Sophomore Angelika Kurban from Egg Harbor Township, NJ dishes how to live on campus and find healthy options as a vegan.
The first thing people say to me when they find out I am vegan is, “How do you do it at school?!” That being said, here are my top tips and tricks on how to be vegan in your college dorm!
1.) Grocery shop!
Truthfully, Rowan University doesn’t offer the widest selection of vegan options for freshman/students with a meal plan. Sure, there are the salads at Green Zebra and sometimes a tofu dish in the dining hall but other than that most things will contain some aspect of dairy or meat. Luckily what the wonderful town of Glassboro does offer is lots of grocery shopping! Right down the road you’ll find a ShopRite, Dollar Tree, and Aldi where you can stock up on frozen and canned veggies and beans for a filling, protein packed option you can throw right in your microwave. Shoprite even accepts Rowan Card’s Rowan Bucks, so you can use your meal plan to help cover the cost of groceries. Bonus- frozen and canned are super cheap!
2.) Rice Cookers Are Your Best Friend
Small, convenient, cheap, easy. All words to describe the trusty rice cooker! Grab a small one for about $20 that’ll last you all year, grab a huge bag of rice for a few dollars and voila, a perfectly cooked serving of rice to carb up and give you the energy you need to cram for that final. Bonus-add your frozen//canned veggies and beans for a complete meal!
3.) Eat Out!
Lucky for us Rowan University students, we are a short 20 minute ride into Philly- home of some of the best vegan indulgences! With everything from full on vegan breakfast joints to pizzerias to sit-down dinners, anything you’re craving while at school is available at your fingertips. So grab a friend with a car on campus, hop on the free Rowan shuttle, or catch the cheap train into the city and enjoy yourself! Bonus: Blackbird Pizzeria on South Street is 100% vegan and offers college student favorites like cheese fries, any and all types of pizza, cheesesteaks, and more!
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Story by: Angelika Kurban
Sophomore, public relations major
Egg Harbor Township, NJ (Atlantic County)