Hey, I'll be attending McMaster University starting in September and I have a few questions about residence life.

First off, my booklet says that in the 2013-2014 year, a group A regular meal plan costed $3290, I'm considering getting the regular meal plan, as I get hungry very easily, but I want to know a few things about it first.

I) We get a card to purchase food on campus correct? Does this mean that the $3290 we pay for the meal plan gets put onto the card and we use that money throughout our 7 months on campus to purchase food from the cafeteria, or is it different?

II) Do they have different menus for the different sizes of the meal plans?

II) How are the prices at the cafeteria? Are they reasonable? Do they have any daily specials or something along the lines of that?

III) Is the food any good?

Secondly, I'm wondering about the gym at McMaster, specifically the weight room. I want to work out while I'm in university, and I want to know if I'll have to pay to have access to the gym, or if it will be included with my tuition/residence fees.

That's all that comes to mind right now, I'm just really curious about this mandatory meal plan and which one will be right for me.

1. Yes, the meal plan gets added to your meal card, which is the same physical card as your student card.
2. No, prices are the same for whatever plan you have.
3. Not really sure about full meal prices, but I'd say average? Muffins are like $1.30. Pasta is around $7-$8 with meat I think. Yes, there are daily specials
4. Yep, I think the food is good
5. To get access to the weight/fitness center you need to pay extra (http://www.marauders.ca/sports/2011/...=aboutthepulse)

I would recommend getting the smallest meal plan if you can. I started to buy groceries relatively early in the year since I got tired of rez food and if you get the smallest, you can always add more money to it later. The food is not too bad, but even with the variety they have then you eventually get tired of it if you eat 3 meals a day.

As for the gym, the track, squash courts, gymnasium and I think the pool are free, but the weightroom which includes the rock climbing wall (at no cost) is around $150 extra for both semesters. Not too unreasonable, but lately it has been getting more crowded as more people come here so I would try it for a semester and see if you like it and how much you use it

food is so expensive on campus. pasta with meat is close to $10 if i remember correctly. its a big ripoff but you have no choice since you have to get the plan. just do your best not to waste too much money on expensive drinks such as orange juice for $3

Hi Fahad! Thanks for your questions, they are all great questions that a lot of first-years have.

Garrett already answered everything you asked, but a few notes to add:

Are you living in residence? If you're in residence it is mandatory to get a meal plan. But if you're not living in res, then you don't need to get a meal plan. And to be honest, there's plenty of food choices around campus that cost less and you can save a lot of money not always buying food on campus. The average price for a basic meal is $9-11. If you are buying food every single day from the locations on campus that accept meal plan like commons, La Piazza, etc. then that adds up really quick. It's convenient, since you can get food while on campus easily, but if you're off-campus then there's a lot of food places in Westdale you can go to. If you get a meal plan, then that money you invest into the meal plan.. you can ONLY use as locations that accept the meal plan. If you want to for example go and buy groceries, stop at Wendy's/McDonalds/Tally Ho/Burrito place down the street.. etc. you'd have to spend out of pocket since they don't accept the meal card. The only off-campus places that accept it are East Side Marios, Kelseys, Basilique, Boston Pizza, Mahal, Pizza Pizza, Gino’s Pizza, and Pita Pit. So you're basically limiting yourself to spend $3290 at the places on campus, and those additional off-campus places.

However, if you like those places and can see yourself eating there every day for an entire year, then go for it! The advantage is that the meal plan does give you a 5%-13% discount on food depending on the plan you get (bigger discount for bigger plans). So if you plan to eat out at those places all the time, you basically can save some money that way.

If you don't see yourself locking in that $3290 to those places, and want more flexibility, then you can get the flex plan which lets you just refill your card throughout the year. So you don't have to lock yourself into that high price.

Before you decide, I'd take a trip to McMaster and try out some of the food places on campus to get an idea of if you can see yourself eating there every day.

Freedom Plan

The Freedom Plan allows you to determine the size of your account. It can be set up with an initial deposit of $100 or more, so you can spend as much or as little as you want. You decide how much of a deposit you want to make and when you want to add more money. This plan also gives you a 5% discount on most food purchases at our dining locations on-campus. It can also be used to dine at or order delivery from the participating local off-campus restaurants. The Freedom Plan is virtually risk-free. It is fully refundable, very flexible, and can be increased at any time.

see below

Originally Posted by Fahad64

Hey, I'll be attending McMaster University starting in September and I have a few questions about residence life.

First off, my booklet says that in the 2013-2014 year, a group A regular meal plan costed $3290, I'm considering getting the regular meal plan, as I get hungry very easily, but I want to know a few things about it first.

I) We get a card to purchase food on campus correct? Does this mean that the $3290 we pay for the meal plan gets put onto the card and we use that money throughout our 7 months on campus to purchase food from the cafeteria, or is it different?
Choose the normal or lowest size. You can always add more money later. Any unspent money is non refundable and doesn't carry over. The default plan adds the funds to your basic amount which is non refundable. A small portion of it is in freedom allowing it to carry over. The other difference is, basic account is tax free, freedom is like 7% off and cash is full price
II) Do they have different menus for the different sizes of the meal plans?
No, you just go to the various "stands" and order stuff
II) How are the prices at the cafeteria? Are they reasonable? Do they have any daily specials or something along the lines of that?
Everything on campus is overpriced compared to the outside. No daily deals just daily offerings (example, taco saturdays). Each place has different pricing. Example, a burger at La Piazza is different from a burger at Centro. Out of all the food places, Bistro is the most expensive but "higher quality"
III) Is the food any good?
When I joined, Mcmaster was rated top 3 for university food. Overall the quality I say is good, could be worse. I ended up eating the same thing over and over. Curly fries+burger ftw
Secondly, I'm wondering about the gym at McMaster, specifically the weight room. I want to work out while I'm in university, and I want to know if I'll have to pay to have access to the gym, or if it will be included with my tuition/residence fees.
You pay an extra membership for Pulse (weightroom)
That's all that comes to mind right now, I'm just really curious about this mandatory meal plan and which one will be right for me.

See new guide to meal plans just posted here http://www.macinsiders.com/showthrea...2#p ost401862

I just finished my first year, and heresssss what I think

I) Yes, what @GCSM said.

II) No. You can buy the same things with every mean meal. And you can also buy in some restaurants around Mac that accept student cards, youll have to look into that.

II) Food prices are expensive, seriouslyyyy.

III) I didn't like the food lol. And I know a lot of my friends and other people didn't. I mean its not a 5 star hotel. I usually bought the same things throughout the year.

IV) What @GCSM said.