Penn Dining...freshman decisions

<p>Anyone here know what kind of meal plans grad students usually go with? Assuming you live at Sansom Place. What kind of eating options are there close by? I actually have my own kitchen (it’s a one-bedroom), so I can cook my own food, but I’ll rather not waste time on it…</p>

<p>I don’t think grad students buy meal plans unless they are GAs and get free ones. You’ll find that meal plans are more expensive than eating out and/or buying ready made food (if you really don’t want to cook). Meals tend to cost ~$12 on a meal plan and up to $15. Might as well go to a sitdown restaurant at those prices.</p>

<p>Is there a reason why undergrads buy a meal plan? I suppose no one stops you from doing the same thing? At my old university the whole point of meal plans was to be able to eat cheaper than elsewhere. What am I missing here?</p>

<p>All freshmen are forced to buy a meal plan. Most upper classmen are not on the meal plan. The main reasons why upper classmen are on the meal plan are:

  1. Want kosher meals at Hillel
  2. no kitchen in dorm room (most upper classmen either live in dorms with kitchens or off campus)</p>

<p>I wasn’t on the meal plan sophomore year and spent several hundred dollars less than I did on my freshman meal plan. I didn’t try to be particularly frugal and probably could have saved more.</p>

<p>Question, is it easy to eat healthy with dining dollar options? I hear the food is better at food carts, and houston market etc, but how healthy is it? Basically what i’m trying to ask: what’s the best meal plan for someone who wants to be on a healthier diet?</p>

<p>can you use your dining dollars at dining halls after your meals run out?
is there a price on the meal?
if there is, which dining hall is cheapest?
which dining hall is relatively the best?
thanks. :)</p>

<p>On a meal plan, all meals are considered equal. However, at Hillel it costs you $2 extra from dining dollars to eat a meal there (kosher). If you buy your meals as you go (penn cash to eat in a dining hall) breakfast, lunch, and brunch cost less than dinner. </p>

<p>You can use dining dollars after meals run out. Any meals you don’t eat by the end of a semester are gone forever. Any dining dollars you don’t use after the end of the school year are gone forever.</p>

<p>You can eat healthy with dining dollars (salad, fruit, etc.).<br>
Dining dollars the food tastes better. Food truck food tastes even better.
Dining halls might be slightly healthier, but it’s not worth getting a meal plan with a ton of meals if you dislike the food or your schedule doesn’t allow you to go every day.</p>

<p>So if you are out of meals and want to eat dinner in a dining hall, it’s going to cost you 15 dining dollars?</p>

<p>^It costs you $15 Penn Cash. Penn Cash is money you put on your Penn Card from your credit card. It can be used to print, buy food from Houstin, buy books from the bookstore, and buy meals from a dining hall. In the event you eat all of your meals you can have friends swipe you into a dining hall.</p>

<p>so dining dollars just eliminate the tax from an outside meal?</p>

<p>Daughter is about to start 2nd year at Penn. No way are we going to sign up for a plan, Aramark or not. Since a meal plan is required first year, recommend the one with the least cafeteria visits and the most Dining dollars. The cafeteria was not a good experience on several fronts. Food was mediocre, you have to swipe your card just to get in even if you just wanted to hang out with friends and not eat or drink (and yes this does charge a meal to your plan), the staff was quite ornery, and cleanliness was not a top priority (Hill). This year daughter gets budget for food equal to Liberty plan (like most of her friends) and won’t have to waste cafeteria visits she would never use. Also recommend getting dorm room with kitchen 2nd year on so you can provide for yourself. Finally I would say that the “freshman 15” problem doesn’t apply to Penn because of all the above. The meal requirement for first year must be a huge profit generator for Penn!</p>

<p>Happy to try to answer other questions RE: Penn 1st Year-it was quite an eye opening ride!</p>

<p>this wouldn’t so much apply 2 hill, but are there long cafeteria lines? 4 lunch, i only have an hr. break between classes and idk if waiting on line will take up most of that hr.</p>

<p>thanks!</p>

<p>There are rarely long cafeteria lines anywhere except in Houston Hall, but an hour is more than enough time to eat at Houston, which is what I would recommend doing… Houston’s been the best place on campus since I’ve been there.</p>

<p>the handful of times i went to hill last year, there were some pretty gnarly lines</p>

<p>hopefully bon appetit improves on that</p>

<p>what about at 1920 commons. i’m going to be coming from huntsman, so in the hour btwn classes (i would have from about about 12 to 1) i’d wanna go there. do u know if there are serious lines at 1920 commons at the time?</p>

<p>thanks again</p>

<p>Lunch, IMO, were the best meals in dining halls. Small lines and plenty of food and utensils.</p>

<p>thanks for the post. if my class ends at 12 (11:50) and my next class starts at 1 (i would probably need 10 minutes travel time), do u think i’d have time?</p>

<p>thanks again.</p>

<p>yeah that shouldn’t be a problem unless they’re on completely opposite sides of campus</p>

<p>what classes are they? where are they</p>

<p>the first one should be huntsman although i might switch to another class at that time that would be near drl and the next one is in williams. thanks!!</p>