Swarthmore College Top Questions

Being a vegetarian, I can say the food options are quite impressive for a college campus. While there is only one main dining hall, Sharples, they really do try to not make you sick of the options, having a Main, Vegetarian, Salad, and Specialty bar every night. My one gripe is that there is pasta bar twice a week, with the same, overcooked pasta and sauces every time. Other than that, they do a lot to accommodate the many cultural foods backgrounds of the students and select local food sources to keep things fresh. When Swatties (understandably) need a break from Sharples, there are other on-campus options: Essie Maes is the equivalent to a grill eatery with mostly yummy finger food and snacks. Both the science center and Kohlberg buildings have coffee-bars with amazing drinks and healthy sandwiches, snacks, wraps, and sushi. Lastly, there is student-run Paces cafe, which also features coffee and baked goods. The meal plans are also great, and I never personally feel hungry: you get three meals a day, and Sharples is basically an all-you-can-eat buffet. In Essie Maes, the meals are priced by item. But, Essie Maes and the coffee bars also accept meal points: a sort of limited back-up resource one can use to buy snacks to store in your dorm.

Students eat lunch on the grass outside Sharpels, the dining hall