DINING HALL
Dining is an important part of college life. Food is in dorms halls, in study groups, in campus activities and events, not to mention dining halls or cafeterias. On many campuses food is available at almost any hour of the day, and when it is not available through the college, there are often local businesses that will deliver food to campus at late hours to serve students who are up studying, partying, or hanging out. Having the multitude of the food choices that are available on campus can be very exciting.
Learn more about college dining by following the links below:
Meal Plans
Many students pay for a meal plan to eat in the campus dining halls.Different colleges set up their meal plans in different ways and prices vary based on your college and the meal plan that you select.Some colleges provide all-you-can-eat dining for students, others let you add a certain amount of dollars to your plan and then deducts money at each meal.Meal plans may provide you with a certain number of meals each week (for example, 21 meals if you want 3 meals a day 7 days a week), or may allow you more flexibility in selecting when you want to eat and how much you would like for each meal.
Most colleges will ask you (or your parents) to pay for the meal plan at the start of each year, or the start of each semester.It’s a good idea to talk with your parents about selecting a meal plan or dining card that will work best for you.
Some colleges have deals with local restaurants and food stores and you will be able to use your dining card off campus, in addition to dining halls at the college itself.If you have this option, it can give you great opportunities to explore new places, leave campus and be out in the community, and try food that you would not usually get on campus.
If you are a commuter student, you can ask at your college whether there is a different meal plan available for you.Some colleges will offer meal plans for commuters that just include lunch, for example, in case you plan to eat breakfast and dinner off campus.If your school has a lounge for commuters, you may be able to find a microwave or refrigerator for storing food too.
You can click on dining service webpages of the following colleges to see some examples of how meal plans are set-up:
Quinnipiac University: Meal Plan
Virginia State University: Meal Plans for Residents and Commuter Students
University of Albany: Meal Plan
Connecticut College: Meal Plan
Dining Options
More than ever before colleges and universities are offering a wide variety of options for campus dining. Many campuses have multiple restaurants or dining halls where students can find different types of food. Almost all colleges now offer a range of vegetarian and healthier foods. Some colleges will also offer different ethnic foods, food that is kosher, and meals for students with different dietary needs.
The Boston Globe published this article in 2005 about changes in the way colleges approach dining.
For examples of different dining halls and menu options at some college campuses, click on the links below:
In addition to traditional campus dining, many students keep mini-refrigerators and microwaves in their dorm rooms. At the beginning of the school year you can talk with your roommates about what each of you are bringing (you probably don’t need two microwaves) and decide whether you want to have a refrigerator or microwave in your room. If you do want them, you can often rent them for the year from your college or buy them so that you can have them throughout college.
Here are some websites with directions for cooking things yourself in your dorm room:
10 things you can cook in your dorm room
Dorm Room Recipes – The
Keep in mind these Food Safety Tips when you’re storing food in your dorm room.
Healthy Eating
With all of the food choices available, healthy eating on a college campus can be a challenge. Particularly for students who are eating away from home for the first time, it may be your first time choosing healthy foods and figuring out how much and when to eat.
Luckily, there are some books and articles available with tips on eating well at college. Here are some suggestions:
The College Students’ Guide to Eating Well on Campus by Ann Litt
Click here for an excerpt from the book.
The Center for Young Women’s Health at Children’s Hospital Boston provides tips on healthy college eating including having a balanced diet, healthy snacks, and finding time for exercise, click here for College Eating and Fitness 101. The
According to the National Institute of Health, 0.5 – 3.7% of women and girls develop anorexia nervosa, 1.1 – 4.2% develop bulimia nervosa. About 0.5% of women with anorexia die of the illness each year. Click here for a website on healthy living that focuses on body image and eating disorders that may develop in college. For a list of early warning signs go to the Anorexia and Related Eating Disorders webpage.
If you are concerned about body image or healthy eating, contact the Student Health Services at your college.