A meal plan is something that all students must consider when getting into school. While some students embrace this idea with open arms, others think meal plans are not worth it.
However, if you have considered meal plans and are unsure if they are an excellent choice, please read this article until the end.
It discusses meal plans, their pros and cons, and other vital information.
What is a College Meal Plan?
College meal plans were created to ensure students do not lack what to eat, especially if they cannot cook.
While many have brandished meal plans to be a terrible idea, some students still see them as a great way to guarantee a steady food supply.
Meal plans are highly recommended for students that rarely have time to visit the local grocery store.
It ensures that students eat up to three times a day and get the energy they need for reading and other extracurricular activities.
Meal plans are arranged in a way that students have the liberty to pick any meal they desire from the available options.
However, some schools that adopt the point system for meal plans do so to enable them to control students’ choices in the cafeteria.
Once a student is on a meal plan, any meal they have is deducted from the number of meals they subscribed to. Colleges do not refund students’ money if they cancel their meal plans.
Who Are Meal Plans Meant For?
Older students can opt not to subscribe to a meal plan in most schools. On the other hand, meal plans are popularly made compulsory for first-year students.
Old students who don’t subscribe to a meal plan can cook meals and purchase groceries themselves.
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What is the Ideal Meal Plan Option?
Except you are a foodie that eats almost round the clock, the ideal plan should contain 7-12 meals every week, excluding Sundays.
This arrangement is available for $150 to $300 at most schools.
Are Meal Plans A Good Idea?
College students who purchase a meal plan can use it in the dining facilities in their dorms, student unions, and other campus buildings.
They may access an infinite number of meals per semester or a set number per meal plan.
Meal plans range in price from school to school. Most dorm undergraduates purchase a meal plan, especially at colleges that mandate first-year students to live on campus.
Additionally, a meal plan may not be a good idea because some plans may not include all meals. Meal arrangements at universities cost students around $5,000 per year.
That’s a lot more than the standard grocery bill would be. Students can only save money with meal plans provided they make good use of the benefits they provide.
If you are a student, check the prices of your meals regularly to see if the meal plan would save you money.
Nonetheless, boarding students at specific universities are expected to pony out for meal plans.
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Advantages Of Buying A Meal Plan
Even though many college students don’t view meal plans as a good thing, here are some of the things you would gain if you buy a meal plan in college:
1. No need to cook
Buying a meal plan keeps you from cooking. It can be perfect if you lack basic cooking skills or hate cooking. Also, a meal plan is a no-brainer for you if you stay in a hostel with no kitchen.
Additionally, since most meal plans allow you to choose from a wide variety of meals each time you want to eat, a meal plan will enable you to eat more healthily and prevent you from eating one or two specific meals throughout the week.
2. Time-saving
The time-saving factor is another reason many college students opt for meal plans. As a university student, it is not a secret that you barely have time for yourself.
From group projects to assignments, some programs can be so taxing that all you do is sleep, class, read, rinse, and repeat throughout weekdays.
However, if you are on a meal plan and have short free time, rather than cooking, you can visit a place within the city that everyone talks about or see a movie with your friends.
3. No need for groceries
Subscribing to a meal plan is a great way to close the door to grocery shopping.
Going to the local store every three days to shop for groceries can take so much of your time, which could have been better spent studying or completing an assignment.
Also, grocery shopping can be so stressful for anyone that doesn’t have a personal car to transport all the things they have bought to their residence.
And making a budget for grocery shopping requires some work on its own.
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Disadvantages Of Buying A Meal Plan
Here are some of the disadvantages of buying a meal plan:
1. Limited options
Although many schools treat students to various choices whenever they go to the cafeteria to eat using their meal plan, this is not always the case at every school.
If your school has a timetable they follow for meal plan services, you can lose interest in eating altogether in the long run.
It does not matter if they change the calendar every two weeks; sometimes, the food you crave may not be available on the menu, which can push you to spend money at a restaurant.
On the other hand, when you cook for yourself, you can do your recipe the way you love and add ingredients that fascinate you.
2. Dinning does not run for 24 hours
School cafeterias don’t run round the clock.
This is one of the most significant disadvantages of buying a meal plan because you will not eat at your convenience, especially at night.
On the other hand, if you opt to cook your meals against buying a meal plan, you won’t run out of food and can always cook something when you are hungry if you don’t have any food left.
However, school cafeterias have a fixed time when they close, and skipping a study class to go and eat can be discomforting.
3. Huge expenses
Meal plans are not cheap in any way. Although some affordable options exist, such as those attached to accommodation fees, meal plans generally cost a lot of money.
On the other hand, if you don’t buy a meal plan, you will spend an average of $800 every semester on grocery shopping, a far cry from the $1600 an average meal plan costs in many schools.
Spending so much money as a student on food alone can make you run into so much debt, affecting you even when you graduate.
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Things You Must Know About Cooking Alone As A Student
Here are some of the things you must know as a student if you decide to cook your meals:
1. Budget
Choosing to cook your meals as a student comes with budgeting. You must calculate how much money you have and what you will spend every week before drawing up a grocery shopping budget.
This will prevent you from overspending, leaving you dry of money to handle the costs of books and other pressing needs.
2. Do the dishes
If you don’t like to do the dishes, choosing to cook your meals over buying a meal plan is not a good choice.
If you choose to cook your meals, you must be prepared to wash your plates after eating so you don’t pile up dishes that will leave a stench in your room.
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3. Personal choices
When you are in charge of cooking your meals, you can cook what you like, when you like, and eat it at any time. This can allow you to draw your schedule the way you desire.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) On Meal Plans
Carnivore diet, Atkins, cleanse diets, keto diet, Whole30, and Paleo-Vegan are the diets to avoid if you don’t want to gain weight.
You can develop heart disease, cancer, or infertility if you fail to plan your meals adequately.
Chad is the country with the world’s healthiest diet.
Armenia has the worst diet in the world.
Conclusion
As a college student, you have probably considered purchasing a meal plan at least once. While many students are enthusiastic about this concept, others argue it wastes money.
If you’re on the fence about whether or not to sign up for a meal plan, this article should have given you enough information to make an informed decision.
But think about your cooking and dishwashing abilities, as well as your ability to shop and budget on your own, before making a decision.
Awesome one; I hope this article answers your question.
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