It’s the little things: 24 Hour Option

When you’re looking at schools you might notice the beauty of the campus, or the craziness of the traditions. You’ll take in the five-star dorms and cutting-edge curriculum.
But there is something important they won’t advertise, or even mention…

Where are you going to go at 2 AM to get snacks?

You, high school student, do not yet understand the importance of the existence of 24-hour food options.

When you’re touring school make sure to find out, what is open late at night?

Many colleges are in rural towns where nearly everything closes by 10PM. But they’ll have that one convenience store with chips, ice cream and fantastically greasy food to save all of the college students looking for midnight snacks.

The existence of this store is important, but more important is the quality of said place. 7-11 is fine in a pinch but… well….

I have a confession to make… I love Wawa. I love Wawa. I will shout it from the rooftops: I LOVE WAWA.  And I miss it because we don’t have it in NY. The Wawa in my college town is the cheapest option with the best hours. We have things that are open ‘till 10, and things that are open till 2, but Wawa alone has a glorious 23-hour schedule.

The thing about having a Wawa a 5 second walk from campus is that I can always get coffee, hot food, or sandwiches any time of night. There have been Saturdays where my friends and I have desperately wanted a 2AM snack, and Wawa is the glorious place that will deliver. Wawa is so important to my campus culture that when I visited overnight my host made sure to take me on a late night Wawa run.

Other schools will have Dunkin Doughnuts or IHOP that’s open at all hours. Or, even better, on-campus options.

Find out the hours of the dining halls. Some schools have great options that are open early in the morning and late at night. Others will have set meal times that are less flexible and accessible.

The quality of the food is a big factor for the appeal of a school, but even great food isn’t so great when you can’t get it past 7PM.

Find out if there is a “late night snack” option or an “always open” dining hall. Check out the hours of the on-campus coffee shop. My school has 3, each with a different price point and different hours. Only one coffee shop (the one in the library) is open during all-nighter hours. While this doesn’t seem terribly important before you’re there, at some point you’ll be in the library ‘till 2 AM and you’ll need that caffeine fix.

You might roll your eyes and think but I eat so healthy or I always just keep fruit in my room. You say that now, but at some point there will be a time where you desperately need to make slice and bake cookies in the middle of the night, or need a pint of Ben and Jerry's. Without a 24-hour food place, you’re going to be hungry without options.

So when you’re checking out schools, make sure to ask “What’s open late at night?”