Sometimes a search engine will help you get there...For example, here's the page I use when I'm eating on campus (since my university uses AVI):

AVI Food Service: http://slc.avifoodweb.com/Nutrisource/www.avifresh.com/nutrisource/nutridata.html

My undergraduate degree was from a school that used Aramark. MFP has some Aramark dishes in the database already!

Learn the visual size of portions now before you go, because little scales will not be on hand. Don't feel like you need to try everything...and, as mean as this sounds...don't eat with people who eat a lot. I gained a lot of weight when my group of friends changed because I no longer felt guilty about getting seconds + dessert.

Not everyone gains weight when they go to college...my sister began going to the gym every day, and she lost weight her freshman year. You can do it!

ya, figure out what provider your school uses, some stuff may already be in the database. My school uses sodexo, and there is already a lot of food listed, so I can find meals. Some of it you may just have to do your best guess, like you would at an off brand restaurant. Best of luck in college!

You'll really just need to visualize what a serving size looks like, also guesstimating. Some people tell you that when you guesstimate, it is usually under what the actual size is on the plate, so taking the stairs a lot and walking when ever possible helps to make up for under estimating calories. Some colleges use a larger food service company that is in charge of everything, so it would probably have nutritional info on their website. Some colleges also post menus and nutritional information for the week online. Mine is through a food service company and they posted the menu online for the first couple of months then quit, but there was also a food database where you could search the name of the food and it would come up with the info from that company. A lot of colleges and and some buffet restaurants also post nutritional info above the food in the buffet line.

Saving for later

I used to work in one of my college's dining halls. They use Aramark. Aramark is pretty good with giving out nutrition facts or at least trying to.

You could also try putting everything in a bowl. That makes it easier for me to visually measure.

I find it very difficult to control myself in dining halls. So I normally bring my own food or eat in a place that isn't all you can eat. It's easier for me to do that since I live off campus.

see if your university has to-go containers.. i'd get my food from the hall, take it back to my dorm, eat the correct portions and put the extra in tubberware for late-night snacks or friends who came over. i understand being social, but i'm not really fond of eating with others. plus, i've always had a weird schedule of classes so i was eating breakfast at 6AM, lunch around 2PM or 3 PM, and dinner at 5PM or 7PM.

also, I recommend getting more familiar with portion sizes (like how a serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards, et cetera) and just filling your plate up with lots of veggies. avoid the pizza and a lot of their specialty hot meals, since those don't tend to be very diet-friendly. skip the sodas and stick to water/tea. request egg whites in the morning omelet line and, once again, add a bunch of veggies to your omelet so it's extra filling. choose whole wheat bread/rolls, rather than white. pasta is alright, but be careful with portions - i prefer rice to pasta, though. skip the sweets and have fruit and/or non-fat yogurt for dessert. also, sushi = awesome (especially cucumber/california rolls)

in addition - stock up on instant oatmeal, cream of wheat, kashi granola bars, truvia, green tea, instant coffee, healthy pop single-serve popcorn, otter pops (20 cals each, plus they're cheap and perfect to offer friends who come over), single-serving whole wheat crackers, and dark chocolate (for "those" days)
and, of course, get a really nice water bottle.
(water is something many of us college students neglect to guzzle down often)