Post by Jasmine Roscoe

courtesy of University Dining

Fact: First year students that are living on campus are required to have a meal plan.

When I first heard this as an incoming student I was terrified. My mind was flooded with thoughts about all the terrible cafeteria food I witnessed on TV shows and movies about college life. Unfortunately, dining during orientation didn’t do much to relieve my fears. However, when I officially arrived for the beginning of freshman year I learned about all of the possibilities my meal plan had to offer. Even though nothing is as good as home cooking, all of the dining options NC State has to offer can make you forget you’re eating on a college campus.

The Dining Halls

NC State has 3 “traditional” dining halls: Fountain, Clark and Case.  Depending on campus location, students usually choose one to dine at regularly. (Case is only available to limited portion of the student population.) The first great thing about the dining halls is that you can check what’s on the menu for each dining hall for up to a week! This is a great way to plan your meals, especially if you have a favorite meal coming up. (The pasta bar is my personal favorite.) My overall favorite part about eating at the dining halls is attending a specialty event. The dining halls serve specialty meals for Halloween, Thanksgiving, the Winter Holidays, Valentine’s Day, and more. The Winter Feast has such a great reputation that even professors show up to enjoy a plate!

Meal Equivalences

As a College of Textile student I learned very quickly I had to be creative with my meal plans. Students also on Centennial Campus at the College of Engineering can enjoy the new Innovation Café. However, Textile students have a more unique situation. With the presence of Port City Java and the Shuttle Inn Café (C-Store), textile students are able get food using their meal plans. This is all possible with meal equivalences. Meal equivalences are set dollar amounts that a student has available during each meal period to use at any of the alternative eateries on campus. Most students use these when eating at the Atrium. The danger of this amazing option is going over the dollar limit. If you go over and have Board Bucks (additional money used for dining that is usually part of your meal plan) they will compensate for the overage. During my freshman year I relied heavily on the Board Bucks to compensate and used them all by mid-semester. Oops! Thankfully, you (or your parents) can add more Board Bucks at anytime, but it’s best to not abuse them. When the end of the semester rolls around you’ll be glad you still have Board Bucks to go to the C-Store, Hill of Beans or other alternative places on campus for more studying fuel.

Meals-Per-Week Plans

My final tip for students with a meal plan is to use all of the meals! If you choose to have a certain number (8, 10, 12 or 14) of meals a week, remember to use them all. Unlike Board Bucks, meals under those plans do not roll over from week to week. During my first semester I was guilty of not using all of my meals during a week, and not keeping up with the meal periods. Unfortunately, this resulted in wasted meals. As a college student you’ll learn to never pass up a meal, especially when it’s already paid for! Instead of wasting meals, a lot of students find a place on campus to just pick up food and eat later. The dining halls even have a take-out option for students on the go.

View the full list of On Campus Dining Locations

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Images courtesy of NC State University Dining

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