Are college meal plans mandatory?

[disykat]

3. My DD is going to starve because she is vegan and she hates eating out with a passion. She would much rather prepare her own food.

That changes things. I was one of the responders who said most colleges seem to have a meal plan rule unless you are an upperclassman and live in an apartment style dorm. That said, I've done quite a bit of research on this because of my son's peanut allergies.

We're still trying to figure out the best approach because I want my ds to have the whole dorm experience. However, most colleges I've looked at will give exemptions to kids with dietary needs - allowing them to live in upperclass dorms or off campus so they can fix their own meals.

 

[LisaR]

That changes things. I was one of the responders who said most colleges seem to have a meal plan rule unless you are an upperclassman and live in an apartment style dorm. That said, I've done quite a bit of research on this because of my son's peanut allergies.

We're still trying to figure out the best approach because I want my ds to have the whole dorm experience. However, most colleges I've looked at will give exemptions to kids with dietary needs - allowing them to live in upperclass dorms or off campus so they can fix their own meals.

I totally forgot about my son! He is allergic to nuts, dairy, soy, eggs, shellfish and kiwi. He is only 12 so he really didn't enter into my mind when I originally posted this since we have a few more years before he leaves. He will definitely need some type of exemption.

 

[aristocatz]

Thanks for all the responses!

I have learned many things:

1. Things have changed more than I thought since I went to college.

2. I better save more money for the kids so they can have the meal plan.

3. My DD is going to starve because she is vegan and she hates eating out with a passion. She would much rather prepare her own food.

My college actually had quite a few options for vegans. We actually had 1 dining hall that only served vegan/vegetarian food! I went to a large state school, but you may want to research & see if there are options for her. If there are no options for her, you might be able to get her exempt from the meal plan, if they are not able to accomodate her special diet.

 

[daughtersrus]

I know that at IL State University if you live in a dorm, you are required to choose one of the meal plans.

 

[claudia]

Thanks for all the responses!

3. My DD is going to starve because she is vegan and she hates eating out with a passion. She would much rather prepare her own food.

well, can't help with the eating out thing, but at DS's school they have a huge vegetarian and vegan menu available 7 days a week.

 

[Allison]

Many schools have very good options for vegans and will work personally with students who have food allergies to accomodate their needs.

 

[MrsPete]

We were required to have a meal plan when I lived in a dorm.

With the facilities that we had, no other reasonable alternative existed: I lived in a dorm that held 480 students. We had ONE small kitchen (think 10x 5) on the first floor and ONE small kitchen in the basement. Even if you ignore the obvious problem of too many people and too little kitchen, I can't imagine anyone wanting to cart food up and down the elevator to cook it. We were allowed to have microwaves, but things that could heat oil/cause fires (i.e., electric skillets, etc.) weren't allowed -- fires in a high rise building . . . well, you can imagine. And then, if students were cooking in their rooms, the only place to clean up was the small bathroom sinks. I didn't know anyone with allergies, but I can only imagine that sharing a kitchen space would've been very dangerous for them. No way that would've worked -- not with the facilities we had.

We were required to have a meal plan. We had several large all-you-can-eat dining halls in various parts of the campus, and we had several little grill-type places in the Student Union, the Bookstore, and in a couple other heavy-traffic places.

At that time, I had the idea that I could've fed myself more cheaply than the meal plan. Then I moved into an apartment as a senior, and I found out that it cost MORE for me to cook, and it took up my time! Oops, I wasn't as smart as I thought.

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

I believe my school required it for freshmen and sophomores who lived in the dorms. We also had the debit type system with multiple food places to choose from, including chains and 24 hour type places. There were also multiple grocery markets. The minimum plan I believe was $1100/semester but you actually had to pay a fee for that, so I always got the $1200/semester. Luckily, anything not spent in Fall rolled into Spring but at the end of the year I always had a lot of money yet and I would buy a lot pop and water and other things for my family. Sophomore year I also was able to feed my boyfriend from time to time and still had a lot left over. You could only opt out of the plan if you had a medical condition or some other good reason.

 

[princess momma]

I was required to live in the dorms and purchase the meal plan my freshman year.

 

[ozarkmom]

My son's school does. They offer several different plans and he's not limited to just the cafeteria. There's a food court and coffee shops and the campus store etc.