Meal Plan Advice for Incoming Frosh

Listen up 2014!  Co-Chair of Student Dining Committee Zach Malter ’13 on yer future noms:

The Meal Plan selection deadline of August 1st is fast approaching. As an incoming student, the WSA wants to make sure you have as much information as possible so you can make an informed decision. We hope this letter will help you choose the Meal Plan best suited to your lifestyle.

Wesleyan offers four Meal Plan options for freshmen: Block 135 (the default plan), Block 165, Block 210, and Block 285. The overwhelming majority of freshmen choose Block 135: this spring, after frosh had a semester to figure out their dining habits, 83.4% of frosh selected the Block 135 plan.

The reason Block 135 is so popular is that it provides the most “points” of any Meal Plan. “Points,” unlike “Meals”, can be used at any dining location on campus including Pi Café, Weshop, WesWings , Usdan Café, and Red and Black Cafe. In comparison, “Meals” can only be used at the two traditional dining hall locations (Usdan Marketplace and Summerfields). All grab-and-go sandwiches, a la carte items, coffee, sushi, breakfast pastries, snacks, and groceries, plus all other items not sold at Usdan Marketplace or Summerfields, can only be purchased with “Points.” For the greater flexibility afforded by more “points”, most students favor the Block 135 plan.

Even students who chose Block 135 usually have extra “Meals” left over (this spring the average frosh on block 135 had over 21 unused “Meals”). Block 135 provided more than enough “Meals” for most students on the plan. Very few students, even on the Block 135, end up running out of “Meals”. “Points”, conversely, often run out, especially for students not on the Block 135 plan.

Block 135 may not be the best plan for everybody—three alternative plans exist with a greater ratio of “meals” to “points”—but we want to make sure you are aware that Block 135 is the best plan for most students.

If you have any further questions about the Meal Plan selection process, or the Wesleyan dining program, feel free to contact Zach Malter (Dining Committee Chair) at zmalter@wesleyan.edu or the WSA at wsa@wesleyan.edu

Bon Appétit or just Dig In!

This entry was written by Marina, posted on July 14, 2010 at 12:09 AM, filed under Campus Life, Food, WSA. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.
  • anon

    Every single year, the cost of our meal plan increases by about 5%. Due to inflation, the number of points Bon Appetit charges for goods at weshop and pi cafe also increases every year. Yet the number of points we get has remained nearly stagnant for 3 years. Every year, we pay more money for almost the same number of points; simultaneously, each year, the amount we can buy with our points decreases.

    Disclaimer: The WSA did negotiate a 4% increase in the number of points for next year – the first increase in 3 years. It was a good start, but not nearly enough.

    -WSA member who thinks the student leadership didn’t fight hard enough

  • anon

    Every single year, the cost of our meal plan increases by about 5%. Due to inflation, the number of points Bon Appetit charges for goods at weshop and pi cafe also increases every year. Yet the number of points we get has remained nearly stagnant for 3 years. Every year, we pay more money for almost the same number of points; simultaneously, each year, the amount we can buy with our points decreases.

    Disclaimer: The WSA did negotiate a 4% increase in the number of points for next year – the first increase in 3 years. It was a good start, but not nearly enough.

    -WSA member who thinks the student leadership didn’t fight hard enough

  • @ 6

    No, as an upper classperson it doesn’t make sense to go to the grocery store or eat around Middletown because you still have to be on a meal plan with points that you can only use on campus. If you’re referring to Weshop as a grocery store, fine, but it’s certainly not cheap. There’s no getting around eating on campus any year you’re at Wes without wasting a shitload of money.

  • @ 6

    No, as an upper classperson it doesn’t make sense to go to the grocery store or eat around Middletown because you still have to be on a meal plan with points that you can only use on campus. If you’re referring to Weshop as a grocery store, fine, but it’s certainly not cheap. There’s no getting around eating on campus any year you’re at Wes without wasting a shitload of money.

  • @ ’13

    Obvious Bon Appetit employee post is obvious.

    Points are the best value b/c you don’t have to eat food that’ll give you the shits all the time, like in Usdan.

  • @ ’13

    Obvious Bon Appetit employee post is obvious.

    Points are the best value b/c you don’t have to eat food that’ll give you the shits all the time, like in Usdan.

  • ’13

    I actually know a lot of frosh who ran out of meals during the first semester last year. First semester it might actually be a better idea to buy a plan with more meals, at least until you find what places other than Usdan and Summerfields you like the best and figure out a dining routine. You can also argue that the meal plan with the most meals is the best value, because a meal at Usdan is all you can eat. Finally, you can always add more points to your plan assuming you or your parents are willing to pay for it.

  • ’13

    I actually know a lot of frosh who ran out of meals during the first semester last year. First semester it might actually be a better idea to buy a plan with more meals, at least until you find what places other than Usdan and Summerfields you like the best and figure out a dining routine. You can also argue that the meal plan with the most meals is the best value, because a meal at Usdan is all you can eat. Finally, you can always add more points to your plan assuming you or your parents are willing to pay for it.

  • #24

    @5: But the point is after freshman or sophomore year you don’t have to, you can buy much cheaper food at a grocery store. Hell, even restaurants are about as affordable as the wes meal plan.

  • #24

    @5: But the point is after freshman or sophomore year you don’t have to, you can buy much cheaper food at a grocery store. Hell, even restaurants are about as affordable as the wes meal plan.

  • anon

    @#2:
    then perhaps you should visit a school where there is no real meal plan and eat their crappy food. You pay for catering services at Wesleyan, and we get served decent food and food services (e.g. cafes, wesshop, all that are included in your plan) here. Again, I implore you to visit other schools where there is no “meal plan” and eat their garbage.

  • anon

    @#2:
    then perhaps you should visit a school where there is no real meal plan and eat their crappy food. You pay for catering services at Wesleyan, and we get served decent food and food services (e.g. cafes, wesshop, all that are included in your plan) here. Again, I implore you to visit other schools where there is no “meal plan” and eat their garbage.

  • ANONON

    The cafe in Usdan on the first floor sells individual items which you can purchase with points or cash. They usually sells soups, sandwiches, wraps, salads and lots of other stuff.

  • ANONON

    The cafe in Usdan on the first floor sells individual items which you can purchase with points or cash. They usually sells soups, sandwiches, wraps, salads and lots of other stuff.

  • anon

    nope, the only way to get one item is to use a meal or purchase an entire meal with real $$ or points

  • anon

    nope, the only way to get one item is to use a meal or purchase an entire meal with real $$ or points

  • anf

    Can you use points instead of a meal swipe at Usdan Marketplace if you just wanted to get one item, like a pizza? Is there pizza sold at any of the other eating options besides Usdan Marketplace?

  • anf

    Can you use points instead of a meal swipe at Usdan Marketplace if you just wanted to get one item, like a pizza? Is there pizza sold at any of the other eating options besides Usdan Marketplace?

  • anon

    meal plan is a fucking scam. forces us to buy meals we have no intention of using.

  • anon

    meal plan is a fucking scam. forces us to buy meals we have no intention of using.