<p>Just odds and ends of college planning here. S2 found out that he made a 5 on the music theory AP, so he’s placing out of the first year of theory. So, it looks like the only placement exam that he’ll have to take at fall orientation is piano. His only decision is whether he wants to “work” to place out of all piano requirements (has several required pieces) or just show up cold and place out of the first year. Considering his summer laziness quotient, I’m suspecting the latter. </p>
<p>I also noticed that the college had received one of his outside scholarship, but not the big one. So I called the sponsoring foundation and they said they don’t even send the checks until mid-August. Right when tuition is due! I guess I just won’t pay until the last minute. He also has a $1000 scholarship application out that won’t be decided until later this month. Nothing like being last minute! :)</p>
<p>Megmom…I feel your pain! My DD, somewhat due to the fact she is not home till mid August…but somewhat also due to the fact that she elects to not come home on her days off…she has not yet done some of the placement exams OR EVEN SIGNED UP FOR the Direct loans…like, uh, the promisary note…like, uh…when are we thinking we’re gonna pay for college…??? I sent in my "part’ of the payment…but, we are relying on that loan-thing…(even though we hate the idea)…it’s gotta be done…</p>
<p>I’m starting to realize this summer is moving on very quickly, heat wave and all.
D graduated last weekend in June. IB scores came in first week of July confirming all her hard work paid off. I wanted her to take a break and just enjoy a carefree summer but she got life guard certified and will start her first job tomorrow.
She started shopping for dorm stuff and a bunch of Target, Staples and BBB bags are starting to collect in the corner of our dinning room. Move in day is August 25th. Not going to see much of the graduate before she moves to college.</p>
<p>DS has been at orientation since yesterday. He has a schedule now but wants to try to drop one class for another during the first week of school. We chose not to accompany him (this is HIS thing!) as I felt like he might be more engaged (read “pay attention”!) if he knew that we were not there. So far my evil plan has worked beautifully! He loves the campus and surrounding area and has managed to get everything done (schedule, bank account, id card, parking sticker, etc.) done!! Yay!!</p>
<p>sophie - I think that is a great plan!!! I have been having my dd13 do a lot on her own for that same reason this summer. She is slowly taking charge of her own stuff. It was never an issue with school stuff in high school - I NEVER knew what she was doing in classes and ec’s and she did it all well - it’s just the going to the doctor - making appointments, talking to the pharmacist etc that I have always just take care of for her. I did go to her orientation with her (8 hours away) but they separated the kids from the parents so she had to do it all on her own - including setting up a bank account. They actually are capable when they know they have to do it on their own!</p>
<p>I agree Ahsmuoh! He always handled everything in High School but it is those little things. I made DS’s physical appointment when I was going to be traveling for work so he would go on his own (he was fine with it) but I wanted him to have the experience of using the insurance card, paying the deductible, etc. It is so awesome to watch them truly take the reigns:)</p>
<p>Hello parents! Do your kids have credit cards already or are you planning on them having one?
At this point, since the debit cards are new, I was kind of thinking of waiting until next year for credit…they won’t have cars on campus this year and I think they should have enough in checking to cover something unexpected…thoughts?</p>
<p>My kids have both had credit cards (on my account) since they’ve been able to drive.
It’s for emergencies - like when Mom sends you to the grocery store for milk and you don’t want to pay for it yourself. D1 uses it to book airline flights, pay for Dr. co-pays, etc.</p>
<p>I started counting down the days to move-in on the kitchen message board. Sunday was 36. Maybe not by coincidence, soninaz started reading his freshman book assignment on Sunday. He can’t register for any classes until orientation week and they sign up for one class a day. Still no room assignment yet.</p>
<p>The rolling duffle bag I ordered for him came today. That made me kinda sad. The goal is just to fill that and his carry-on. It wouldn’t be that difficult if I left it to him. I’ll try to keep my “suggestions” to a minimum But I have decided that the only additional immediate purchases will be bed stuff, a trash can, and a lamp. Those items will be shipped ahead of time. Anything else he realizes he needs can be bought by him at a later date. The school does weekly shopping trips and it will force him to get off campus. That, or he will get plenty of use from his Amazon Prime account :)</p>
<p>S3 successfully signed up for the rest of his classes on his second pass yesterday. He is handling it all on his own, so I hope he knows what he is doing.</p>
<p>S2, college boy, successfully arrived in Greece and his have an “awesome” time. I am jealous.</p>
<p>Credit card: None of my kids have a credit card. They do have a Visa Check/debit card associated with their checking accounts which is connected to my account, so if they needed to make a big purchase I could transfer money to their account. It has worked out fine so far.</p>
<p>DS has had a credit card since 9th grade, when we began sending him to athletic, debate, etc. tournaments across the country on his own. Like megpmom’s son, he occasionally uses it when we ask him to run errands for us but otherwise almost never uses it. I am glad he has it as a backup. He also has a debit card tied to his own bank account.</p>
<p>I counted down the number of family-dinners-with-all-of-us opportunities we have left before he leaves, and due to DS’s work schedule and DD16’s camp schedule it’s only about five. You can bet I’ll cook on those nights!</p>
<p>I just looked into CC for D as she is required to have one for her gap year - she will be on the road all year and needs a CC to check into hotels. Since she is not 18 until Aug (right before she leaves), I decided to add her as an authorized user on a card that I have but don’t really use (coincidentally, it’s the card I opened 29 years ago when I went to college). </p>
<p>When she turns 18, we will also try to get her own card (don’t know if I will have to co-sign since she will have regular income and a contract for the year). I figure she will start establishing a credit history that way.</p>
<p>She also has a debit card attached to her checking account (which I also have access to).</p>
<p>Ds1 didn’t want a debit or credit card when he went to college so we got him a checking account. The college bookstore will cash checks up to $50, and that was plenty for his needs. When he went on study abroad, I told him he had to get a debit and/or credit card, and he got both. The debit card was from BOA because it had an agreement with the largest bank in NZ so that withdrawals had minimal fees. There was one problem with the debit card that took awhile to be resolved so the emergency credit card came in handy. Charging his bungee-jumping excursion qualifies as an emergency, right? :eek:</p>
<p>Ds2 just found out he gets free bedding through a program at his college, including delivery. I can’t tell you what a load off that is for me! I was totally sweating how to get that bedding bundle to college while not renting a car. It’s amazing the little things that matter, and this is paid for by an anonymous donor who must GET what a stressor that is. I’ll make sure ds writes a thank-you note to be sent to that anonymous donor!!! </p>
<p>My kids are authorized users on my card. The actual card has their name on it, but my credit. They each have debit cards tied to their personal checking accounts. My older D turns 21 this month but doesn’t have much of an income (internships and work-study) so she probably won’t get her own credit card until she graduates. But she just asked me if she should open an IRA, so I guess she’s starting to think about her financial future. lol</p>
<p>Both of my kids have credit cards through our credit union. There is no annual fee, fairly low interest rate (I think it’s 12%) and they get rewards. They have to be college students to qualify and the credit union was reluctant to give it to my youngest daughter when she turned 18 in May since she wasn’t actually attending college but showing proof of deposit at the school worked for proving she is a college student. They both wanted the credit card in order to start building credit and know they need to pay it off each month (they both have jobs).</p>
<p>Like megpmom, my kids have credit cards (in their name) on one of my accounts. It does show up on their credit reports and helps them build credit. They have checking accounts with ATM/debit cards, but the credit card is for emergency or higher expenses. They are rarely used, S used his to make hotel reservations and buy a rail pass for his travel abroad (our Southwest airlines card has no foreign transaction fees).</p>
<p>DS has had a debit on his own card since he started working at 16 (the bank messed up and did not ask for a co-signer on his account even though we were siting right there when he signed up!! LOL!!). He recently signed up for and received a Discover Card to use during college to start building up his credit. He has already charged a few small things and paid his first bill on his own:) We do still have a joint credit card account where we can transfer money to him in an emergency.</p>
<p>Both of my kids have a credit card on my account, which I gave them when they started to drive. It was mostly for my convenience, that I could ask them to buy something while they were out, but also useful for emergencies. When S went to college, he used it for buying books, prescriptions, etc. One time, for example, when the card came in handy for an unexpected expense, was when he was flying back home from college for the first time and had expected to carry on his suitcase, and was told that it was too big and he would have to pay to check it, but wouldn’t have had the money to do so without the credit card.</p>
<p>After S turned 21 he got his own credit card through his bank. I never encouraged it, since I think there is a risk that he would forget to pay a bill, or be tempted to overspend.</p>
<p>My daughter has her own debit card but wanted a credit card so she could earn the cash back bonus. I was surprised to find that she could not get her own credit card (18 years old with a small but steady income). When I was in college they were giving credit cards to students like crazy. The bank suggested I open a new credit card account, make my daughter an authorized user, and then only have her use it. That way it would build up her credit rating. That’s what I did, and the credit card arrived this week. She has always been very smart and trustworthy with money, so I’m not concerned. She will probably use it for everything she can, to maximize the cash back bonus and build up her credit rating. Sounds good to me.</p>
D1 uses it to book airline flights, pay for Dr. co-pays, etc.</p>
But I have decided that the only additional immediate purchases will be bed stuff, a trash can, and a lamp. Those items will be shipped ahead of time. Anything else he realizes he needs can be bought by him at a later date. The school does weekly shopping trips and it will force him to get off campus. That, or he will get plenty of use from his Amazon Prime account :)</p>
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