Whether your student is living on campus with a meal plan, or living off-campus and having to “forage for themselves”, they will eventually find the need to go to a grocery store. UGA has great options right around campus, and options for every budget. If you are familiar with the South, then you already know about the following stores: Kroger, Publix, Piggly Wiggly, and Bell’s Food Stores. They are all there! Be sure to have your student sign up for each store’s digital coupons and discount programs. They can help them save when on a budget. Adding their app makes it easy to add items they purchase for a discount.

No matter where they live on or off-campus, Kroger is most likely the closest grocery store to them. If they live on the Baxter side of campus, they will probably go to the Kroger on Alps, whereas the College Station kids frequent the Kroger at College Station. It’s very popular with students because they offer fuel points that can be used at gas stations at Kroger and Shell gas stations.

Let’s start with the higher-priced, more specialty stores. Daily Co-op, and The Fresh Market all have freshly prepared foods along with lots of vegan and gluten-free products. They do offer weekly deals and have loyalty programs as well. Trader Joe’s is also in Athens and offers signature and store brands that lots of people love. Daily Co-op is a member-run grocery cooperative on Prince Avenue. Anyone can shop there, and it’s open to the public. They have lots of local specialties and a deli section with lots of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. EarthFare, a health-based grocery store located in 5 Points, offers 5% off on Tuesdays to UGA students with a student ID. Fresh Market offers 10% off every day.

Larger retailers that sell groceries in Athens include Target and Walmart. Walmart offers grocery delivery and curbside pickup, so be sure to check with the stores for fees and options. Kroger has these services as well.

Aldi has two locations on the east and west sides of Athens. This discount grocery store has their own store brands at lower prices than typical stores. To keep prices down, you will need an actual quarter (yes, $.25) to unlock a grocery cart, which you will get back when you return the cart. You will also need to bring your own bags, and bag your groceries yourself.

How To Get There

If your student does not have a car or does not want to lose their coveted parking spot, UGA’s bus service has routes for a lot of stores.

The College Station Kroger can be accessed by the UGA Vet Med bus route.

Daily Co-op is along the UGA Health Sciences bus route, near the stop at Grady Ave.

Other stores can be accessed by the Athens Clarke County Transit System, otherwise known as the city bus. UGA students ride for free with a student ID.

Can’t make it to the grocery store? Shipt will deliver their groceries right to them (for a fee, of course). There is also Instacart which delivers from Publix, Aldi, Sam’s Club, CVSW, Kroger, The Fresh Market, Sprouts, and Target. This comes in handy when your student is too busy studying, is under the weather or cannot get to a store.

Get the App

Have your students download the apps for any of the grocery stores that offer them. Many of these stores have digital coupons. Taking a little time to check off the coupons they may use saves them, and possibly you, some money.

Publix also sells a two-part gift card that you can load from your local Publix onto your student’s gift card. It is another option if your student buys most of their groceries at Publix.

Athens is a great area for farmer’s markets. Some are seasonal, so be sure to check their websites for times, dates, and locations.

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One of the biggest worries parents have when sending their child off to college, is how will they eat? Let’s face it, we have been buying, prepping, and cooking for our “babies” since they were actually babies! Here’s where meal plans come in.

Yes, some of our kids have learned to cook and prepare their own meals, but some parents know that their children would starve if they had to cook for themselves. So, these days the worry is taken away with great options for meals. When I was a student, the options were slim for on-campus eating, and I remember ordering lots of pizza and making fast food runs. But today, there are five residential dining locations offering tons of choices and over 20 other popular eateries. Surviving on pizza is no longer a worry when students can enjoy sushi, gourmet coffees, and custom salads at their leisure.

At UGA, there are two types of meal plans for students, Residential and Commuter. Like their names, they are designed for the type of students using them. The Residential all-access meal plan allows a student unlimited access to Bolton, Oglethorpe, Snelling, The Village Summit, and the Niche. It comes in a 5-day or 7-day option. Residential meal plan participants may come and go as often as they’d like during the meal plan serving hours for the academic year. Those with Paw Points can also eat at the retail locations across campus. Paw Points give access to all dining locations and retail locations, as well as all Coca-Cola vending machines. Paw Points are deducted with each purchase and remain active for that calendar year.

Commuter plans give access to those living off-campus. Students are given a set number of meals per semester to use at Bolton, Oglethorpe, Snelling, The Village Summit and the Niche during the academic year and must be used in full each semester or the unused meals will be forfeited. It is 65-80 meals per year. Paw Points can also be used with this plan.

One of the great things about UGA meal plans is that you do have the option to change your meal plan during the school year. This request has to be made in your Dining Services Account, there is no deadline for these changes. If you join a Greek organization that offers a meal plan, you are allowed to cancel your UGA meal plan at any time in the semester and join the organization’s meal plan. You need to know that Greek organizations are separate from UGA and therefore this change would involve a cancellation and an application onto the Greek meal plan, not a transfer, but joining the Greek meal plan is not required for membership.

Not to be confused with Paw Points, Bulldog Bucks can also be used to pay for meals at the dining services locations. Bulldog Bucks are basically dollars loaded to be used for dining, vending, printing, and at retail locations on campus. It’s also a great way for parents to be able to send money. Simply load some cash onto your student’s Bulldog Bucks account and then they have extra money for on-campus needs, and these do roll over from semester to semester and are available until they are all gone.

The Bulldawg Box Program offers students the chance to fill up a reusable to-go box for either that meal or for a future meal. Simply tell the cashier before you are scanned and your meal will be deducted. There are certain rules and times available for the Box Program, so check here for all information. As far as other eateries on campus, there are plenty of options. Chains like Chick-fil-A, Au Bon Pain, Einstein Bagels, Eastside Deli, Panda Express, Starbucks, and Sushi with Gusto all have sites on campus, and there are coffee shops everywhere. Trust me, your student won’t go hungry!

An interesting thing with UGA and dining is that you no longer have to swipe your ID or have a meal plan card. When you first use your meal plan, your eye will be scanned into an IRIS database. Each time you check into a location, your eye will be scanned and your meal applied. It is always wise to have your ID on you because some places won’t scan during late hours, and you never know when the technology will have a glitch.

For the fall of 2020, dining halls will be open for the Labor Day Holiday, Fall Break, and the online class period between Thanksgiving Break and Christmas break. They will be closed for Thanksgiving Break and Christmas Break. For spring 2021, dining halls will be open on the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday and Spring Break. Just because dining halls are open during breaks does not mean that all of them are open every day for their regular hours, so make sure you check before going to eat to make sure which ones are open!

Due to COVID-19, dining halls will only be open to meal plan participants, which is different since they are usually open to the public. This change is for the foreseeable future to keep students at UGA safe and healthy, so if you plan to eat in the dining halls this year, you need to sign up for a meal plan as soon as possible.

Now, if visions of the dreaded “freshman 15” are filling your already worried mind, fear not! There are many healthy options all over campus and you can always find vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free choices, as well as dining nutrition counseling if you like. Also, check out our other blogs on healthy living.

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Your child has been accepted to the University of Georgia! Congrats! The first thing you need to do is to sign up for Orientation. Your student is required to attend a two-day session, and parents have the option to attend if desired. The earlier sessions, the better. These days will be filled with taking notes, filling out paperwork, and getting yourselves familiar with all things UGA.

Orientation can be an overwhelming event because lots of information is being thrown at you in a short amount of time. So, remember to breathe. Don’t panic about remembering every important phone number, code, and piece of advice that the school gives you as I did. It will all be on their website if you need them. I did make notes and highlighted things that I specifically wanted to go over with my child in detail (like healthcare, tutoring, safety…) It’s also a good idea to download the Welcome to UGA app (Apple and Google version) where you will find the slides and can download and print them once you get home. That way you won’t have to worry about missing anything and you can go back to refresh what you heard at a later date.

Important!

Prior to Orientation, there are many things that must be done, so be sure to download the checklist. Missing any of these could prevent you from registering for classes. Some of these things can take time, like gathering transcripts from your high school, taking required placement tests, completing part 1 of the AlcoholEdu and Haven, and completing all health forms. Orientation starts promptly at noon on day 1 and ends at 5:00 pm on the second day.

Both you and your student have the option of staying in on-campus housing during Orientation. You must check-in from 10 am – 11:45 am at Creswell Hall as to not miss the start promptly at 12:00 pm on the first day of the sessions. There is a slight cost for this option, but you must bring some of your own items from home. Click here to see what you will need and how much it will cost. The most convenient lodging option for parents is to stay at the UGA Hotel and Conference Center, or any of the local hotels. Check out our blog on Hotels in the area here.

Orientation starts at 12:00 pm on day one, with check-in at the Tate Student Center, but there are mini a la carte options to participate in as well. There will be a resource fair, opportunities to learn more about University Housing and Financial Aid starting at 10:00 am, so plan on getting to campus early.

The most important part of the Orientation is registering for classes. Your student will meet with an Advisor either one-on-one or in a small group. Click here for some tips from the academic advisors to help you be prepared for your session. It can be overwhelming, so remind your students not to worry if they don’t get that ideal schedule. They can utilize drop/add during the first week of classes of the semester. I think it’s also good to remember that whatever they end up with does not necessarily have to determine what they study for the next four years.

UGA asks that all parents and students participating in Orientation take part in their Dawgs or a Cause program. This program helps to bring books to children in the Athens-Clarke County community. Books to be donated can be dropped off at the ticket booth in the Tate Student Center.

Other Suggestions

If you have already found your roommate, try to plan on attending the same orientation session. This way you can also stay in the dorm together and get to know each other better. My niece did this, and it worked out great, knowing who you were going to live with before move-in day.

Meal Plan – I suggest you read our blog on meal plans to get some ideas of choices. You can also register for the plan of your choice at orientation.

Banking – UGA’s banking provider is the Georgia United Credit Union. A checking account is free for students and offers many ways to show off your Bulldog pride. We personally chose to keep our daughter’s account at our home bank. It was simply easier since our accounts are linked. For out of state students, it is smart to check out opening a Georgia account.

Make your hotel reservations early. Rooms will fill fast. Head over to our hotels and restaurants blog for suggestions.

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. You will do a lot of walking and it can be hot in Athens. But, bring a light jacket as some rooms will be cold.

And of course, head over to the campus bookstore or an area store and start stocking up on Bulldogs apparel. Go Dawgs!

Click here for all things related to UGA Orientation.

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