To meal plan or not to meal that is the question. Seminole Dining meal package plans range from all-you-can-eat all seven days of the week, to options that only have sixty-five swipes. Living on campus in a dorm, my roommate and I both purchased a Weekly 10 plan. With this, we had 10 meal swipes that reset every week, and three hundred and fifty dining dollars to use at campus dining locations. My roommate and I had very different experiences because when I often found myself running out of swipes she would have several left at the end of the week. When asking fellow students their opinion on the meal plan, I found that there is no general consensus. Whether you like it or not depends completely on your preferences. When deciding if a meal plan is right for you first consider the options you’re given.
You can use your swipes at one of the two main dining halls around campus, or use them as a cash equivalency at one of the on-campus restaurants. The dining halls get very mixed reviews from the student body. I use about half of my swipes at the dining halls each week. There is always a consistent pizza, pasta, burger, fruit, and salad station at the Suwannee Room. They have a vegan station, homestyle station, and true balance that have new things every day. Although there are many foods to choose from, students with more dietary restrictions may find the options to be limited. All meal swipes can be exchanged for $6.50 at any of the on restaurants. Some of my favorites are Panda Express, Vato Tacos, Einstein Bros. Bagels, and Chick-fil-a. These places were very exciting at first, but I did have to get creative with my orders to avoid getting sick of the food. I would encourage you to visit one of the dining halls first to get a feel for the environment, and taste test the dishes before making your decision.
The Weekly 10 works for me because I enjoy eating out at restaurants with my friends and I am able to go buy groceries. Each dorm comes with a mini fridge/freezer and a microwave. I often buy frozen meals to make or buy lunch meat and cheese for sandwiches. Each dorm floor has a community kitchen and you can rent pans at the front desk if you up for cooking your meals. I once saw a kid in my dorm roll a cart of kitchen supplies through the hallway to the kitchen, and thought this was a very smart idea. If you don’t feel like you could operate within the constraints of dorm cooking, one of the higher meal plans would be worth it for you. If you try out the on-campus options and don’t frequently visit them again then a smaller plan or no plan would work best for you. Keep in mind that if you purchase a plan for fall, you’re locked in it for the spring semester as well, so sadly you can’t give it a test run. I hope you find what works for you because remember food is fuel!
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