The DO'S and DON'T'S of College Dining

Let's be real - you're going to spend a fair amount of time in the dining hall. Not only do you get all your meals there, but you head there at random hours to study, it's great for people watching, and your roommate seems to always drag you along when she wants ice cream late at night. You spend a ton more time in the dining hall than anyone would thing. How do we navigate this world? With a map.

Just kidding. But all jokes aside, college dining is an art. Let's get to it.

... pick an unlimited meal plan. I know so many people who went back and forth to the dining hall 100 times during the first week only to realize that the seven-meals-a-week plan wasn't for them. You're going to spend a lot more time in the dining hall than you think, so go for it and get the unlimited plan. Especially if there's no cost difference, you won't regret having the option to go more frequently.

... eat the same things every day. The biggest issue for me was keeping myself interested and not feeling queasy every time I hit the dining hall. To do this, it's important to eat a variety of food instead of the same stuff every day. Some of my friends ate pizza, grilled cheese, or yogurt every single day and I know for sure that I would have gotten tired of that. If you're not too picky of an eater, try to eat something different every day and rotate what you order at mealtime. It will hold your interest longer and make you miss home food less.

... stock up on basics from the dining hall. Apples, bananas, and oranges were standard at all times in my dining hall. This is such a blessing because you can carry some fruit out with you and bring it back to your room. They make the perfect late night snack - no warming up, cooking, or utensils required! 

... miss out on specialty days or fancy meals. I don't know about every school, but mine had a special Sterling Brunch twice a semester complete with a live band and really great food. If your school has something similar, don't miss it for anything. The food is always so much better (usually this aligns with Parent's Weekend or other events where grown-ups will be there) and you can eat as much as your heart desires. Once again, this breaks up the monotony of normal dining hall food, and you'll be thankful for something different.

... switch up your dining hall. If you have multiple dining halls on campus, change it up! You don't always have to go to the same dining hall for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Grab a quick bite for lunch at a university cafe, and then hit the main hall for dinnertime. For breakfast you can even shop for groceries like granola bars, cereal and eggs that you make in your dorm room (if you're lucky enough to have a kitchen). One of the most important things to note about dining halls is that no matter how good the food is, eating too much of the same thing always gets boring. 

... underestimate the basics. There are days when I could spend 20 minutes wandering around wondering what in the world some of the stews, soups, and concoctions of the dining hall were. On days like these, bite the bullet and grab the pizza, the pasta, or the salad. Those are pretty hard to mess up, and you'll be better off having something that looks familiar than not liking a more adventurous food and being hungry all night.

... keep track of your dining dollars. This is so important. Dining dollars either disappear in the blink of an eye, or are stocked up until the last week of school and you struggle to spend them all. Keeping track of how many you have can give you an idea of how much you can spend on food each week, so that you don't blow all your money or get stuck scrambling during the last week.

... shop for groceries at your university convenience store. These stores always (I repeat, ALWAYS) jack up the prices on everything. When you're in a crunch, they work great and are super convenient, but for normal weekly groceries, try to get to a real supermarket or have groceries delivered to you. You'll save money on groceries that you can then use on more fun things!

... take advantage of all you can eat dining. Sometimes you need a solid full day of sitting in the dining hall - it's a great place to study at random hours when there's not many people around. For a single meal swipe, you can stay as long as you like, which means that you can load up on plates and plates of food if you so choose. That also means you get first dibs on food when the transition from meal to meal, and there's nothing quite so satisfying as getting the fresh, warm food instead of what's already been picked over.

... let it get boring! It's up to you to keep things interesting. Don't let college dining be a bore. There are tons of ways to make it interesting; it's up to you to make the most out of your dining experience and branch out a little bit!