What if you HATE the food that you think is going to be on the meal plan when you go away to college?
So they force the students to have a meal plan apparently.
What if the student is used to having organic fruits and vegetables, and gluten free food and the student is on a special diet and cannot eat the junk that they most likely have with the meal plan that the school makes mandatory that the student buys.
So when the student goes away to a 4 year college, what kind of food does the meal plan usually include and what if the student most likely cannot eat the food on the meal plan ?
If you’re on a special diet for medical reasons you can most likely get an exemption from the meal plan because of it, but you should ask someone at the school. If you’re on a special diet by your own choice you might be out of luck. I know that my vegan friends at school were able to eat on the meal plan, but they had to educate themselves very carefully about what options were typically available on the menu and choose accordingly. I seem to remember that at least one of my schools was pretty good about offering options for people with major food allergies (e.g. gluten-free food, nut-free food) but I seriously doubt you’re going to have totally organic options. It would probably be a good idea to ask someone at your future school for more detailed information on what kinds of things are included in your school’s meal plan before pursuing other options.
There is usually the opportunity to choose to buy your own food. No one is forced to eat the college food (ie, they aren`t going to `force-feed` you!)
But of course, it is more expensive to buy your own every day.
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Which country is this in?
It’s not like that in any place I’ve ever been, and I’ve been to so many schools and colleges in my time that I’ve lost count.
If you are in the US then it’s a legal requirement for them to cater for special dietary needs. The must provide a vegetarian and/or vegan option, and they must label food with allergy information such as gluten and nuts.
They also don’t force you to eat anything that you don’t want to. College isn’t like high school. Most campuses will provide you with multiple food options in the cafeteria and you still have the option of going to a local restaurant or food court.
Last time I was in dorms I went self catering. I shared kitchen with 5 other students and could eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. I rarely ever ate in the cafeteria.
Even the Chinese university that I was staying in didn’t force you to eat a set menu. you got a large selection of fresh food and could go to the local market to buy your own if you wanted.
I think that you may be confusing college with boarding school.
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If you’re on a special diet for medical reasons you can most likely get an exemption from the meal plan because of it, but you should ask someone at the school. If you’re on a special diet by your own choice you might be out of luck. I know that my vegan friends at school were able to eat on the meal plan, but they had to educate themselves very carefully about what options were typically available on the menu and choose accordingly. I seem to remember that at least one of my schools was pretty good about offering options for people with major food allergies (e.g. gluten-free food, nut-free food) but I seriously doubt you’re going to have totally organic options. It would probably be a good idea to ask someone at your future school for more detailed information on what kinds of things are included in your school’s meal plan before pursuing other options.
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Sometimes you will be surprised, may be worth a visit to see what the food actually is?
At my school the meal plan was only mandatory for first year students living on campus (and quite over priced if you ask me). There must be options for students to opt out in special circumstances (vegetarians, kosher meals, etc.)
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