Fortunately most major universities now offer vegetarian entrees at their
cafeterias for all meals (although vegan can be a little harder).
Unfotunately most of what they have is also extremely high in fat (I
never knew there were so many varieties of quiche... LOL). However, it is
possible to eat in the dorm and still maintain something like a healthy
diet.
Most cafeterias have a salad bar--so that's a good start. Many
offer baked potatoes at every meal. Some even have veggie burgers!
Usually it is possible to get a complete meal if you combine a lot of
side dishes--pasta, veggies, rice, etc. If you have a fridge in your dorm,
you can keep fresh fruit and veggies in there for munching (this is important
because the veggies in the cafeteria are usually canned :-P ). You may
also want to heat up some beans (canned or from mixes) if you are
concerned about protein--of course, remember that you don't really need
very much--because beans in the cafeteria are almost universally cooked
with meat.
It depends a lot on where you go to school, but many cafeterias are very
receptive to students' needs and requests. The school doesn't want you
taking your tuition money elsewhere just becuase you can't get a meal you
can eat. Just keep lots of healthy snacks on hand, get plenty of
exercise, and move into an apartment as soon as your school will allow it!!!
Actually, I do live off-campus, but I still eat lunch most days in the
cafeteria. It's cheap and convenient and, believe it or not it is one of
the easiest places in town to get veggie food (i'm not sure if that says
more about the town or the school...). Just remember to ask a
lot of questions, never assume something is vegetarian. And, if you want
to avoid holding up the line while you interrogate the food service
people, you may want to eat during off-peak hours--at least until you get
a pretty good idea of what they serve and how they prepare it.
Hope this helps...
Kristin
------------------------------