<p>I was wondering what kind of meal plan I should get? I'm a girl who tends to eat two meals per day and some kind of snack and/or dessert. I think my appetite is somewhere in the average range. Would getting the Bear Basic suffice if I were to purchase food such as granola bars, yogurt, etc and keep it in my room, or would the Bear Choice be a better option? Thanks!</p>
<p>What will you do on the weekends? Bear Choice is only 10 dining hall meals. And a lot of a-la-carte places are closed on the weekends as well.</p>
<p>I thought the $500 in Big Red Bucks would cover the extra meals.</p>
<p>It could, but the cost of meals from those places add up. I’m pretty sure you could upgrade/downgrade during the semester, though.</p>
<p>You can upgrade whenever you want, you can only downgrade during the first 2 weeks of the semester though.</p>
<p>I started with the 14 meals / week and ended up downgrading to 10 / week. And I’m a guy who has a decent appetite, so I’d say go with 10.</p>
<p>Where do you get your remaining 11 meals if you select 10?</p>
<p>Not everyone eats 21 meals a week - for one, on weekend dining halls are only open during 2 meal times (brunch and dinner - though if you wanted 3 meals on weekends in dining halls, you could always go back I suppose). Some people also skip breakfast or lunch, or whatever depending on their personal preference…though you can make up other meals through the Big Red Bucks to eat at a la carte places. Alternatively, you can also go out and eat in Collegetown.</p>
<p>10 or 14 meals is the best plan. Keep in mind, I’ve never seen someone upgrade their plan, only downgrade. Also, the meal plan doesn’t really save you much. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the math, but I remember the 7 meals I think ends up costing more than just paying them outright with cash. I think 10 and 14 represent small savings over just buying the meals and that’s making sure you really use all 10/14 meals in a given week. Unlimited is only saves you if you really use it.</p>
<p>I think you can always upgrade your meal plan, but can only downgrade after like 2 weeks into the semester. I would advise the 10 meals per week and if you run out of meals, you can always pay for them with BRBs. After the first month or two, the dining halls lose their luster and you’ll likely find yourself wanting to eat elsewhere more often.</p>
<p>For lunch, the a la carte places are better. Oakenshields is the only dining hall on central and it’s very crowded during peak hours. Plus, it probably has the worst food of any of the dining halls.</p>