Depending on the Dorm, the time commitment for cooking is not huge at all. My daughter is spending about two hours a week on cooking. Each night a small group cooks for the whole house (about 24 people). Shopping is done via instacart, I think they have a food Stuart that takes care of that. While a meal plan is about 5000, my daughter spend less then a 1000 for one year. That is a huge difference for families on a budget.