A generation ago, college dining halls sorely lacked decent vegan menu items. First and second-year undergrads, forced to sign up for the school’s meal plan, were often stuck eating the same few foods day after day until they qualified to move off-campus.
Happily, things today are so much better. Thanks to the growing popularity of plant-based eating, particularly among younger people, university dining halls work hard to accommodate vegans.
Eating Vegan in College
The tens of thousands of vegan college students who’ve come before you have fundamentally transformed campus dining offerings. Today, the vast majority of colleges and universities offer a wide assortment of delicious vegan meals.
You can reliably assess the vegan-friendliness of a given college by doing these things:
- Visit the website for each college you’re considering, and check out the pages related to campus dining. You can usually look up the menus available at each dining hall. A few minutes reading will provide a clear sense of which schools have the best vegan offerings.
- While you’re on the campus websites, also search for vegan and animal rights student groups. The mere presence of an established group on campus often signifies abundant vegan dining options. Consider emailing the group to introduce yourself and to ask questions about on-campus dining.
- When you’re doing campus tours and interviews, don’t forget to visit the dining halls. You might decide to purchase a meal in order to evaluate the quality of the food.
- For campuses located in downtown areas, check out the nearby vegan restaurant options. Most college towns have at least one vegan-friendly restaurant that caters primarily to students.
Obviously, there’s far more to college than food. But it certainly makes sense to pay attention to the vegan-friendliness of the schools you’re considering applying to.
If you do end up at a school with limited vegan options, all is not lost. It’s often remarkably easy to seek improvements. My vegan college guide explains how to encourage your campus dining hall to get with the times.
Convenient Vegan Foods for Your Dorm Room
Many four-year colleges require students to live on campus during their first year or two. For students living on campus, enrollment on the school meal plan is often mandatory. Being forced onto the meal plan is a drag if the vegan dining hall options are mediocre. Worse, most on-campus dormitories lack any sort of kitchen access, which limits the variety of food you can prepare.
Consider buying or renting a compact refrigerator for your dorm room. This can enable you to supplement your diet with soy milk, vegan yogurts, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, because they pose a fire hazard, many dormitories forbid the use of hot plates. But you will probably be permitted to own a small microwave and an electric kettle—both of which can improve your food preparation options. If you aren’t allowed to cook, sandwiches, wraps, and salads can come to your rescue. If you buy a blender, you’ll be able to make healthy and delicious fruit smoothies.
You’ll also want a few plates, bowls, and utensils, plus some airtight glass or plastic containers for storing food in your refrigerator.
I’ve written a few must-read pages for vegans living in college dormitories. Many of the items featured on my vegan snacks page are perfect for dorm life. My guide to easy vegan foods offers still more ideas. You’ll also want to check out Vegan.com’s online grocery, which features the best vegan foods available from Amazon.com.
Developing Your Vegan Cooking Skills
Some colleges offer on-campus shared apartments with kitchens. When applying for this housing, you may be able to request vegetarian roommates. Ideally, you may be able to choose your housemates in advance. That way, you’ll never encounter chicken in your refrigerator or come home to someone frying bacon.
Alternatively, most colleges that require students to live in dorms allow them to move off campus after their sophomore year. Get an apartment with a kitchen and you’ll enjoy unlimited vegan cooking options. Once you’ve got a kitchen of your own, my vegan cooking guide will teach you how to prepare all sorts of easy and delicious vegan meals.
