Zach Mason, a senior studying sport management, estimates that he spends anywhere between $200 to $250 a month on groceries.
Though if Mason decided to purchase a "Traditional 10" Ohio University meal plan, as many upperclassmen choose to do, it would cost him about $460 a month.
“If you budget correctly and you just space out your food, you’re going to be fine,” Mason said.
After having a "30 Block" meal plan his junior year, Mason said he didn’t think continuing a meal plan going into his senior year would be necessary. The "Traditional 10" plan, which is primarily for students who have logged more than 30 credit hours and are living off-campus, allows 10 meals per week.
“I realized I didn’t need (a meal plan) as much as I thought I did. I kind of got it just based on never having an apartment before so I just felt like I still needed it because I wouldn’t be able to do without it,” Mason said.
Typically, a student’s dining hall days come to an end after sophomore year, when he or she leaves the dorms behind to move into his or her first house or apartment. However, some upperclassmen still want to enjoy the convenience of a hot meal being readily available on campus.
“I live pretty far off campus so I don’t want to have to keep walking home every time I’m hungry between classes,” Liana Huge, a junior studying international business, said.
Huge transferred to OU this fall, and is one of the upperclassmen that felt a meal plan was the best decision for her.
“I feel like cooking (for) yourself makes it easier to be more healthier — that’s just my opinion. Whenever I’m out and I’m hungry, I want fast food. But whenever I’m home, I want to eat something healthy,” Huge said.
While Huge said she is more than comfortable preparing home-cooked meals for herself, she thinks many students might still struggle with making food that’s not always prepackaged or frozen.
Budgeting for food, weekly grocery shopping and attempting to throw together a meal more gourmet than Ramen noodles can be an adjustment for first time, off-campus students.
Lauren Herron, a junior studying industrial systems engineering, said having the option to still purchase a meal plan might be able to help many newly independent off-campus students adjust.
“Junior year especially (is) people’s first time being on their own so it could be a lot harder for people to manage their money so they might not have enough for groceries or to go out to eat,” Herron said. “So I think having (a meal plan) junior year especially would be very helpful.”
Tori Lake, a junior studying marketing, decided she was able to cut ties with those dining hall days and is now preparing for her first year of cooking for herself.
“I think I just didn’t want to pay the extra money for it and I was excited to just cook for myself,” Lake said. “You have responsibilities of trying to maintain somewhat of a healthy lifestyle on your own without your parents there.”
Lake said not having those easy-to-grab temptations from the dining halls will be a big plus for eating healthier this year.
“I’m really good at shopping so like if it’s not in the house, I obviously can’t eat it,” Lake said. “That’s the difference ... (is) if I don’t have it, there’s no way I can eat unhealthy.”
When it came down to what was on the menu for Lake’s first night making dinner in her new apartment, Lake said pizza rolls were the main course.
Weighing the financial aspects of a meal plan versus no meal plan is only part of the decision making process. For some upperclassmen, Herron said the dining hall is a place of nostalgia, and parting ways with the place that gave them countless group dinners and endless Shively grilled cheeses can be a tough goodbye.
“We would stay there so long even after we were done eating until they kicked us out,” Herron said. “Whenever we were done we would just hang out unless we had class or had to go somewhere … you met so many people there.”
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