Just 12.1 percent of undergraduates purchased the SmartChoice20 plan this term, compared to the 32.5 percent who purchased it in fall 2013. For the past three years, a consistent portion of students who purchased the SmartChoice20 meal plan in the fall has opted for smaller and cheaper meal plans in the winter.
The lower number of students opting for the SmartChoice20 plan marks a 62.8 percent drop from fall term, according to data provided by College spokesperson Justin Anderson, who said enrollment patterns have been consistent since SmartChoice meal plans debuted in fall 2011.
The SmartChoice20 plan, the most expensive of Dartmouth Dining Services’ nine available options, is required for all freshmen during their first term at the College. Starting winter term, freshmen may select a meal plan of their choice, which explains the decline, Anderson said.
The SmartChoice20 plan gives students 20 meal swipes per week and $100 in DBA for the term, and costs $1,798 per term for the 2013-2014 academic year.
The College requires students to purchase the largest meal plan during their first term because it believes they may not know which meal plan suits them best, Anderson said.
“Dartmouth and college in general can be quite overwhelming at the start, and there are many decisions that students have to make,” he said. “Dartmouth wants to take one of those decisions off the table at the outset while ensuring that students have the opportunity to get the nutrition and the sustenance they need.”
Anderson also said the requirement may increase the likelihood that freshmen will eat together, contributing to class unity.
“A sense of community and a sense of belonging is something we’re trying to promote,” Anderson said. “Having all first-term students eat together on a regular basis promotes that kind of community feeling.”
Aiko Laski ’17 said that although she would have likely elected a different option for the winter, she forgot to change her meal plan. While she said she did not mind the SmartChoice20 plan and often used all her meal swipes each week, Laski said she has found it more difficult to use her them this term because of her busy schedule.
“It’s hard to pay attention to meals when you have clubs and extracurriculars,” she said. “You realize later that you’re either really negative in DBA or you never used your meal swipes.”
Maggie Leech ’17 said that she and many of her friends were eager to switch to smaller meal plans for winter term.
The SmartChoice5 plan allows five swipes per week and gives $920 in DBA, while the BlockChoice45 consists of 45 meal swipes for the whole term along with $920 in DBA. Both are $228 cheaper than the SmartChoice20 plan.
Leech said she prefers the BlockChoice45 plan because of its flexibility. The SmartChoice20 plan was “annoying” because it was both the most expensive option and the plan that made it easiest to accrue negative DBA, she said.
Although his friends switched meal plans this term, Philip Dytko ’17 said he chose to remain on the SmartChoice20 plan because it allows him to get the most food for his money by making it easier to eat at the Class of 1953 Commons.
“If I go to Collis or the Hop and I order the same amount of food, it turns out to be a meal swipe plus three or four extra bucks,” he said.
The College should allow students to use more than one swipe per meal period and elect different meal plans their first term, he said.
