As freshmen at CWRU, we're limited to three amounts of weekly meal swipes: 17, 19, or unlimited. Many find it difficult to use all of these meal swipes, but I've discovered a few ways that help me use almost all of my meal swipes each week.

1. Eat breakfast

The most important meal of the day is typically skipped by college students, who would rather sleep for a few more minutes than dragging themselves to the dining hall for some eggs and toast. Drag yourself to breakfast a few days a week before class and you'll be surprised at how refreshed and awake you feel for class.

ham, scrambled
Kelsey Emery

2. Take advantage of Grab-It and Bag-It

Located in Sears and Thwing respectively, Grab-It and Bag-It are great alternatives when you're too lazy to make the trek to Leutner or Fribley while killing time in-between class. These grab-and-go locations are filled with various delicious meal options that change from day to day. With a meal swipe you get a meal item such as a sandwich or pasta, and up to three snacks including various chips, oreos, rice krispie treats, and even the occasional chocolate chip cookie. On days where I know I'll be too busy studying to head out for dinner, I'll pick up some food from Bag-It or Grab-It during the day and stash it in my backpack until later in the day. It's a great way to take your food with you.

3. Fuel your late night studying

Need some fuel to continue on your study grind? Look no further than L3 or Rough Rider Room. Both provide late night classics like burgers and fries, which I believe are the best fries on campus. Both are open Sunday-Thursday. More specifically, L3 is open from 3pm to 9pm and Rough Rider Room is open from 6pm to 1am.

sandwich, french fries, chips, cheese, burger, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, fries, buns
dena dianati

4. Use your travel meal swipes

Each week, we have three travel meal swipes to use at places like Dunkin Donuts, Jolly, and the Den. Take advantage of these to take a break from the boring dining halls.

5. Eat at Leutner

Although it's not always the most fun place to eat, Leutner is the most convenient and easiest place for Freshman to use their meal swipes. Bored of Leutner? Check out these tips of how to never get bored at Leutner.

Since we're forced to pay for at least 17 meal swipes per week, it's important to use as many of your meal swipes as you can, as often as you can.