Vegan-Friendly Colleges

Tomotao · Oct 2, 2006

'Sup. 
As a senior in high school, I'm currently embarking on a somewhat disjointed college search. I have been vegan for two years now, vegetarian for three, and I plan to continue my diet in college. Are there any schools out there that are notable for having a strong vegan/vegetarian population and excellent vegan cuisine? Specifically I'm looking around the Midwest, as I'm from Kansas City. 
Thanks.

Dirty Martini · Oct 3, 2006

KU is supposedly pretty vegan friendly.

CountryDreamer · Oct 3, 2006

I've been wanting to post the same question recently, as I'm a junior in highschool and am starting my college search. 
So far out of the schools I'm interested in, the ones that seem to be the most vegan-friendly are University Colorado at Boulder, Humboldt State (CA), and Virginia Tech. I've also heard that University Indiana Bloomington has a lot of vegan choices and University North Carolina at Asheville may have choices since Asheville and been voted a "top vegan-friendly town". 
These are just from what I've found online, because I have yet to visit them and see for myself how vegan-friendly they are, and my suggestions might not help you much since they aren't around your area. I know on the PETA website there is a list of the top 10 most vegan-friendly college cafeterias, that you could check out. Sorry I don't have a link.

Thalia · Oct 3, 2006

<a href="http://www.oberlin.edu/coladm/campus/h_d.html" target="_blank">Oberlin!!!</a>

Tomotao · Oct 3, 2006

Cool, thanks guys. 
I'm actually applying to Oberlin. It looks like an awesome school. I recently visited Grinnell and the admissions counselor informed me that something like a third of the school was vegan or vegetarian. Now, she was no doubt exaggerating, but still...

nigel · Oct 3, 2006

Any "college-town" school will have V folks you can hook up with. I wouldn't let it be too much of a force in your choice of schools, if I were you.

Iria · Oct 3, 2006

I visited Allegheny College in western Pennsylvania and they had a whole vegan section to their small cafeteria. I was also completely in love with the school, but alas, they did not have enough variety in my major.

Thalia · Oct 4, 2006

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by Tomotao <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a> 
Cool, thanks guys. 
I'm actually applying to Oberlin. It looks like an awesome school. I recently visited Grinnell and the admissions counselor informed me that something like a third of the school was vegan or vegetarian. Now, she was no doubt exaggerating, but still...</div>
</div>
 
I applied to Grinnell, too. I didn't visit though. Sounds like another cool place.

laurie15 · Oct 4, 2006

out of curiousity - are you really basing your college decision on if your veganism will be supported or looked after?

IamJen · Oct 4, 2006

laurie..I know you were just asking, but is taking veganism into account such a bad thing? I spent 3 years in Uni in OKC (nickname: "cow town"). I survived, but wish perhaps that I'd considered vegetarianism a bit more. Granted, I think making it your ONLY factor would be silly, but just saying. 
wrt the op: Oberlin rocks. One of my acquaintances graduated from there and we've visited a couple of times. Lots of activism there too. 
Some other "good schools": 
Suprisingly (at least to me), Champaign-Urbana, where UofIll's main campus is located, is pretty vegan friendly. To my knowledge, there's only one or two veg restaurants, but most every place seemed to know what a vegan is. There's a veg*n campus group as well. I think there was a VBer who was attending there, but now I'm failing to recall her user name. 
UofM is pretty good too, in Ann Arbor. They used to have a vegetarian dorm, but I'm not sure that exists anymore. The cafeterias are vegan friendly though. 
Of course, you could always try someplace in Chicago...more vegan food than you can shake a stick at. (and some pretty bitchin' VBers too <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smitten.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":smitten:">) 
Do you know what you'd like to study in college?

~Wonder · Oct 4, 2006

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by IamJen <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a> 
Suprisingly (at least to me), Champaign-Urbana, where UofIll's main campus is located, is pretty vegan friendly. To my knowledge, there's only one or two veg restaurants, but most every place seemed to know what a vegan is.</div>
</div>
 
Woo! UIUC! I went there, not as a veg*n, but I know the campus. They do have a veg*n specialty restaurant called <a href="http://www.housing.uiuc.edu/dining/locations.asp?loc=special" target="_blank">Field of Greens</a>, it's open for lunch M-F. The dining halls do specify the ingredients in all their foods. Plus there is this awesome HFS called Strawberry Fields not too far off campus with all the veg*n specialty foods you could ever want and they also have organic fruits/veggies and a small cafeteria inside. They're not specifically veg*n but have many many veg*n options. I wish I had one close to me. 
HTH, 
~Wonder <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/biker.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":ymca:">

IamJen · Oct 4, 2006

Ah, Strawberry Fields is bitchin, for sure. (except I couldn't stop humming whilest I was there). 
I first spent any significant time in Chambana in 2001, and was really surprised to find it not only to be vegan friendly, but with a fairly lively progressive community in general. Universities can do amazing things for small towns. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="

">

~Wonder · Oct 4, 2006

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by IamJen <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a> 
Ah, Strawberry Fields is bitchin, for sure. (except I couldn't stop humming whilest I was there). 
I first spent any significant time in Chambana in 2001, and was really surprised to find it not only to be vegan friendly, but with a fairly lively progressive community in general. Universities can do amazing things for small towns. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="

"></div>
</div>
 
I was in Chambana in 2001, were you a student? 
~Wonder <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/biker.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":ymca:">

IamJen · Oct 4, 2006

Nah, I was visiting there, doing some research/study at Early Childhood Center. UIUC is pretty prominent in the fields wrt to a certain pedagogical approach, of which I was (am) a proponent. 
I wonder if I ever saw you at Strawberry Fields? )Or this awesome Middle Eastern place, the Jerusalem. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/lick.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":lick:"> )

~Wonder · Oct 4, 2006

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by IamJen <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a> 
Nah, I was visiting there, doing some research/study at Early Childhood Center. UIUC is pretty prominent in the fields wrt to a certain pedagogical approach, of which I was (am) a proponent. 
I wonder if I ever saw you at Strawberry Fields? )Or this awesome Middle Eastern place, the Jerusalem. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/lick.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":lick:"> )</div>
</div>
 
I doubt it. I wasn't veg*n when I was at school there and I've only been to Strawberry Fields a couple of times and that's been within the past year. I've never been to the Jerusalem Cafe but I'll make sure I do next time I'm down there, assuming it's still there. There's a good chance we passed each other. I was on the engineering campus a lot. I lived at ISR(Green/Lincoln) the first half of 2001. Creepy. 
~Wonder <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/biker.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":ymca:">

Gnome Chomsky · Oct 4, 2006

University of Oregon has at least one vegan entree available at...as I recall, 4 out of 5 of their dorm dining establishments. 
I would, however, suggest against giving the dining hall a high weight in the process of choosing a college. 
ebola

laurie15 · Oct 4, 2006

IamJen, 
No, I don't think so at all! I agree with you, but it also works differently in the states than it does here... You've many more choices than here for schooling, and schools are far less specialized there than here.

IamJen · Oct 4, 2006

Sorry if that came across as a bit intense...the Oklahoma days aren't amongst my favorites. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="

">

Alli · Oct 5, 2006

I was looking at Bowdoin, and I love the school, it's on PeTA's top cafeteria list, but it doesn't have enough science courses. I was really excited too, because it's in Maine. I want to go to Maine. Badly. 
Anyway... Anyone know of good vegan friendly schools with an abundance of science/ecology/environmental courses?

Aimra · Oct 5, 2006

I know it isn't in the midwest or anything but.. Toronto has an amazing amount of veg*n friendly options. University of Toronto is supposed to be a good school as well. When I went with friends who were vegan, before I became a veg we had quite a few places to pick from to eat without any problems for them.

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