Senior accounting and finance major
Managing a dining plan is one of the most difficult tasks students face at this university. There are so many kinds of points; the hours constantly change, and the menu options are always in flux. Even though I’m in my eighth semester of having a meal plan, I’ve only just figured out how to make my meal plan work for me. To save you the time and agony, here is my experience-tested method for making the most of your dining points.
First, save all your dining points for the end of the semester. Finals week is the best time to spend your extra dining points. Adele’s will be extra crowded, so you’ll get to spend three quality hours waiting in line with your 20 friends. The dining halls will basically have only pizza left, and what’s better than a week of eating nothing but pizza? And if you don’t end up using all your points, the extras will go back to Dining Services, who you can trust will use the money to make everyone’s dining experiences better in the future.
Second, spend almost all of your Terp Bucks at the beginning of the semester. Get toilet paper, school supplies, drinks and those eccentric organic snacks that cost way too much. That way, you won’t have to worry about figuring out where to get food toward the end of the semester — you won’t have any other options. The sooner you run out of Terp Bucks, the sooner you can enjoy the worry-free life of eating every meal, every day, at the dining halls.
Third, never go to 251 North, Seasons 12, or any of the special “taste of” meals. These are all a trap. Sure, they have much better food at reasonable prices, but think about how much worse you’ll feel when your next meal is back at the dining hall. Is having a single good meal really worth the week of sadness that will follow? No, it isn’t.
Fourth, always go to the dining hall at exactly dinnertime. Dinnertime is the best time to be in a dining hall. The food is more hastily prepared. You’ll end up sitting at a table with — and possibly befriending — complete strangers. You, and the 20 people in line in front of you, get to watch nostalgically as some poor freshman spends 10 minutes figuring out how to order a sandwich. Though there will be many meal options — too many, in my opinion — each of the options will have a long line, so you can feel confident you’re not alone in making your particular dinner selection.
Finally, and this is crucial, never be courteous to the dining hall staff. Sure, they work long days, but that’s no excuse for the terrible food they sometimes serve. Each and every staff member is individually accountable for the quality of the food they serve, whether or not they make it. You might be tempted to be friendly — they are human beings, technically — but do your best to stifle this weakness. Staff members will only learn to be better if we punish them for each and every mistake they make — that’s simple science.
If you follow these steps, I guarantee you will have the most proper college dining plan experience possible. You will enjoy every meal, no matter how much you overpaid for it. Your dining plan is a significant element of your college life — be sure to always make the most of it.
Ezra Fishman is a senior accounting and finance major. He can be reached at efishmandbk@gmail.com.
