Food Options at Williams (copied from Dartmouth's) and Freshman Housing

ChandlerBing · 04-26-2009, 07:39 PM

What are the food options at Williams? I've seen the links from the Williams website, but I just want to know where kids like to go/don't like to go for meals/snacks at Williams. Also, off-campus options would be nice to know of.

Any recommendations? Which meal plan is the best? And anything else random you want to talk about.

Also, I'd love to know more about freshman housing (Frosh Quad vs. Mission).
I've seen both, researched both, and still can't quite decide whether I want a single/double in Frosh Quad or a single in Mission.
Just a general discussion on freshman housing/food would be awesome!

goodguysm · 04-26-2009, 07:41 PM

i hear that there will be very few singles available at frosh quad because of the increase in class size.

mythmom · 04-26-2009, 08:20 PM

Frosh quad rarely has singles. So it's mainly a decision between to have a roommate and be close to the action or not to have a roommate and be a little further away.

Everyone seems happy with his/her choice.

The frosh quad and mission have their own dining halls I believe. I know Mission does, but you can eat wherever you want.

I am sure at the beginning frosh have a lot of meals with their entry mates at their dorm dining hall.

For my S the most meals was appropriate and he used most of them. What you don't use I believe you get as points for Paresky but a current student would be clearer and do a better job of explaining this.

My S lived in Mission and now his GF does. They both chose a single and were very happy with their choices. S had a very close-knit entry.

ChandlerBing · 04-26-2009, 08:39 PM

Alright, thanks mythmom! I just really loved the layout of Frosh Quad as opposed to the layout of Mission. I liked the fact that, even though you have a roommate, you just walk out of your room and there's a common room with a bunch of your friends living right next to you in it.

Do kids eat at Paresky/is it good?

ANd it would be awesome if some current students could shed some light on this, I have to decide!

I might go for the full meal plan, but I might want to do the "no breakfast" one and just buy Eph Dollars for the Snack Bar so I can pick up a muffin or bagel for breakfast instead of getting a big meal. Thoughts?

Mission's entry system works better, but I didn't really like how it wasn't as suite-style living as Frosh Quad is. Are the Frosh Quad doubles really small, or are they doable?

crnchycereal · 04-26-2009, 09:18 PM

IMHO, the quality of food at Paresky is almost always better than that found at the other dining halls. Given this, it also makes sense that meals at Paresky are a la carte, unlike the all-you-can-eat style at the other dining halls.

Because I was a freshman and a sophomore before they implemented cluster housing, I was able to live in both the Frosh Quad and Mission, so hopefully I can shed some light on this. In general, I don't think you can go wrong with either choice. Frosh quad rooms are admittedly small, especially the doubles. In my suite, we debunked our beds and moved one of the desks out into the common room. This was a pretty workable solution. The common rooms are very spacious and are pretty much your domain to decorate. The bathroom shared between your suite and one other suite is also a plus.

Mission singles, of course, are also wonderful. Though the rooms are rather oddly shaped, they're pretty large and have big windows. Also, unlike the Frosh Quad, Mission actually has its own kitchen if you prefer to cook your own meals, though the kitchen is admittedly somewhat poorly equipped. But the biggest selling points of Mission, I think, are the common rooms and the dining hall. Though Frosh Quad common rooms were nice, on each floor of Mission, the (huge) common room is located in the intersection of four hallways. They are by nature much more useful as common gathering places for everyone on the floor, have decent couches, and nice TVs. And let me tell you, having a dining hall in the building is nothing to sneeze at. Being able to take a quick break from work and get a bite to eat? Avoiding the trek out into unreal winter cold to walk to a dining hall? Trust me, these are great benefits to have.

On the other hand, Mission bathrooms tend to be messier, it can be a bit noisy at times, and it's relatively far away from other buildings on campus.

Finally, unless they've changed their policy since I was a freshman, I don't believe you even have a choice for your freshman fall meal plan. I think everybody automatically has a full meal plan, and that it's not until the spring that you can change it.

kkari · 04-26-2009, 09:31 PM

I think freshman have to be on the full board plan, but if you just want a quick breakfast:
Breakfast points - Willipedia

And on the same strain:
Dinner points - Willipedia

My host lived in a double in the basement of Willy, and it wasn't tiny. The room had two closets, beds, and desks, and there was enough space not to feel cramped. Their commons room definitely made up on any space shortfalls.

Jrock · 04-26-2009, 10:18 PM

I lived in Frosh Quad as a freshman. Yes, most of the doubles in the Quad are small, but the common rooms compensate. There are some big doubles, though. And the singles are also adequately sized. You also have the famous Basement Doubles with nice bay windows.

Mission is terrifc, though. Each entry has a kitchenette, I believe. Hallways are narrow, though, and the ceilings are low. But the rooms are great. Big windows, mostly nice views. It's a newer structure in general.

All first years are automatically on the 21 meal plan. You can always skip dining hall breakfast and use your points ($4.50) at the Eco Cafe (bagels, Odwalla, tea bread and other baked goods, yoghurt, milk, cereal, coffee, etc), or at the Paresky Snack Bar (where you get more options like the breakfast burrito, omelettes, etc).

Lunch: again you could skip the dining hall and do grab 'n' go (bag lunches, also in Paresky, in the basement), or pizza at the '82 grill (Paresky basement), or Whitman's Kitchen (Paresky, eat in or take out).

Dinner: again, you could skip the dining hall and spend your points ($7.00) later in the night at Paresky Snack Bar, or at the '82 grill for bigger and better pizza (specials also available on selected nights).

You can also purchase points (dollars) on your ID to spend at the Eco cafe or the Snack bar.

And I forgot - there's the legendary Goodrich Coffee Bar, where you could also use your breakfast points.

ChandlerBing · 04-26-2009, 10:22 PM

crnchycereal: Thank for the advice, that was extremely helpful!

I definitely don't want to have bunk beds in Frosh Quad: is it possible to not have bunk beds and still have enough living space?

I'll definitely do the full board plan, I looked up both and did some calculations: you actually lose a lot of money on the 14 meals plan.

I'm pretty anal about bathrooms (unfortunately), so the Frosh Quad setup sounds a lot better than the Mission one. I honestly don't know where I can change: do you change right in the shower stall or do you don a towel and walk to your room, where you end up changing?

About the common rooms: I definitely prefer the Frosh Quad setup (they even have a flat screen TV in the common room!). The Mission common room was indeed huge and a nice communal spot, but I'd prefer the suite-style living of Frosh Quad. However, having a single must be awesome... it's a tough choice! It looks like having a Frosh Quad single will be impossible, but I can always try!

Do housing forms come out in summer? Another college I considered (and turned down) has theirs due by May 1st, oddly enough.

Thanks for the input!

If you have the full board plan, does that include a meal at Paresky (is the dining hall there called Whitman's?), '82 Grill, or the Paresky (Lee?) Snack Bar? Or do you have to pay cash for those?

Jrock · 04-26-2009, 10:24 PM

Yeah, and I guess the horizontal entry system in Mission is more realistic, in a sense. I didn't have the greatest entry experience so maybe that's why this happened to me - but I made several friends across entries, because it was just sometimes easier to walk along the same floor to meet people than to go upstairs, lol. And usually, you get to share bathrooms with kids from neighboring entries in the Quad, so you end up getting to know them. But, whatever, I didn't get the Mission experience. But the Quad was great, because we had a quad! Sage was like one big row house and so was Willy.

ChandlerBing · 04-26-2009, 10:24 PM

Oh wow, thanks Jrock, I was typing my post before I got a chance to see yours.

At all the places you just mentioned: do you just swipe your card and get a meal like at a dining hall with the full board plan? Or do you have to pay out of pocket/with Eph Dollars on top of what you already pay for the meal plan?

mythmom · 04-26-2009, 10:27 PM

CB: I don't know if the housing questionaire has changed, but they did not ask him if he wanted Mission or the Quad, only if he wanted a single or a double. He said single; hence Mission.

He pretty much knew if he asked for a single he'd end up in Mission. His sister, who adored her roommate, was appalled and thought he missed something essential about college, but he always had sleep issues and just thought having a single would be easier.

I think that is the major choice you have to make: single or double?

ChandlerBing · 04-26-2009, 10:32 PM

^ Ah, interesting... I actually would prefer a single, but I fell in love with the Frosh Quad.
I do have sleep issues: if it's noisy, I have a hard time getting to sleep. But Mission was actually really noisy at night and I ended up not falling asleep at all.

I'm not sure which one I want, either way your social life will be great (Quad and Mission are set up to make a social life obtainable with either a single or a double) but I do value privacy. However, I preferred the actual Frosh Quad more. So it'll be yet another tough choice to make.

Jrock · 04-26-2009, 10:32 PM

You just swipe your card, and that's it. No hassles. Eco-cafe (Schow atrium) is quite popular. Magically, long queues appear 5 minutes before classes start! You swipe your card and you have to do some quick math to figure out how you want to maximize your $4.50 (if it's breakfast) or $7.00 (if it's dinner). All the items have a fixed price at the Snack Bar and Eco cafe. So, no, you don't have to pay from your pocket, except you're going over the allotted amount.

At the Whitman's kitchen, you swipe in (dinner or lunch) and can have one of the four options (sandwich/sub, pasta, grill, vegan) plus two sides (soup, salad, etc) and a dessert. Helpings are usually adequate/generous.

Grab N Go - you also just swipe your card, pick your sandwich of choice, plus fruit, dessert, drink and a bag of chips, and, zoom, you're out.

Jrock · 04-26-2009, 10:41 PM

Bunking issues: There are some frosh quad rooms where you can bunk/unbunk the beds without any tragic loss of space. However, in the numerous small doubles that span the core of the quad buildings, "debunking" is not an option, except you want to move a bed into the common room. Really, those rooms are only meant for sleeping. Some students move a desk out into the common room, just for more breathing space. But then, again, the large, comfy common spaces really do compensate, and you can decorate them to your heart's desire.

Bathroom issues: You do whatever you feel comfy doing. Usually, floors are gender specific in the quad, so no chances you'd run into some embarrassing situation with a towel wrapped on. And if you don't mind changing when your roommate's around if you're in a double...

Machiavelli12 · 04-27-2009, 12:27 AM

I really like location and just feel of frosh quad but I don't want bunk beds lol. I think I am just gonna bite the bullet and go with the single in Mission. My host lived in mission and I liked it and the kitchen. I wish I could get a single in frosh!