<p>Most new freshmen who plan to open a local account seem to pile into First Merit Bank during orientation week. It seems to be the most popular local bank and is nearest the campus. It’s kiddie corner from Tappan Square. During my D’s frosh orientation the place was mobbed the first day with students, including a zillion (or so it seemed) from China and Japan (they all came at once). It was almost take a number. We put our name down and left for leisurely lunch. When we came back, they hadn’t called my D’s name yet. LOL. That’s how crowded it got. Maybe you want to pick a different day to open an account than the first (week) day of orientation. </p>
<p>One reason my D opened an account was to have a local place to automatically deposit checks from a campus part-time job that she hoped to get. If there were ever any issues she could walk right over to the First Merit office. She had cable TV in her dorm room (don’t ask) as a frosh, so the local bank checks came in handy. </p>
<p>Basically, she kept two accounts. One at the bank in our state and one at First Merit.</p>