<p>Hey.
Just wondering if you guys could answer some questions I have about dining for next year. So...
Basically I'm wondering which plan to sign up for. I was thinking about signing up for the Red Plan (thats 210 meals and 150$ for the semester). Is that a bad idea? Personal experiences? And is Penn food reaaallly that bad (I heard that Bon Appetit for next year is supposed to be better (?)?
I'm not exactly clear on how the Plans work. When it says 210 meals does that means each time you go to the cafeteria and swipe your card it takes away a meal, regardless of whether you get say a bagel or sushi? Also, are the places to use dining dollars expensive? </p>
<p>What I also need to consider is that my parents expect me to stick to the budget. The meal plan has to last for the year. Also, I will be living at Kings Court- English House next year if that makes a difference.</p>
<p>THANKS so much. I have much to figure out before next year. SO excited. This makes it all real.</p>
<p>I was wondering the same thing. People have said to get the cheapest one, but they are all the same. It’s just four choices between more dining dollars or more visits.</p>
<p>From what I hear- everyone says to sign up for Libery Plan because you can never have enough dining dollars and everyone has meals left over anyway eveon on Liberty Plan.</p>
<p>Search this forum and you will see what i mean</p>
<p>In my experience, and the experiences of my friends, More Dining Dollars, Fewer Meals.</p>
<p>The food might be a little better, but that still doesn’t mean it’s going to be great. No one really knows how good it’s going to be. The main thing that needs to improve is service, not so much food. Commons being out of forks at 6 is not a good way to run a dining hall. The omelet guy at Hill burned our omelets on purpose (charred black on the outside, yet undercooked on the inside). You wont really want to eat in dining halls if the service isn;t improved, even if the food is a little better.</p>
<p>Living in KC, they do have a dining hall, but it’s small and closed on the weekends. IMO, dining halls were only good for lunch and brunch. Lunch was good because it’s not crowded so you can actually get food, forks, and a nice place to sit. Brunch had the best food.</p>
<p>The only way a large meal plan is worthwhile is if you really have no value for a dollar and go to McClelland a lot to exchange a meal for 5 bottles of water. Many people did that even on the Liberty Plan because they had so many meals left over.</p>
<p>Maybe now that Aramark is gone the food will improve. Bon Appetit has a much better reputation. What if you live in Hill or Kings Court where the dining hall is right there. Wouldn’t you want more swipes? Just curious. Thanks</p>
<p>hey I’m going to be living in Hill too! Where are you from?</p>
<p>on a more relevant note:
I thought i was going to get the liberty plan, but now that i have a dining hall literally outside of my bedroom I’m conflicted… I love to cook, and am a vegetarian, would going up to the blue plan be a bad idea? (note: there are 101 days in the first semester…my mom made me count)</p>
<p>slieberman: i think your mom was smart to make you count and i think that you’re right. it’s a question of convenience. I’ll be at Harnwell next year, which is right by Commons 1920, so I was thinking about doing the same thing, but then I realized that I’m not going to go back all the way back to Commons 1920 in between classes. That’s something you have to think about too. I’m still not sure.</p>
<p>QUESTION: if you have extra meals in the fall semester, do they carry over to the next semester??</p>
<p>I heard that at a Penn Preview when they read all the housing/dining facts off of a sheet of paper.</p>
<p>Yeah, I agree that the Liberty Plan doesn’t seem like it’s a good distribution of your money. But it is what most people advise. I still might get the Blue Plan because I’m in Hill.</p>
<p>meals are all-you-can-eat (and after sampling, Hill’s food is restaurant quality so that is where I’ll go for my serious meals) whereas dining dollars entitle you to a preset quantity of goods. It seems that the Quaker plan is best by that analysis…granted you are willing to sacrifice a little flexibility in the process (small breakfast, HUGE lunch, skip dinner, you got a very healthy diet there).</p>
<p>It is well-known that meals before bed have a tendency to become body fat reserves. Be aware of the “freshman 15 (pounds)” and don’t consume pizza at 3 am before dropping into bed.</p>
<p>An all-you-can-eat lunch at about 4 pm is more than enough to get you through to next morning.</p>
<p>I would go with the Quaker Plan too, but I worry about the freshman 15. I would probably skip lunch and just do breakfast and dinner to avoid that. I’m at Harnwell, so commons 1920 is right there anyway.</p>
<p>I was at one point obese and had a team of specialists work with me to help me lose the weight. Eating before bed is the best way to gain weight/ keep it on. It’s common knowledge and I confirm it with personal practice.</p>
<p>hey what kind of drinks come with the meals at the dining halls??? Also, what do students do about water?? Do you have to buy water or does the college house or dining hall provide free water?? sorry weird question</p>