D23’s transition to UPenn has been amazing! FDOC was today and she was very impressed with the enthusiasm and level of engagement from almost every class member in one of her seminar classes, acknowledging that was fairly rare in her competitive private high school. It is definitely an intellectual vibe! She loves the peer and faculty mentors she has met, and orientation included a fun scavenger hunt and tons of swag especially as a dual-degree(swag from the college plus engineering ). As parents, we were impressed with the activities and food available for families, and especially enjoyed the food at the Engineering parent welcome party . If we had known how much food would be available we might have skipped dinner reservations!
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We’re happy with the choices and some flexibility (still required to have a meal plan, but you can pick the level of involvement), and there are lots of different types of options. It isn’t perfect, because it is expensive, and apparently it gets crowded. But you can use grubhub to order ahead and just pick it up and not wait in line if you plan ahead.
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It’s not going to save you any money, but at my daughter’s college, the student government (or some club) had come up with a scheme where extra swipes were used/donated for 2nd-year-and-beyond low-income students, or with food insecurity.
So at least they made the college literally “pay dearly” for forcing unlimited plans on every first-year.
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I am not sure this is how it works at small residential LAC, where every single student is with some meal plan. I doubt that anything can be donated. I have heard a similar story as you mentioned at GaTech where is my oldest. Actually, if I recall correctly student were using their unlimited meal plan or extra swipes/money to get snacks and what they could to take out and give homeless.
Same at my daughter’s - small, residential LAC. Yes, most were on “some” meal plan, but low-income students might have intentionally picked the lowest option, barely enough to sustain themselves (if that much).
Supplementing with extra meals freed up their still-limited budget elsewhere.
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I think the scheme should be “legal”. Students need an ID to get a meal and it is written everywhere that meals are not transferrable. In case of my DD, she will lose her spot in BS/DO program if she gets involved in anything that the school may consider inappropriate (even if it has good intentions…)
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I did a deep dive into meal plans with our children’s college searches (I can’t not research these things). My preferred meal plan offering by schools were the meal plan offerings where every meal plan costs exactly the same but there are 3 or so ways that money is divided so each student, including 1st years, can choose their preferred division.
Usually the plans were generally like:
Choice 1 - unlimited meal swipes, $50-100 of “School Bucks” to be used all over campus per semester
Choice 2 - 15-18 meals a week, $300-600 of “School Bucks” to be used all over campus per semester
Choice 3 - 10-12 meals a week, $700-1000 of “School Bucks” to be used all over campus per semester
Students choose their meal plan before arriving on campus but usually have 1-3 weeks to change which plan they’d prefer at the beginning of each semester.
Both D20 and D23 picked the plans with the most flexibility of “School Bucks” their school offered. They are breakfast and dinner eaters but not always lunch eaters so liked the idea of being able to grab and go midday as opposed to getting to the dining hall.
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My preferred meal plan is no meal plan 
especially for girls. Oldest is on that one for years - zero complaints :). This plan includes a deep freezer with mom and dad running to Costco and Trader Joe’s on arrival in fall and loading it with DD’s favorite items. Then it is replenished as necessary with the help of friends (no car on campus). We were lucky that deep-freezer is on “vacation” in a relative’s basement during summer and does not travel 600 miles each way.
There are no options for the youngest DD for the first year. It is flat unlimited one size fits all. She will have a car on campus next year and 7 meals a week (lowest available). So we just need to survive the first year.
We have been amazed how worried D19 has been about D23 going off to college. Most of their childhood they were indifferent to each other.
Then her first Saturday night on campus she ends up at a Frat party. This is my non-party kid who plays D&D and Magic the Gathering. I guess she is making friends. D19 gave her plenty of tips before going to the party.
Also I finally looked closely at her class schedule. No Friday classes. No classes that start before 12:30. Man can I go back to college.
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Every one of the 3 colleges my kids have gone to, from SLAC to big research university, required meal plans for freshman. Pretty common. Some got more optional after first year.
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North Texas makes it simple: They have a first year residence requirement, and all first year students are on one of two unlimited meal plans (either unlimited weekdays or unlimited every day).
I like it, myself. First of all it eliminates the “Should we have gone with a different one?”, and secondly it means that there is no need to count anything.
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You just thought it was your non-party kid
Sorry - hopefully she still isn’t.
My son is having no issues with food at cuse. He is lifting a lot and eating pretty healthy by the sounds of it. Lots of chicken and rice he said. My life360 says he’s been to at least 3 off campus parties already. He mostly ignores my texts. Refused to send a first day of school selfie. He’s questioning his classes, major and other academic things. He has a pretty busy schedule this fall which didn’t leave as much space for electives as he would have liked. I said lets get through this first semester and then re-evaluate. But he so far shows zero homesickness and zero regrets about his college choice.
Here at home it has been a horrible week. My only sibling had a massive stroke on Monday. Yesterday they rushed him into surgery for an emergent craniectomy. He is 46 and never been married and has no kids. Didn’t have any POA or anything set so my aging and not healthy themselves parents are taking today to look into the next steps legally. He is vented and stable for now but will have several permanent disabilities (for the healthcare folks- major left MCA ischemic with no true embolism to chase and remove and wasnt a tpa candidate so sadly much damage). This happened at his work and the ambulance took him to my former hospital which is a top academic medical center so he is in good hands. I got through Monday and Tuesday at work as they were only half days this week, had off yesterday, and am taking today and tomorrow off until we are sure he remains stable with the brain swelling.
I’m so very to sorry about your brother. You and your family are in my prayers!
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I was surprised at my daughter’s college that they actually had a fair “incremental” option:
Pretty much for every limited meal plan you picked after the (required) first year, you could purchase blocks of extra swipes and/or extra “dining dollars” later in the semester, and there was no built-in penalty in pricing over having picked a “larger” plan from the start.
So one was safe to make a “best” initial guess, knowing that one could correct if one underestimated one’s need/appetite.
(Apparently, dining vendors don’t really buy all the salad and eggs at the beginning of the semester in bulk 
)
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So DD had been assigned to the modular dorm at the far far end of campus. Her roommate never showed. Her room is so humid that nothing sticks to the walls (there is AC), she didn’t like walking from the library that far in the dark, and hadn’t really met anyone on the hall. She was offered a double with a shared bath with another double, right in the middle of campus. The double actually has a wall between the rooms, maybe even a door according to the floorplan. So semi-private, you either get the room that has the door off the hallway or the room that the other person has to go through to get to the bathroom. But she has friends in that dorm and a girl in 3 of her classes in the other double. I think she’s going to take it, just has to meet the other girl first. I hope it works out! The initial room is dreary and this would give her a better experience I think.
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Hopefully the new dorm works out- sounds like a much better option for her.
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Hey, fellow Bama 'rent!
How was GOBD for your kid?
Mine sent me a pic of swag, so I assume he had a good time.
He’s already applied for an undergrad job on the Law Review. Spends an inordinate number of days at the gym. Cannot wait for the first game tomorrow… Plays poker and ping pong and even cooks (!!) in the Blount dorm. Apparently that dorm is great. If the actual dorm rooms were comparable with the apartment-style ones at Pres or Ridgecrest, it would be the most popular dorm on campus, he says. But they’re “only” suite-style.
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But what about his girlfriend that he had - b4 even showing up?
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GOBD was mixed. He stopped by the professional organizations and has decided to check out a few related to his major/school. He is also interested in applying for the freshman forum thingy. But did not spend a lot of time visiting the recreational clubs. He is very introverted so it will take some time. Has made a couple of acquaintances, which I guess is pretty good!
As for activities, he is going to the gym regularly and has taken an affinity to rock climbing. Goes to the student activity center which is closer to his dorm. Went to the Farmer’s market with one of his suite mates last week and bought some fruits and ate food truck burritos.
Overall, likes his classes…particularly his honors Calc 3. The professor is British and an Arsenal fan like him. He has the “B” football package. So, first game will be against TX on National TV at night. I will probably go to the local Roll Tide Raleigh chapter to watch.
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