Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
placeholder article
placeholder article

How to Finesse the Café

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at NCAT chapter.

Any college student can agree when I say, “the struggle is real.” The struggle to wake up for class, to do that assignment you’ve been putting off, to sit in that boring class, and most importantly the struggle to have a decent meal. There’s that myth of gaining weight in college, but personally for me, it seems to be the other way around. As a sophomore, I’d say I’ve lost weight since attending college.

If you’re anything like me, between classes and long hours of homework, there’s barely enough time in the day to actually stop and enjoy a filling meal- or a meal at all. As a hungry girl like myself the struggle is real. But have no fear because over my two years as a student, I’ve learned how to finesse the café to get my (tuition) money’s worth of (edible) food. So clear out your mini fridge because I gots you!

Here are some simple tricks, tips, and hacks to get your stomach through those busy days when you just don’t have time to take that walk to the Café. Enjoy! 

What you’ll need:

  1. Zip lock/sandwich bags (small/medium/large-get em all)

  2. Tupperware (the bowls are heaven sent)

  3. Saran wrap (or foil if you’re extra)

  4. A water bottle of some sort. The more bottles you have, the better. (ex: Camelback, yeti, gym bottle, anything big enough to fill and store.)

  5. A medium-large bag to stuff everything in

What to Do:

Okay let’s be real. We allllll know when dining at the café, you can’t expect an appetizing meal (unless its Fried Chicken Friday of course). Tragic. But whenever I’m at the café, I always hit up the areas I know I can easily sneak items into my bag. To me, these areas have the yummiest foods that could potentially cure my hunger. Especially when its 8:25 pm and you have $3.00 left in flex bucks (but that’s for another article lol). I prefer to do this routine after I’ve eaten, so that I can leave right after. You can thank me later ;) 

  1. First, I stop by the cereal section and fill up my sandwich bags (or Tupperware) with my favorite brands (Lucky Charms is the goat idc idc). If you don’t have milk back in your dorm, hit up Simply’s To Go and rack up on those miniature milk’s! Who doesn’t love cereal?!

  2. If you enjoy a nice cup of OJ in the morning like mwah, then make sure to stop by the juice machine.

  3. Whenever I’m feeling extra, I make my way to the wrap section. They usually fit in Tupperware, or you can just put it in a zip lock. If you can finesse, get two. 

  4. If they’re available, I like to gather up a few bagels. If you want, split them in half and add cream cheese!

  5. Every now and then, there are some yummy soup flavors on the buffet, so go there! This is great after those long cold walks across campus.

  6. Next, I head over to the fruit/yogurt/muffin section, because nutrition is oh so important! I usually take about 2-3 apples (or sometimes oranges), and a few blueberry muffins (when they actually have them- smh). Stocking up on yogurt can be a little tricky if you don’t have Tupperware,

  1. For my pizza lovers, take a walk over to the pizza line and stuff those zip lock bags! The bigger sizes are ideal because you can stuff about two slices in one bag. Yassss.    

  2. If you have a sweet tooth, stop by the dessert area for a piece of pie, cake, or cookie!

Happy eating!

 Born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, Megan is currently a senior at North Carolina A&T State University. She is an English major with a concentration in creative writing, and also minoring in multimedia journalism. This is her third year on the Her Campus NCAT editorial staff.
Hi everyone! I am a sophomore at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University who should be majoring in Weddings, but is actually a Journalism & Mass Communications student with a concentration in Multimedia. Originally I am from Woodbridge, Virginia, which is about 30 minutes south of our nation’s capital. I have lived here all my life, but I’m not afraid to branch out and explore the world. This past summer I studied abroad in Sydney, Australia to engage and immerse myself in Australian culture. The experience was phenomenal and I’m already counting down the days until I can return that beautiful country. Check out my Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.