If you're anything like me, the word "food" holds a huge place in your heart. When you first go off to college, figuring out the meal plan is oddly confusing. When I was a Freshman at VCU, I didn't quite understand it - and I spent all my dining dollars at Taco Bell within the first month. Tip #1: Don't do that. So without further ado, I will lay out the basics and throw some tips your way to prevent any future confusion:

Swipes vs. Dining Dollars

Swipes: 1 swipe = 1 meal. Swipes are primarily used at Shafer or within the Meal Exchange Program, which I'll get into later. As a freshman, you'll have way more swipes than you'll know what to do with.

Dining Dollars: This is essentially cash that can be used at any of the VCU retail dining locations, such as Starbucks. You can add more dining dollars to your plan at any point during the year.

The most common freshman meal plan is 200 swipes + $300 dining dollars per semester. This is what the majority of my friends and I had.

Meal Exchange Program

VCU has a superb meal exchange program. There are a bunch of places where you can purchase a meal for one swipe. This allows you to use up your of swipes a places like Chick-fil-A or Taco Bell.

These are the most popular destinations:

Chick-fil-A:

Location: Student Commons

When: Saturday

Swipe: entree, fries, and a drink

Subway:

Location: Student Commons

When: Sunday

Swipe: select 6" subs, chips and a drink

Croutons:

Location: W. Grace St.

When: Everyday

Swipe: salad or wrap, chips or fruit, and a water

Bleecker Street Cafe:

Location: Snead Hall

When: everyday

Swipe: a sandwich or soup, chips and a drink

Panda Express:

Location: W. Grace Street

When: everyday after 5 P.M.

Swipe: an entree and a drink

Einstein Bros Bagel:

Location: Shafer Dining Court

When: M-F after 5 P.M.

Swipe: a bagel, sandwich or salad, chips or yogurt, and soft drink or coffee

Shafer: What To Eat

Shafer is your typical college dining hall. Sometimes it is really good and sometimes it is really, really bad; it depends on the day and who you ask. Shafer serves a variety of food for every meal. There is a vegetarian/vegan bar-- I'm not even a vegetarian and you can still find me there everyday. If you're worried about gaining the Freshmen 15, the salad bar has a wide selection as well. There's always pizza. The sushi, which is made right in front of you, is usually my go-to. I'll warn you though, it does cost an extra swipe. There is an assortment of cereal available at any time of day. There's always fresh cookies, which are delicious. Basically, there's something for everyone at Shafer, so take advantage of your options!

Now, to finish off, I'll leave you with some pointers that I wish I had known:

• Don't use all your dining dollars at Starbucks. If anything, save them for finals week and splurge on coffee then.
• You can not swipe at three different places within an hour. The system won't let you. I had to learn the hard way, and I ended up having to wait an hour to eat.
• You only have a certain number of guest swipes, so don't let older students pressure you to swipe them (which they will).
• Everything is good in moderation. When I first got to college, I overate like crazy because there was so much to try. After an entire month of this, however, I definitely gained some weight. The Freshman 15 is real, so proceed with caution.
• Be sure to take advantage of the Meal Exchange Program.
• Swipes and dining dollars do not carry over to the next semester, so get rid of them!
• You will definitely miss your momma's home cookin', so enjoy those last meals at home!