It’s the little things: Meal plans

This morning I cried at breakfast.
Why?

Watermelon.

I kid you not. The dining hall served watermelon as a fruit option at breakfast, and I shed a few tears while eating it.

Fresh Fruit on my meal plan is a rarity. Fruit that is not spoiled is even rarer. Rarest of all these things is fruit that I will actually enjoy. Apples and Bananas are widely available, though they’re often under-ripe, bruised, or rotting.

Hence the small tears of joy at finding edible and delicious watermelon on the fruit buffet at breakfast.

At my school I am required to have a meal plan as long as I live on campus. Because I am a sophomore, I am required to have a particularly large/overpriced/unfair meal plan that gives me 10 meals to use per week (instead of 100 or 150 to use at my discretion over the course of the semester).
I don’t like this system, but I do try to use as many meals as I can. The food is fine, though I have some dietary restrictions that can make eating/finding something to eat particularly difficult.

So something to look at when you’re considering schools is: Am I required to have a meal plan, and how does the meal plan work?

This is not a question of “How is the food” because I guarantee you at 90% of schools the answer will be “It depends” or “it’s mediocre.”
The quality is not so important if you’re required to have a meal plan, because you don’t have a choice.

There are 3 basic types of meal plans that are available, though they’re often on a sliding scale of amounts.

Also, two distinctions-
A “Swipe” is a unit that you pay for one meal (so you’ll swipe for lunch) and a “flex dollar” or “point” is a cash like addition that you use for things that aren’t meals (like a coffee shop drink).

Type 1- Weekly

A weekly meal plan (the type I currently have) is when you are given a certain amount of meals to use per week. Usually you’ll have options that will compensate for different types of eaters. For example, here you can have a 10, 14, or 19 per week, plus a certain amount of “flex” dollars that you can use at some on campus venues. I have a 10 so that I can have breakfast (MWF), lunch (TRF), and dinner (MTR) each 3 times a week. I rarely use my tenth meal, though sometimes (rarely) I use it on the weekend.

These types suck. If you can avoid these options, do. Instead of using them for your discretion (like, for example, I rarely eat in the dining halls during finals or midterms) you have a set number per week. You’re going to waste meals (and money) with these options.

Type 2- “Block” or semester

This type of meal plan you buy all of your meals for the semester, and use them at your discretion. Usually you can pick from a range (for example, here you can have anywhere from 50 to 200 for a semester). These options are better because you can pick out when you’re using your meals, but can be tricky if you use them all up too quickly.

These are also great for if you live somewhere with a kitchen but have an occasional “social” meal in a dining hall.

Usually this type will come with some “flex” dollars as well.

I like these plans (I’m switching to one next year) because it helps you keep track of exactly how many meals you’re using, and lets you have week to week flexibility.

Type 3- “Cash” or “Points”

In this type every food option (an “all you can eat” dining hall meal, a “food court” meal, an on campus store or coffee shop meal) is translated to a dollar or point amount. You have a certain amount of points to use throughout the semester, and everything you “buy” deducts from your amount.

These are great because they place all of the options on one currency (instead of a “swipe and flex” system).

But, again, this is another one where you have to keep track of how much you have left. If you’re using all of your points on the on campus starbucks, you might find yourself unable to get a meal by the end of the semester.

And one more type that is available- The “Unlimited” plan
Firstly, I will say that you should never take the all you can eat meal plan if you can help it. You won’t use it nearly enough and it will be a waste of money.
The only people I’ve EVER seen get the bang for their buck on these plans is the recruited athletes who need to eat 5000 calories a day to break even.
Many schools require their freshman to have these.

Trust me, if you can avoid them, avoid them.

So instead of focusing on the quality of the food, which of course you should look at but doesn’t vary a whole lot school to school, look at how the food is given to you and what you have to pay for it.

I am unsatisfied with my meal plan, but my school is constantly trying to improve the food and dining experience, and it’s changed a ton over the past year and a half.
At the same time, as unsatisfied as I am, I fully intend to have a small meal plan next year when I’m living in my sorority house, and senior year even though I will be living off campus, because I have several group meals every week in dining halls.

Are meal plans super overpriced and often unfair? Oh yes.
But they’re also part of life, and a nice, easy way to ensure you have food when you’re a busy college student.

So when you’re looking at schools, make sure to find out how the meal plans work.