A short guide to making mealtime at college a little easier for everyone.

So, it's your first real college dining hall experience. It's no longer the first week and the cute little "Welcome to College" barbecues are out the window. From here on out its either eating in the dining hall or getting a to-go container. You can sit wherever you want, eat whatever you want, or if you prefer to be alone or have class you can get in and get out (hopefully as quick as possible). Whether you agree that the food is great, it sucks, or maybe there just aren't enough options for you, we can ALL agree that there are a few things that need to be reviewed for some people. These things, for some, are common courtesies. For others, we'll just pretend that the issue is that they were never taught. I'm talking about dining hall etiquette. Here are 11 tips to help make sure you and your friends aren't slacking!

1. Don't cut in line!

One of the most simple tips and one we should all remember from kindergarten. We are all here to get food. There is nothing worse than waiting patiently only to have someone cut in front of you because they weren't paying attention. Don't be that person.

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2. Be patient.

Like Baymax, the ID scanner is not fast. It will take a couple seconds in between each scan to be ready for the next person. Try not to get frustrated if you have to scan again.

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3. Please, please pick up after yourself.

As someone who has worked in the dining hall at my school, I can honestly say there is nothing worse than having to clean off a table full of people's plates, cups, dirty napkins, etc. Most, if not all of us, are adults now. There is a special place to put dirty dishware for a reason! Use it!

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4. Skip right to what you are getting on your plate.

Most dining halls have multiple stations. For example, at Wilson we have the scheduled entree set up and then on the end of the line there is pizza. If you know for a fact you are only getting pizza just skip straight to that (even if its the 3rd day in a row.. I won't judge). Don't hold the line up!

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5. Only get take out if you really need it.

I understand some nights you just want to eat alone, and that's okay. However, for some people, take-out is the only way they are getting dinner because of classes or work. This means if a bunch of people who don't REALLY need to-go containers use them all up then the other people who do are kind of screwed.

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6. Ask for something if it's missing.

Instead of just going back to your table and venting to your friends, stop a dining hall employee and ask nicely if there is any more of that item. It is very likely that refilling it was on their mental to do list but they got busy with something else. We are all humans here and sometimes things can get hectic, even for employees.

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7. Read the menu before coming to eat!

Not only will this help you decide if it's worth the effort to venture out of your dorm cave, it will also help to prevent you from holding up the line while you're trying to figure out what is what. Sometimes the menu boards are not updated and no one likes having to ask what a food item is.

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8. Don't just ignore the dirty silverware.

Okay, so sometimes the silverware or plates don't get fully cleaned in the dish washer. Yes, it may be gross but instead of leaving it there and getting the next plate or fork, you should take the two extra seconds to just put it in the dirty dishware drop or tell one of the employees. This is a big help to the staff and it prevents other students from having to pick through the plates or possibly touching half washed food.

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9. Don't carry two plates, a cup and a bowl at the same time.

We all know you are totally practicing for your weekend serving job. But do everyone a favor and carry things in a way that you are sure you won't drop them. Not only is it embarrassing to drop something on the floor and have everyone look at you, but it usually also makes a huge mess.

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10. Help a fellow out!

This may only pertain to Wilson College, but we all know how those cups stick together! Sometimes all it takes is for you to hold one and have a friend grab the other one and twist together. Teamwork!

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11. Comment cards.

Last but not least, if there was something that you just did not like or maybe something you loved and want to see more often, write a comment card! Believe it or not, dining halls like to hear back some constructive criticism. This helps them to try to improve!

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