You will find yourself taking advantage of free meals provided by companies and clubs, as well as going out for meals at nearby restaurants with friends rather than eating in the dorms. I have yet to find anyone who has not had more than enough meals left on their plan by the end of the week. Two of the most popular plans are the 12 meals + 15 credits and the 10 meals + 45 credits plans. Meals work at any of the dining halls (buffet meals) and the credits work at cafes which are like grocery stores with some quick food (burgers, pizza, wraps, etc.). For credits you can roll over up to however big your plan is per week (i.e. you can roll over up to 15 credits week over week for the 12/15 plan so you can have up to 30 credits available at a time). Plan for the 12/15 if you plan to spend more time in your dorms, and for the 10/45 if you like to grab more snacks through the day. Remember to speak with the housing department if you have special dietary restrictions (also download the dining hall app for menus: UIDining). Also, you can change your meal plan up to a few weeks into each semester.