When first entering the friendly confines of college, one doesn't really consider the luxury one used to have with a home cooked meal on a nightly basis. At college, snacking is king, and picking up food on the go is the norm. With this in mind, college is a huge stomping ground for any number of fast food joints. With so much competition, and so much to choose from, it is important that today's college student is as educated as possible when it comes to their own selection of what to eat. So, without much further ado, The College Answers provides its list of the top fast food joints for the college student.

In 7th place: McDonalds . Though nothing on this earth could make you happier than a Happy Meal, McDonalds is at the helm of a dying fad in American culture. It used to be great to just order a number 1 with a large Coke and fries, but as a result of America's new health conscious attitude, McDonalds has become the scapegoat of much of the country's obesity. A lawsuit was filed against McDonalds in 2003. Since then, it really hasn't been all that odd to bypass a McDonalds in hopes of eating something else. If McDonalds wants to shape up their image, their going to have to shape up their customers!

In 6th place: Wendy's. If anything, Wendy's can just be classified as a worse version of McDonalds. They try to differentiate themselves with a square patty, which you should never inspect too carefully, because thats just gross. There is something that Wendy's has that no college student can do without, and that is The Frosty. This not-quite-liquid-not-quite-solid, or as the Wendy's corporation likes to call it, a Soquid, makes Wendy's that much more desirable than their fellow burger joint. Without the Frosty, I am not sure if Wendy's could keep it going, but until that point, Wendy's nudges McDonalds. Trust in the Frosty Wendy's and you can't go wrong.

In 5th place: Subway. Subway is definitely the most openly health conscious of all the fast food places on this list. They care a great deal about their spokesperson, Jared Fogle, and the impressive amount of weight that he was able to lose eating their product.

Subway is gratifying and it is relatively fast and easy to make. After you're done eating it you don't feel too bad either. You can even get your sandwiches toasted these days, which is awesome! If you want to exude a healthy image, there is no better fast food than Subway.

In 4th place: Panda Express. Panda Express has some real quality Chinese food and you can get it very quickly. It makes it all the way to fourth on this list because of the novelty of eating Chinese food at college. You only get to do it once in a while, and when its that delicious Orange Chicken or perhaps the Broccoli Beef, you can't really do better when you're on the go and cash is tight. The Express also offers you a fortune cookie at the end of the meal, and no fast food can compete with the idea of a fortune cookie. All signs point to yes with Panda Express!

In 3rd place: Taco Bell. For late night eating, there is no other fast food that compares to Taco Bell. It literally fills the gap anytime after midnight, absolutely perfectly. Their newest campaign of Fourth Meal targets college kids and insomniacs alike. This new concept of "fourth meal" has had a huge impact on their company's image, unlike that silly little Chihuahua. Whether you like tacos, burritos, or quesadillas, you can find your late night eats at Taco Bell. Yo quiero Taco Bell never seemed to make more sense.

In 2nd place: Burger King. Burger King has a lot going for it right now. First, they have tremendous advertising which make you want to crave and then devour their hamburgers as if it were second nature. Their television commercials are fun to watch and are very effective. Second, they have a superior hamburger product to the two aforementioned burger joints, McDonalds and Wendy's. If you've ever had a burger from Burger King, you know how meaty and juicy they are. They are noticeably bigger and at the end of the meal you can feel genuinely filled up. Burger King is just as fast as the other places and their prices are the same if not better. Unfortunately, Burger Kings are in short supply around the University of Michigan, where I attend school, so coming across one of these luscious hamburgers is definitely a treat. Respect the King for he is good.

And the #1 place to get fast food in College:

Chipotle Mexican Grill. Chipotle has established itself as one of the premier fast food joints in the business in a very short time. They provide a quality product at a reasonable price. The service you will receive at any Chipotle will be quick and the restaurant is also significantly better than the other fast food places listed here. At Chipotle, they have designed their restaurant to be more conducive to people enjoying their meals and taking it slow, rather than filing people in and out as fast as possible. Chipotle gets you your food in just as quick a time as the rest without sacrificing their hospitality. They provide three Tabasco's to their customers, which further invites you to sit down and make yourself at home. Aside from the food being incredible, the company itself is doing remarkably well. At the time this College Answer was written, Chipotle Mexican Grills stock price equaled $104, and was up over 50% in the past year. Chipotle plans on expanding in the coming years. All this means is more people being bitten by the Chipotle bug. More so than any other fast food at college, the green is truly gold at Chipotle.

This post was originally written by Tyrone Schiff
University of Michigan · Organizational Studies · 09 Aug 2007