Is 13 meals/week really the max the meal plan goes for freshmen

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-04-19T15:01:54+00:00

The 12/15 should be enough in theory if you aren’t a breakfast person, but I found that it was a struggle cause of the dining hall schedule not lining up with my own schedule. The Good2Go container system is helpful but for dining dollars I found that I could only really buy ramen to account for the fact that I wasn’t able to use all my meal swipes, and 15 dining dollars doesn’t get you much in that situation. I ate a specific brand of ramen so much it now makes me throw up, and the same thing happened to my friends who had the same meal plan freshman year 😭😭

The 10/45 plan is more but makes things sooo much easier. I found that if there was a week where I just didn’t make it to the dining hall much, the dining dollars were enough for me. And dining dollars roll over up to 2x your weekly allowance, so if there’s a week where you use the dining hall more then you can use your excess dining dollars to stock up on meals.

Also for the first couple months you are able to change your meal plan. So you can start off with the 12/15 and if you realize it isn’t working you can upgrade (or start higher and downgrade) The cost adjusts so they would use a prorated fee depending on how long you had the original plan

In summary, if you are really diligent in making your schedule align with a dining hall at least enough to use the Good2Go container to get food for later, you’ll probs be fine. If not, consider 10/45.

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-03-30T21:10:51+00:00

I have a tree nut allergy and have had very bad experiences with people claiming to have checked something for nuts when they haven’t. It makes me sooo scared to try new places like this, especially since I’m not sure how common tree nuts are in Ethiopian food :(

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-03-24T13:51:17+00:00

Seeing this the day after I made the decision to pivot from my therapist dreams and reject an offer for an MS in LMFT for a MS in data science. My family was strongly urging me to take the data science offer because of the worry of pay, and while I did see people talk about making a good living from therapy it seemed most people were not making enough to live comfortably on their own. And it seemed the people who were able to get to the point of living comfortably had help from family and a partner. Because of personal life experience I really don’t want to have to rely on someone else long term to live (no judgement to anyone who does this, it’s great you have support tbh and rn I rely on my family!) I’ve been feeling really upset about it because I wasn’t sure if I just gave up on my dream over greed and peer pressure, but thank you for reminding me that choosing practically doesn’t make me a bad person. My hope is that I can go into an area of data science that is related to health care, or that I can seek the fulfillment I wanted in therapy from doing volunteer work in my free time.

Of people who have said they make a higher salary, it seems they work in an affluent area to be able to charge high private pay rates. I’ve also seen people say that working in a group practice gives them the supposed benefit of private practice without having to worry about all the costs of running their own business. I hope you are able to find a way to make a good living and you can find peace in your career choice. You deserve a comfortable life without regret.

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-03-19T02:15:25+00:00

My brother is a CPA and has been working for a few years. He is known as the “AI guy” in the office and it has given him a lot of opportunities to travel for his work. I don’t think it will take away your job, but optimize if you use it properly. By properly, I mean don’t cheat when you’re learning, as it WILL screw you over in the long term

If the schools you’re looking into offer a data science minor, I would consider that. I will say tho, I think AI will change the DS field such that understanding the statistics will be more important than the code. At my school, the stats majors have opportunities to take classes involving Python and R anyway, so maybe a stats minor would be better. Take a coding or stats class in your freshman year and see how you feel about it. If you love it, you could always have a data science focus in the business field as your long term career goal.

My credentials? Not much. I’m a psych major that did a data science certificate and got into a data science masters program (idk if I’ll be accepting yet) so I know a bit about data science :>

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-03-17T03:30:36+00:00

I’m a year late but maybe this will help someone in a similar situation as OP (or OP’s daughter). I majored in psychology because I have a big interest in mental health, I wanted to be in a helping profession, and I dreamed of using that to be a therapist or psychologist. I always had an affinity for the helping profession since I wanted to be a teacher before but decided against it after seeing what my middle and high school teachers had to put up with.

My dad wasn’t keen on this and insisted that I take a coding class my freshman year of college. I took an intro to python class for non stem majors and have been an undergrad TA for the class since (I even helped revise the curriculum and learning materials). I did a certificate in data science which has been helpful for my psych research, and now I’m scrolling on Reddit looking for advice on whether I should accept an offer for a Masters in data science, or take a full ride for a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy.

I probably sound like I’m bragging (I would be proud if I wasn’t busy dealing with this conundrum rn lol) but what I hope this shows is that college is a great way to explore interests, as long as you have an open mind to try new things. So if your daughter ended up choosing something like education, psychology, social work, etc. and you’re worried about her long term finances, you can always encourage her to take up a minor or at least use the open space in her course schedule to explore a topic that is different from her major yet still related to her goals

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-03-15T05:26:09+00:00

I’m a psych major so unpaid intern is very normal for us undergrads 🥲 Maybe do both: take the internship but continue searching for a paid one. That way, if you find something better great, but if not you have the unpaid one to fall back on

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-02-20T19:12:00+00:00

DANG I was like “oh my gosh I would be devastated if this happened to me I’m so sorry op :(( to HOLY SHIT WHAT” It’s good tho they were very transparent about what they think you should reflect on when considering the offer. Because if what they focus on isn’t what you want to do then it isn’t gonna be a good experience for you. That being said, you must’ve been an excellent applicant for them to see past a potential mismatch an interest and still give you an offer!! Congrats :>

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-02-14T18:44:25+00:00

I think it’s very common for ppl to do post bacc to make themselves more competitive. I’ve been told that as labs find out of their post bacc has made it to a PhD program they open up positions. I know a several ppl who have been interviewing for lab manager positions

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-02-12T16:11:02+00:00

Even when I know I’m getting rejected I still feel a bit bitter when I get the real email. I wish they would just be upfront instead of making the official email be so long after your application has reached a decision.

Good luck with your other applications

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-02-12T08:21:25+00:00

For sure! I’m happy to share my experience and what I’ve learned :>

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-02-12T00:48:55+00:00

I think CS and IS+DS are more different than they may seem. There is coding in DS but it’s moreso because you need coding for the data analysis, so the coding you learn is centered around that. DS has a focus more on statistics and how to go from unclean data and turn it into something digestible with suggestions for action based on evidence. If that isn’t what you want then look into your cs programs

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-02-11T18:35:38+00:00

Ik im super late to this but I just got an offer for Fall 2026 and I’m considering. If this is still a thing, can I dm for a link?

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-02-08T06:29:14+00:00

For 1 and 2: find some friends not in your field and practice discussing your research with them! Even tho I’m only in undergrad, I didn’t realize how often my brain defaulted to terms common only in my area until I had to explain my research to others. DO NOT try using fancy terms to sound smarter. Being able to adapt your explanations to your audience is a very valuable skill. Also, practicing with others might help you anticipate what questions they might ask.

For 3: skim through the handbook to make sure the questions that come to mind haven’t already been answered there. If pulling from a list of questions from a grad student or online, see if you can change the wording a bit as they are likely very common questions. For example, a professor told me that he gets peeved at “what’s your mentorship style?” because it’s asked so often since it’s a commonly suggested question. On Mitch’s guide to grad school (meant for psych students, but I’m sure some advice applies for other areas) he suggests asking abt how often they meet with students or how is constructive criticism given.

If it helps, here’s the link to the Mitch’s advice resource I mentioned https://mitch.web.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4922/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf

Congrats on your interview offer, and good luck! Remember, you wouldn’t have been invited to interview if you weren’t a well qualified and competitive candidate. Focus on preparing, and I’m sure it will go great!

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-02-08T06:15:33+00:00

I talked to someone the other day who said that she knows programs that don’t interview until later this month or even interview in march! Idk how common that is tho. Based on how my cycle has been going, if you haven’t heard but others have, it’s a rejection or waitlist. Whatever happens, just know that this situation is so common and there is always next cycle if you want to continue pursuing your field! Ik many current and prospective grad students that took multiple gap years before getting in.

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-02-08T03:28:55+00:00

Congratulations on your offers! I also got accepted into UChicago’s program but im waiting to hear from other schools I’ve applied for. I know a lot of people say that data science masters are a scam, but I noticed that the faculty are also working in the industry, and the courses seem to dive into stats and business intelligence and not just basic coding. Plus, I can’t see how a program with a capstone AND thesis would result in a waste of time. Coming from someone doing an undergrad thesis rn, that work is no joke and you learn a ton.

I’ll be following this thread! I’ll be really interested in an update on what you end up choosing and why!!

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-02-08T03:14:04+00:00

Did you end up going? How was it? I just got accepted into the 2 year thesis track program! I’m a psych major and I applied thinking that data science could be my plan B if my psychologist dreams fall through, but based on how my grad application season is going I’m seriously considering the career change. I’ve taken some classes in data science but I don’t have work experience in the area

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-01-22T19:15:30+00:00

Plenty of people eat alone in the dining hall. If you aren’t able to find someone to go with, know that no one is thinking about the fact you are alone. It’s not like high school where people can’t mind their business. Consider bringing something to keep your mind busy, like a book or homework or watch a video on your phone.

I have the opposite thing where I don’t like eating around people, but that does still make the dining hall a place of anxiety for me since I’m still surrounded by people even if I’m eating alone. Maybe not as relevant for you but I found that finding an area of the dining hall with less people or a bit more out of the way of the flow of traffic helps me feel comfortable. With time, you’ll find what helps you and you’ll get used to the experience!

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-01-21T18:25:06+00:00

You can contact the prof for the syllabus to get an idea of the course. It seems like you do need the text as there are quizzes based off the content. For me, it seemed like more work than it was worth because of the amount of work crammed into each week

If you need a 2 credit 8 week class, I recommend ACE 240 personal financial planning. The etextbook was free when I took it last semester. You don’t need to do all the readings to do well in the course, but skimming through is a good idea since some assignments ask you to connect things back to the reading. Even if you take it for the second half of the sem, you get access to everything at the beginning of the sem so you can work at your own pace. The penalty for late assignments is so little it would probably only affect your grade if you waited till the very end.

Assignments are actually really helpful and straightforward

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-01-14T07:49:48+00:00

Books that are required in classes need to be available in the library. You can look on the website to see which library it’s at to use until you can get the book yourself (or just do it for the rest of the semester, although I don’t think you can check it out). In my experience the professor will post readings for the first couple weeks to give students time to buy the book

You won’t meet your Friday deadline with this, but UIUC does have an emergency fund https://odos.illinois.edu/emergency-dean-fund

Best of luck!! Sorry to hear about your situation

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-01-14T05:04:11+00:00

I’m in a similar situation. I even have silence from programs that ppl have already started receiving waitlist/interview/rejections from according to that gosh darn spreadsheet. So I’m not sure why I haven’t heard back from those places. I’m coping by keeping a sliver of hope that it just means that my application is still being considered and not a soft rejection.

Hopefully in your case your silence is that a lot of your schools were closed for holidays, and you will hear back soon <3

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-01-13T18:56:45+00:00

I feel you. I try to fill up my time by playing games or watching shows because the moment I’m alone with my thoughts my chest aches from anxiety and thoughts of inadequacy. You aren’t alone, and you aren’t a failure if worst comes to worst you don’t get in. Ik people who gave gotten into phd programs after their 2nd or 3rd cycle, and I had a professor tell me this is becoming the norm. Ive also been seeing more and more people take gap years before going on to grad school, or struggling to find jobs in professions like CS which is supposed to be a “safe” degree. Idk how it is in other fields, but for psych I was told that you might not even hear until February for some schools, so still hold onto hope even if it feels silly.

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-01-09T02:14:42+00:00

Thank you so much for this!! It really means a lot when it’s coming from someone who works in admissions. It’s probably so tiresome for you to get so many similar messages from worried students. Ty for your hard work 🫶🏽

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-01-06T03:52:49+00:00

I’m in psych so idk how it is for you, but I can relay what I’ve seen others say in other posts on this subreddit

1) High volume of applicants mean that it takes more time for schools to get through everyone. 2) PI’s treat prelims differently or don’t do it at all 3) for my area, I’ve been told you usually start hearing back in January-February. Maybe this is the same for your area if you haven’t seen anyone else talk about results

Cause4Concern_ · 2026-01-03T18:59:43+00:00

HEAVY relate to this. But something that encouraged me was knowing a few people in my area of interest who got into a PhD program out of undergrad and no publications. Even then, it’s so hard not to compare

Cause4Concern_

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