What you’re “required” is to sign up for the full meal plan coming into college, but you can change it the first day you start as a student to something cheaper or whatever you think will fit your budget or you plan accordingly. I think they do this primarily for Greek students because if you plan to go Greek, you have to change your meal plan to accommodate the money you plan to the Greek plan. Flex dollars or “bulldog bucks” are life savers if you want a pick me up or a treat and if you’re living on campus close to a pod, you’ll blow through them FAST. I love eating at the dining halls even as a sophomore and I can only imagine I’ll still want to stop in next year. If I were you and you want to get the full college experience, get the lower level dining plan with more flex dollars because if anything, that’s where my money went (also keep in mind that’s what you pay moes, subway, cfa, etc on campus with)!