A new school year brings a new first-year class to the University. A class that, like the others before them, is faced with the proposition of how to get the most from their first year on campus. The cost of attendance for a first-year resident has exceeded $80,000 and the urgency to make the most of college is as high as ever. One of the key aspects of a successful first year is navigating the meal plan and making daily dining decisions. Without access to a car and the compulsory nature of the first-year meal plan, students will spend countless hours within the University’s dining systems. As a senior, and former first-year, I believe the single best thing a first-year can do to get the most from their meal plan is to take full advantage of the Tully. 

A student’s first year on campus is typically a hectic time as you learn the ropes and adjust to college life. Whether it is true or not, it feels as if everything has legitimate stakes to it. The Tully, however, is a place without stakes. You do not have to worry about wasting a meal swipe because if your first plate does not strike your fancy, you can get up and try something else. At other dining locations, what you order is what you are stuck with. You are also restricted to a menu a fraction of the size of the Tully. This is especially true with the food trucks which, while delicious, will often have five or fewer options. The Tully, meanwhile, when fully operating, has upwards of 10 unique stations each with various food options. No other dining location boasts the same level of variety as the Tully. 

Students will often find the Tully well-occupied at most hours of the day. As a first-year trying to forge new friendships and strengthen the ones they have already made, this should be a welcomed quality of the Tully. In my experience, nearly every time I went to the Tully, regardless of when in the day, I would find someone I knew. Due to the Tully’s sit-down nature, people typically stick around for longer periods of time. Instead of getting something from the Stag and taking it back to your room, go to the Tully solo because you might see someone you know. If everyone chose this course of action, many would find themselves sitting with a friend or in a small group and meeting new people in no time. 

On top of its social value, the Tully provides the best monetary value when using a meal swipe. With the 14-swipe meal plan’s steep price and limited opportunities for first-years to visit the grocery store, first-years need to act deliberately when utilizing their meal swipes. The Tully provides the best value because it is all-you-can-eat. A normal meal at the Stag may be a sandwich, a bag of chips, and a bottled soda. However, at the Tully, a meal may be some chicken, pasta, a cup of fruit, a slice of pizza, a fountain drink, and a small dessert. There is nothing stopping a student from swiping in, eating breakfast, doing their homework for an hour or two, then eating an early lunch. All on a single meal swipe. The ceiling for food consumption is far higher when using a swipe at the Tully compared to any other dining location on campus. This is all without mentioning holidays or special events in which additional, and often more unique food is brought in at certain stations. While the school prohibits it, many students will take food out of the Tully to eat later. Even taking something small such as a cup of strawberries provides students with an additional snack they would not have had otherwise. If students try, they can squeeze lots of value out of a meal swipe at the Tully. 

Fairfield’s primary and only dining hall is a staple of the University’s student experience, and for first-years, it can act as a reliable and worthwhile place to utilize a swipe and grow into the campus community. I am not telling first-years to only go to the Tully, as The Leeve and Stag are often social hubs as well, but I am urging them to take advantage of it. The first year on campus can, and in many cases should be, filled with many uncertainties; however, dining does not need to be one of them.

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