</p>
<p>Cons
-no buffet/eat as much as you can… (this can come in handy)
-waiting in lines for cashiers to total up your bill</p>
<p>whether your school offers meal swipes or meal points, meal plans usually tend to involve tax breaks or are tax free and some of them have some kind of bulk discount. at the same time, you are usually only allowed to carry over a limited number of unused meals/points into the next term. if you don’t use the others, they disappear and the university keeps your money.</p>
<p>I signed up for my meal plan like 2-3 weeks ago and I chose unlimited. I think that way I am at least guarenteed a meal every day for both semesters AND I won’t have the hassle of worrying about my “points”.</p>
<p>If the food at your school sucks and you don’t like it, I think most schools has a thing where you can change it within the 1st month?</p>
<p>SingDanceRunLife-when i say i’m going to a small school i mean about 800 undergrads and grads and around 200 high school students. </p>
<p>i feel like because we have a couple 8th graders living on campus they give requirements to what we have to get.</p>
<p>If you are living on campus at my school, we are required to have the unlimited meal plan. It’s great for me though, because honestly I go to the cafeteria 5+ times a day (I am a person who eats a lot of smaller meals…and I love snacking). As a general rule though, get the minimum meal plan you can because you are likely going to want to eat out, etc. and you shouldn’t waste your money.</p>