Dining Bucks

If you're worried about running out of dining bucks at Boston College, DON'T. I'm serious. If you don't have an oven in your room you will receive a mandatory meal plan of $2200 per semester. You will also receive $125 flex dollars that you can use for things like the vending machine, concessions at games, and treats at the Chocolate Bar. This money rolls over to second semester if not used up in the first. In addition it gets carried over from spring to fall.

However, this is not true for dining bucks. Although they do roll over to second semester, they get completely erased after spring semester. This means that if you do not use all of it then you're essentially giving your money back to the school. Sounds silly, right? Some people run out of money. Here's what all of this means:

*boys and athletes tend to run low on their money. However, this is just a generalization. Some people snack a lot and some people eat bigger meals. If you do run out of money you can ask just about anyone around you in line to pay for your meal. Most people will say yes.

*If you start to realize that you have way too much money, you can do one of the following:
a. start buying more expensive meals (I bought myself lobster tonight!)
b. start eating more
c. buy meals for people that don't have dining plans (people with ovens in their dorm rooms, professors, grad students)
d. buy meals for prospective students and their families
e. if it's the end of the semester, buy things in bulk! (today I bought about 10 bags of chips to waste money...I will bring them home to my family for summer bbq's)
f. donate to charity! (many clubs sit in the dining halls and ask you to donate some of your bucks to their service trip, etc.)

I know it's awkward to end on "h," but I'm pretty sure I have exhausted all of the options. So, don't worry. Whether you have too much money or not enough money, you will be fine.

Questions about meal plans or anything else? Please email me: cornisab@bc.edu

:) Abby Sue

Clam Chowder

Being a native Mainah (from Maine), there are many things that I like and that are important to me that might seem bizarre to other people. For example, I am obsessed with L.L. Bean (the clothing, the boots, the store..pretty much everything about it), I love lobster, I think driving in the snow is fun, I thrive in the small towns and small cities, I love the beaches and coasts, and I know I couldn't live without the extremes of all four seasons. So, when I came to college I wanted to make sure that I could keep at least something that I loved from Maine: clam chowder.

I was very excited when I found out that Stuart Dining Hall ("Stu", on Newton Campus) served clam chowder a few times a week. I usually end up getting it once or twice a week, depending on when I eat at Stu. This clam chowder is very good, and I considered it one of the best I had ever had (I know, surprising, since it's dining hall food) until I got it at The Rat one day (today!). Oh my goodness, this is probably the most delicious clam chowder I have had in a long time. Although they are both the same brand (Kettle Cuisine), the chowder at The Rat is thicker, creamier, and has more "stuff" in it. By stuff I mean potatoes and chunks of clam. I have had the chowder at Eagle's Nest for lunch and it isn't very good. It's pretty watery, which is fairly disgusting. They barely serve clam chowder at Mac, Lower, and Hillside, so those would have to be at the bottom of my list. Though, I would like it very much if they started serving it there so I could pass judgment.

So, with all that being said, here is my list of rankings:

1. The Rat (delicious!)
2. Stuart Dining Hall (gotta be loyal to my dining hall!)
3. Hillside (although I have never had it, I heard it was decent)
4. Eagle's Nest (never had it here, but I feel like it would be alright)
5. Mac & Lower (never seen either advertised so they must tie for last)

Whether you like clam chowder or not, you will definitely start getting a feel for where you like eating the most and the least the first semester of school. It's important to try different things at different places and see what each dining hall has to offer because each is unique.

http://www.bc.edu/offices/dining/

Questions or comments about clam chowder or anything else? email me! cornisab@bc.edu

:) Abby Sue