Do a Dining Hall Crawl [ReadyU Conquer This List]

By Garnet Henderson

My freshman year of college, I was required to have a meal plan. That meant eating almost all my meals in the various dining halls on campus, and it made me miserable. When I became a sophomore, I ditched that meal plan faster than you can say “mystery meat.” But now that I’m a senior, I’m starting to get a little nostalgic for those freshman dining hall days. I kind of miss seeing classmates at dinner and watching the football team pile their dishes six plates high with food.

ReadyU’s Conquer This List inspired me to take a trip down memory lane and embark on a dining hall adventure. ReadyU is the ultimate resource for college students. They’ve got all the tips and tricks needed to help you conquer beyond the classroom. Their Conquer This List is a great source of ideas for everyone to make the most of their college experience to make sure you graduate with serious honors, and because this is my last year, I want to make sure I’m not missing out on anything!

I’ve recently become a vegetarian, so my mission on this dining hall crawl was to find the best no-meat options. I brought along a few of my best friends, because let’s face it – no one wants to eat in the dining hall alone! We all packed some trusty toothbrushes and Crest® Complete Multi-Benefit Extra White +Scope Outlast Toothpaste so that we could freshen up between each stop.

Our campus has three dining hall options, and first we headed to one that we heard was renovated over the summer. It’s supposed to have a very cool, lounge vibe, so we wanted to see if it would live up to its new reputation. And it did, sort of. Things were looking great inside, and we snagged some seats on comfy couches. But, uh oh – not many veggie options here. The entire menu was meaty and fried. Burgers, chicken fried steak, grilled chicken, and corn dogs. The only veggies were at a wimpy little salad bar. I made myself a salad, but the leaves were looking a little brown. My friends and I decided it was a bust, so we left and hoped for the best at our next stop.

And what a difference! Our second stop of the night at the campus’s biggest dining hall was a great success. There was a delicious, fresh salad bar with hummus and beans for protein. I also sampled some vegetarian chili and a fresh-made quesadilla. Maybe not a meal I would have made for myself, but it made up for the less-than-stellar food at the first place. My friends and I sat around a big table, and joined some intimidated-looking freshmen. I couldn’t help but think: did I look that young three years ago? But we had one more stop to make in order to cross this item off our college bucket list.

Last but not least, we stopped at a smaller campus dining destination known for its dessert selection. My mission for veggies dissolved on the spot. I took one look at a big slice of chocolate cake and knew I had to have it. I mean, I ate a big meal at the second dining hall, so it was fine to have dessert. Right? Sure! And this may be my sweet tooth talking, but the last stop was the best of the night. Give me chocolate cake and great friends —what more could a girl ask for? It turns out that even though the food wasn’t great at every dining hall, my friends and I had a blast. It was so much fun to revisit some of the places that we’ll be leaving behind at the end of this year.

Try it for yourself! Grab a group of friends, make a plan, and head out to the dining hall. And don’t forget to check out ReadyU’s Conquer This List and follow my journey here as I continue to conquer ReadyU’s college bucket list.