But at Princeton, students can also choose to join one of the elite eating clubs, that is, if they don't mind spending about $4500 per year on food.

Although the clubs are not university sponsored, many student choose to join them, according to Orefice.

Harvard students say they lament the lack of comparable choices.

"I eat probably 12 or 13 meals per week," says Mark L. Meatto '99. "I'd prefer not to pay for more."

"I think its a rip-off," says Peter F. O'Brien '00 "I don't think I've ever had 21 meals per week. I usually have 14. The meal plan isn't fair.

Ted A. Mayer, Harvard's incoming director of dining services, says he is aware that students don't eat the full 21 meals they pay for.

"On average students eat 13 to 14 meals per week," Mayer says. "So that's what we base our budget around."

A Free Lunch?

But what becomes of those seven to eight meals per week that each student misses?

At Brown, students receive credit for any missed meals.

The Ivy Room is one of three campus restaurants that stay open until 1 a.m. and cater to students' late night cravings. Although the cafe excepts cash, students often redeem lost meals for which they receive $3.25 in "credit."

"It's a regular social function," says Bapat of the eatery. "If you're trying to meet a guy, you can say, 'Let's meet for credit!' Most people 'do credit' between 11 and one."

"At Brown, there's definitely a trend for late-night dining," says Gretchen M. Wills, Brown's director of dining services. "37 percent of meals are served after dinner hours."

Princeton offers a similar credit system for missed meals. Whenever students skip breakfast, lunch or dinner, they receive compensation of $2.50, $3.50 or $4.50, respectively.

The college provides a late-night service at the dining halls between 8 to 10 p.m. for students who missed meals.