Medical School Food

[Hemichordate]

Do most medical schools provide a meal dining plan for students to use, or do most students usually end up buying all of their own food from other places?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[thedoctor8706]

If you are paying for med school by federal loans, food anywhere, including on campus, usually falls under the living expenses portion of your loan, as determined by the cost of attendance that your school sets. You might get a discount in on-campus eating facilities for being a student, but I find it cheaper (and usually tastier) to just buy my own groceries or eat off-campus.

 

[akwizeguy]

totinos pizza

 

[samuraiR]

The best life skill I learned in college was how to cook. Now that I work, cooking has saved me thousands!

Definitely learn to cook...take some time, cook for the entire week and u'll save a ton!

 

[ILikeDrugs]

I'll be sticking to the grocery store because I know how to cook and it's cheaper than eating out. Each of my meals comes out to about $2.75 ($250/month). Eating out costs about $7 a meal. By cooking for myself, I save about $4k/year. For medical school, I will save $16k!! That's rent for a really nice 1-bedroom apartment or a decent 2-bedroom for one year here in CA!

 

[Pedsbro]

I don't know of med schools that automatically supply their med students with meal plans like you would get as an undergrad living on campus...there might be a few. But every college that I know offers their meal plans to any affiliated student or faculty that can be purchased separately, and this includes med students. So you can look it up yourself and buy a plan if the dining facilities are within a reasonable distance of the med school.

Personally, buying your own food and cooking it (with the occasional dining out...it's inevitable) is the most economical and nutritional way to go. Food is definitely a major part of the living expenses given to you by your loan money...after rent, I think it's the largest allocation.

 

[silverhorse84]

Medical schools who don't have an undergrad (like mine) or ones that are at a separate location generally don't have such things. We have a cafeteria that's open for breakfast and lunch at the school, and of course the hospital has a cafeteria.
I'd say almost all, if not all, of our students live on their own (off campus), so most eat out at local restaurants and buy their food from the grocery store.

 

[JJMrK]

A lot of people buy food at school for lunch and at the grocery store for breakfast and dinner. Some bring lunch to class. Very few schools have dining hall arrangements, but a lot of talks/meetings will have free lunch/dinner.

 

[pianola]

Yeah, another "no dining hall arrangement" here. Personally, I prefer cooking my own food to having a dining hall, though - I am learning to cook some interesting things now that I am in charge of my own kitchen!

Buying food *can* get expensive reeeeeaaaallll fast...

 

[empty p orbital]

My wife packs me a lunch everyday and makes us dinner every night. She loves cooking and is great at it! She is also really good at knowing where to find the least expensive groceries.

 

[glasshalfMD]

My wife packs me a lunch everyday and makes us dinner every night. She loves cooking and is great at it! She is also really good at knowing where to find the least expensive groceries.

That's adorable. 😍

You're a lucky man!

 

[PsychEpathic]

Buying groceries for one person (at Trader Joe's or another decent market) isn't always so cheap! I cook my own breakfast, as that is fast and easy. The time and effort to prepare lunch and dinner- actually buying, preparing and cleaning up- doesn't seem to make sense for me. I'd rather buy something healthy and use the time I save to go to the gym! I figure if I spend $30 for lunch and dinner, that's only $900 a month. The difference between eating out and cooking at home is maybe $500-600 a month? Our time, as future docs, is so much more valuable than that. Just my opinion...

 

[pianola]

Buying groceries for one person (at Trader Joe's or another decent market) isn't always so cheap! I cook my own breakfast, as that is fast and easy. The time and effort to prepare lunch and dinner- actually buying, preparing and cleaning up- doesn't seem to make sense for me. I'd rather buy something healthy and use the time I save to go to the gym! I figure if I spend $30 for lunch and dinner, that's only $900 a month. The difference between eating out and cooking at home is maybe $500-600 a month? Our time, as future docs, is so much more valuable than that. Just my opinion...

Yeah, time is definitely important. And a very good point, too. I tend to eat out a bit if I'm close to a test.

Idk, I eat pretty well with lots of vegetables, spices, flavors, etc. I spend on average $40-$50 for a week of groceries, even on generous weeks really not more than $60. There's a pretty big difference between $200-$300 a month in groceries and $900 a month.

And it really adds up over the course of 48 months (= 4 years).

 

[Wermz]

just smoke cigarettes and drink tea, maybe throw in some amphetamines now and then 👍

 

[cartoondoc]

Whatever is remotely edible, you eat it:

http://doccartoon.blogspot.com/2010/04/yum.html

 

[jvesco22]

Buying groceries for one person (at Trader Joe's or another decent market) isn't always so cheap! I cook my own breakfast, as that is fast and easy. The time and effort to prepare lunch and dinner- actually buying, preparing and cleaning up- doesn't seem to make sense for me. I'd rather buy something healthy and use the time I save to go to the gym! I figure if I spend $30 for lunch and dinner, that's only $900 a month. The difference between eating out and cooking at home is maybe $500-600 a month? Our time, as future docs, is so much more valuable than that. Just my opinion...

Does it really take you that long to make a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (or tuna, bologna, ham, turkey, etc...) for lunch? Whodathunk!!

"only" $900/month on food, for one person? What are you smoking lol...You've either never lived on your own or you have an endless bank account.

 

[ILikeDrugs]

Buying groceries for one person (at Trader Joe's or another decent market) isn't always so cheap! I cook my own breakfast, as that is fast and easy. The time and effort to prepare lunch and dinner- actually buying, preparing and cleaning up- doesn't seem to make sense for me. I'd rather buy something healthy and use the time I save to go to the gym! I figure if I spend $30 for lunch and dinner, that's only $900 a month. The difference between eating out and cooking at home is maybe $500-600 a month? Our time, as future docs, is so much more valuable than that. Just my opinion...

I takes me 2 minutes to prep breakfast, 6 minutes for lunch, and 15 minutes for dinner. Then I eat it. It actually seems like eating out would take more of your time since you have to drive there, order and wait, and then drive back. I only go grocery shopping once a week for about 30 minutes. BTW, $30 for a lunch and a dinner? Wow! $30 will buy me enough corn, peas, carrots, green-beans, broccoli, tomatoes, apples, and bananas for about 2-3 weeks!

 

[MilkmanAl]

I always cooked last year. This year, I'm buying lunch pretty much every day, much to my chagrin. That's basically doubling or tripling my monthly food bill since I typically eat on the cheap when I cook. Paying $5 for lunch sucks when you pay maybe $2-3 total for both breakfast and dinner.

 

[Poliscidoc]

Sam's Club/Costco for food shopping, better have huge fridge though.

 

[gravitywave]

Buying groceries for one person (at Trader Joe's or another decent market) isn't always so cheap! I cook my own breakfast, as that is fast and easy. The time and effort to prepare lunch and dinner- actually buying, preparing and cleaning up- doesn't seem to make sense for me. I'd rather buy something healthy and use the time I save to go to the gym! I figure if I spend $30 for lunch and dinner, that's only $900 a month. The difference between eating out and cooking at home is maybe $500-600 a month? Our time, as future docs, is so much more valuable than that. Just my opinion...

yeah ok Trader Joe's ain't cheap but 😱 $900 a month? that's not med student budget friendly. this isn't viable for most of us living on loans.

here you can load your ID with $$ to charge at the eateries on campus, some of which are head and shoulders above simple cafeteria food. there might be some advantage to doing that over paying cash but i havent looked into it. i pass two supermarkets on my way home, and i really really like noodles, so that's my solution.

 

[Depakote]

Definitely cheaper to buy your own food and bring it to class. The hospital has a cafeteria at my school, I ate there more than I should have, but I usually used the cash I had on me (they also take credit)... no need for a meal plan.