We’ve all made the decision to move out of the residence halls so we can experience off-campus housing, and, in exchange we have a new set of responsibilities and accompanying questions. One of the most common concerns about moving off-campus is how we’re going get our meals. Do you have the time to cook for yourself? Should you split your meals between take out and cooking? Unfortunately, your budget often limits your food intake. Going grocery shopping, food preparation, and cleaning adds a lot of time to your schedule that you never had to consider when you were able to eat at a dining hall in between class or after a long day of classes and studying.
Have no fear! University Dining offers meal plan options to students living off-campus. It can be a good solution to many of the problems that stem from foraging for food as an off-campus student. With just one swipe, students can have access to multiple types of food, all in one place. That’s a luxury most of us don’t have access to on a daily basis (without a meal plan). During lunch you can eat a serving of pasta, have a bowl of soup, snack on some sushi, and enjoy a turkey sandwich all at the same time. Dining halls also provide the nutrition information for their meals, so students always know what nutrients they are consuming.
Dining offers a selection of meal plans that fulfill all types of budgets. All of the meal plans, excluding the unlimited plans, include dining dollars—electronic cash—to spend in residential dining halls and cafes, Union eateries, athletic concession stands and many other locations. You also have the option to purchase Blue Bucks, which can be used in the same way as dining dollars, except they are valid in a few other locations such as Siegel’s Café in the Ross School of Business.
Adding a meal plan or Blue Bucks is a choice you really won’t regret and you won’t have to worry about where your next meal is going to come from.
Housing Contributed by: Lauren Ingram