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Catered Vs Meal Plan

Can anyone tell me what is the difference between cated accomadation and accomadation with a meal plan?? Also, what is the quality of the food like, do you get much choice etc?? Finally - when do you need to send the blue accomadation page off? Is it when you get an offer from Birmingham or after you've got all your offers and made Birmingham your firm? Thanks!!

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Reply 1

jet_dee

They're the same thing, except with a meal plan it means you have to attend the canteen at another halls of residence for your meals, with catered the canteen will be within your accommodation.
I thought it was okay the one time I tried it out, over in Shackleton, where there was a choice of mains, and pizzas, and some other things. I don't remember about the blue accommodation page, think I sent mine one day before deadline day.

Reply 2

chrisd282

The food's not too bad really, there's always about 4 or 5 choices and always a vegitarian choice. tonight there was a lamb burger with chips, or boiled potato or jacket potato!, or there was a veggie burger with chips or jacket potato or boiled potatos, or rattatoile in a yorkshire pudding thing, and something else lol, but generally the food's alright.

I like the breakfasts, they do the classic english breakfast each morning where you can have a choice of 5 items from: Sausage, Bacon, Scrambled Egg, Ommlette, Fried Egg, Tomatoes, Hash Brown, Fried Bread, Mushrooms, Korn Sausage, Baked Beans erm..and other things lol!

I'd try to send the accommodation form thingy off asap, then your'e going to get first 'pick' (it's chosen for you according to what you put on your form) of the accommodation. If you're certain you want to go to bham, just send it in, i think that's what i did.... lol
Chris

Reply 3

Ashbourne1

Go self catered, it's better.

Reply 4

Helicopter

Choose self-catered and send the form off as soon as you can.

Reply 5

Merryweather

Noo way! It's all about the meal plan, especially with the Rio's Deli thing now...amaazing :biggrin:

Reply 6

Hlasta

I don't like the deli... but the hot chocolate machine is fixed so I am happy :biggrin:

I think that meal plan is anything at Shalketon but catered is over at manor where they work on a meal basis still not HubGrub (I think). So basically, catered is where meals are provided between certain times and you have to eat them then, but meal plan is where you have the card with "money" loaded onto it each week to spend in Fusion and Rios. I think, anyway.

I can't actually remember when I filled in the form - quite late because I didn't get an offer through for ages... I seem to recall it asking what Birmingham was in terms of choices as in firm or insurance, in which case I guess you have to wait until you can answer... I never got my offer for accommodation through until after my A-level results when they knew I was actually coming, so it can't be that important!

Reply 7

edd8990

Frankly, I find the food in fusion to be quite rank.

Self catered FTW. (Cheaper too)

Reply 8

Merryweather

Oook, so the banana,coconut and yam stew wasn't the nicest of meals...
But if you're not the best of cooks , then having meal plan can be useful.
There is always a lot of options and you soon learn what ones to go for and what ones to avoid X

Reply 9

HaileyBailey

I think it all comes down to how well you can cook, I can not make a single thing so catered is a blessing to me and I actually quite like most of the food. Although there are a few I wouldn't poke a fork at. But the breakfasts are lovely. The way I see it, I'm going to have to cook for myself for years 2 and 3 so I might as well get one year off :smile:

Ps. BananaHammock, is that you Krisha my dear? hehe.

Reply 10

Merryweather

Haailey!?! This is soo odd, what a small student room this is...
Hope you're enjoying your afternoon off! XxX

Reply 11

Bodkin

Hey,
Im interested in Birmingham and i pretty much think its my firm choice-so just wondered if anyone has got a few spare minutes could they give a brief description of all the halls of residence that are self catered, and the good and bad points about them? Just find choosing accomodation really difficult and i think its better if you hear from people with experience. Thnx.

Reply 12

emmz23

I think i might go for catered- 2 meals a day isn't it?? We have to cook for ourselves at the weekend anyway right?? Where do you guys live- if you had catered/ meal plan?? And what would you rate your accommodation?? Where abouts do you have the meals???
I was wondering are we allowed to have mini fridges in the rooms cos i was wondering if there are problems of people stealing food from the fridge or cupboards- are there padlocks on them?? Cos i have heard stories from people in other universities of people stealing food.

Reply 13

emmz23

I was wondering, who repped me on this thread?!?!? :confused:

Cos they never left their name and i can't find out cos i'm not a sub!! They said that they did BA geog at B'ham!!!!!!! Argh!! PM me or reply to this msg if you're the person plz!!!! :smile:

Reply 14

Hlasta

Erm... I think Chamberlain has fridges in rooms, but all the accomodation that is arranged in flats (ie: most of it now) has a fridge/freezer (or 2) in the shared kitchen. But you are only sharing it with your flat and so if food does go missing you can probably find out who it is and make them stop pretty easily.
Meal plan is supposed to be able to provide 2 meals a day - depends how much you eat though really - I've managed 3 meals (well.. cereal for breakfast and sandwich for lunch) every day Monday to Friday some weeks, and some weeks if I know I'm not going to be eating some days have spent all the allowance in a couple of days!

Reply 15

Helicopter

I'm really glad I went catered. Apparently the they get is really stodge!

Reply 16

XtrepT

I think Catered and Meal Plan are baiscally the same thing now, looking through the that Birmingham information booklet we all got sent, theres a table of accomadation but every place on says either Self-catered, Meal plan or Self-catered/meal plan.... so im thinking "Meal Plan = Catered" now(well for birmingham anyway, i know different uni's might prefer to use more distinct terms)

I think ill be going for Self-catered/meal plan which i think just means, I will have access to a students kitchen all the time but there is also a canteen avaible which you pay for anyway. So i guess its kind of a comprimise

Reply 17

emmz23

So for the places like Maple Bank where you can go self catered/ Meal plan does this mean that i could make myself breakfast and lunch and then go for the meal plan for dinner?? How do you get money put on the student ID cards?? Or cos i want to do it like this would i have to pay with my own money- cash??

Reply 18

Merryweather

With meal plan, you get £32.50 a week on your card. You can use this from Monday-Friday in Shackleton at Rios or Fusion.
This is useful as you know there's always a meal for you i.e. breakfast, snack, lunch,dinner etc. However it does mean that you must spend the whole £32.50 before Saturda, as eitherwise you lose the money you havn't spent.
If you know that you will be the sort of person who will go to dinner every evening, then it is a good idea.
There is always the option of going self-catered and putting money on your card to use when you wish. This is great if you normally prefer to cook, but find one evening you don't have time/can't be bothered/want to go with mates, so you could pay the £3 for a cooked meal...which is pretty good value for the amount you get!
I'm a meal planner in Mape Bank, it is a groovy option :tsr2: