The OU is known for many things. Ask any upperclassmen and they may mention our great football team, our diverse campus, but they definitely won’t forget Couch Restaurants. With many options to choose from, like Chick-Fil-A and fresh Greek food, it is by far a good place to eat in Norman. It comes as no surprise that the food on campus is not half bad. The various methods of payment however are a different story.

Many students and all freshmen living in the dorms have a meal plan. Meal plans include points, meal exchanges and the optional Sooner Sense. It can be confusing remembering which currency is best at which location, but do not fret; meal plans can be changed until Sept. 19.

For those always on the go, more points is probably the best option. Points are accepted all day at any campus dining location and because they work just like money, they are also accepted at Xcetera, a campus convenient store located at the bottom of Walker Tower.

“It’s nice not having to carry money around and it’s convenient,” accounting sophomore Allison Polzein said.

If three square meals are a must then more meal exchanges is definitely the way to go. Meal exchanges have a general value of $7 and can purchase up to two packaged items at various on-campus restaurants.

Unlike points, meal exchanges are not always accepted. Besides Couch Restaurants, Couch Express and Cate Cafeteria, which are all South of Lindsey, they are not accepted before 2p.m. In many cases, students have meal exchanges left over because they do not have time between classes to walk across campus for lunch.

“The thing that needs to be changed is the time frame,” Latin sophomore, Son Truong said.

Though this can be a deal breaker for many, meal exchanges almost always ensure an entire meal and not just a snack. In fact, when it comes to Couch Restaurants, meal exchanges is the best way to go.

For freshmen, meals are distributed on a weekly basis. The basic meal plans for freshmen range from six to 12 meals per week. However, the more meal exchanges per week, the less points allotted per semester.

Upperclassmen living on campus may choose from any of the freshmen meal plans, opt out of a meal plan altogether or choose an upperclassmen meal plan, which distributes all meal exchanges and points at the beginning of each semester.

These meal plans are offered to any student living on campus with at least 24 credit hours. Upperclassmen meal plans range from 100 meal exchanges, which is less than the number of days in a semester, and 600 meal points to a plan of zero meal exchanges and 1200 points, which is less than 10 points per day.

In addition, there is a commuter meal plan offered for those who don’t necessarily live on campus, but find themselves there around mealtime. The commuter meal plan consists of 25 blocked meals or 25 meal points, which can be purchased at any time during the semester. Students living on campus can also buy blocked meal plans and use them at their convenience.

There are a variety of meal plans offered, but if none of these seem to satiate the appetite, the university does also offer enhanced meal plans. These plans have a larger amount of meal exchanges per week and number of points per semester. Also, there is an option of 275 meal exchanges per semester, which will guarantee at least two meal exchanges for every day.

An additional part of meal plans is Sooner Sense. Sooner Sense is comparable to an OU debit card. Students can load money onto their Sooner One card and use it to purchase food at any campus dining location at anytime, including Xcetera.

Unfortunately, when points are so readily available, it can be a chore to remember to check your balance or load your card. And all places that take Sooner Sense also take cash, so it can be redundant and confusing.

“It was too hard to use…[I] only used it once,” said Cary Williams, international business senior.

Keeping up with Sooner Sense can be a pain, but for those living in the dorms it is the only currency usable for the washer and dryers on campus.

It is not always easy deciding which is the best route to go with all these choices, but no worries; after the first week of classes it will be easier to decide which meal plan best fits your lifestyle.