<p>It sounds as though Citibank is the way to go for student checking accounts at Chicago because of there being a Citibank branch and ATMs right on campus. If, however, an entering student already has an account with the Bank of America at home, would it be doable to stick with B of A for the college checking account? Are there many (any?) B-of-A ATMs on campus?</p>
<p>It’s definitely do-able, but most students use Citibank.</p>
<p>I would advise against Citibank strongly. There very few other branches in Chicago (this is a problem the world over for Citigroup, which makes most of its money from its Wall Street type divisions, mortgages, etcetera), which makes getting money downtown and a hassle since you will end up paying a fee to use a B of A machine (which are everywhere). Alternatively, while B of A does not have a machines on campus, it does have them in Hyde Park in areas where you will no doubt walk once or twice a week as a student just to do day-to-day activities (such as 53rd street). However, I found the best way to get money was simply to use the cash back option at Walgreens, and otherwise use my credit/debit card with direct withdrawal for everything else. By laying down plastic at places like Subway and the dry cleaners, I maxed out my B of A keep the change rewards in one year ($250)! This more than compensated for the handful of times where I got caught needing to take out money on campus due to bad weather and had to pay the fee. Of course, if you have poor planning skills and like to take out $20 at a time, then Citibank might be the way to go. </p>
<p>But customer service also weighs heavily for me. Citibank simply is a disaster if you loose your card or need any type of complex customer service. Nothing can be done at the branch, and turn around time from the corporate office is atrocious. After three or so incidents that took a month to resolve, I went over to B of A and have never gone back.</p>
<p>Besides convenience of ATMs, you should also look at the types of rates you can get. I don’t know about B of A–I avoid it since a B of A decision that didn’t make any sense cost my parents almost a thousand dollars–but I know that you can get a normal, online savings account at Citibank that gets the kind of interest rates you can normally only get with a CD. At the end of this year I should end up with about $750 in interest in one year at Citibank. That’s the main reason I’m using Citibank versus, say, Hyde Park Bank (I normally go for local banks). </p>
<p>Just as a mention, there are account types at Citibank that allow for free ATM use at any ATM. These accounts normally have a high minimum balance, but if you have good savings from summer jobs, keep in mind that you don’t need to get a student account just because you’re a student.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback. Neither bank has a stellar record in customer satisfaction. We’ll probably end up with accounts at both, based entirely on geographical convenience – B of A at home, Citibank at Chicago.</p>