Part of “Welcome week” includes a trip to the book store to get all class materials. D’12 has also become an expert at Amazon and Chegg? so… 1 less thing to worry about. #:-S
I have to add;
Back in the 2012 version of this thread, the term “dorm mountain” was coined to describe the growing mound of stuff to bring to school. For D’12, the description very much applied.
Fast forward to S’15? I can literally carry everything he’ll bring. Bed roll, bedding, backpack with laptop, toiletry bag and a tupperware storage bin with 5 pairs of jeans, 5 pairs of shorts, about 25 shirts consisting of Tee’s and Polo’s, 2 pair of shoes and a couple weeks worth of under garments.
Sheesh! boys are so low maintenance!
Any idea how long does it take for 529 plan to cut a check to college bursar? I have seen many SLAs spewed and it does nothing but confuse me. So, was hoping anyone of you experienced ones can give some idea - even if you think it is dated… some real life experience will be better than all these instructions !
Also, I heard of a GAAP rule that your 529 distribution should be in the same year of your expense. While IRS does not explicitly state it, it is better to err on the side of caution… What does this mean? You withdraw 529 money in January 2015 for January 2015 spring tuition. Withdrawing money in December 2014 may NOT be considered tax-free withdrawal, even though IRS does not explicitly state so… so, beware! Of course, the college has given 4 days to pay that amount once January starts !!! So, need to know how long has it taken in the past!
DS’s bursar bill is due today, but there is still $25,000 of FA unaccounted for… so he shows a $28,000 bill due today 
. Apparently we’re not the only ones, though. He’s on hold with the FA office now, sigh.
529 plan… yea… I wish I had THAT money back. Stupid stock market.
Well, we just had some fun over here. D15’s roommate bailed out on her because she met some people while in her mandatory summer program and wanted to join the Living Learning Community. According to the school, you are NOT supposed to be able to do this, but people in this special summer program apparently get to do what they want. Thus, D15 will be living alone until such time as Housing finds a roommate for her. Since she’s living in a freshman-only dorm, this won’t be too easy. She will not be required to move out of her room. She was upset at first but has since rallied. I would love to smack that self-absorbed former roommate with a 2x4, but I don’t want to break a nail.
Living alone is better than being forced to live with people you don’t like. I made more friends living alone because people wanted to get away from their roommates 
But, if it was your kid who “bailed,” would you have told them to follow their dreams or keep their commitment? The only people to be angry at are the ones in housing who allowed the change. Then again, if she wanted to move, would it have been better to live with your D15 for two weeks, the whole time planning to move out?
Now I’m confused by @cd2015. D’s winter/spring semester tuition will be due Jan. 1, 2016, so I really have to take it out in December 2015. Is there really an issue with that? Any accountants out there who can help?
I would have made D15 stay, no question about it. A contract is a contract. She could always meet her other friends someplace else on campus. At her school, you need to go through mediation and several meetings with the RA and community director before you can transfer dorms or switch roommates.
My child’s mental health would be more important than somebody else’s child’s mental health. So yeah, it was a bad thing to do but if we can’t walk in their shoes, and the college doesn’t see fit to keep their promises, move on.
I will not make my child stand by a contract if he or she truly wants out of it. The only question in this case is whether your daughter stays in a single, thus the university “loses” the housing charge for a roommate, so they “lose” too, or if they force her into a roommate who is either in a similar situation or registered late.
I’d break my union contract for next year if I had to; it would be extreme circumstances like my or someone else’s health or forced move due to my spouse’s job, but I would break it. And I’d pay money if I had to (we have to buy out our contracts if they don’t find replacements for us). And I consider myself pretty darn moral, but like the pedestrian at the crosswalk who has the right of way, “don’t be dead right”.
@tranquil218, I understand where you are coming from. Was this a roommate randomly assigned? Even if not and they had hooked up on FB or something, I would help my kiddo understand that this really didn’t have anything to do with her since they had never met.
@rhandco, what does this have to do with a child’s mental health?? It sounds like the former roomie met people over the summer who were living in a L&L community and this kid decided that’s where she wants to be. Not getting the mental health connection, and definitely not getting the blase attitude about not standing by a commitment.
re 529 plans
I had the 529 withdrawal deposited directly to my bank account. Then I turned round and paid the bursars account on line. The 529 money showed up in 2 days. The payment to the student account posted immediately and hit my bank account the next day. Easy and seamless.
I have heard too many horror stories about paying colleges directly from 529’s.I’d rather be in control of the timing.
We mailed check a scholarship over a week ago and it is still not showing on d’s account.
Do a line-by-line of your child’s bursar charges. I found a $750 mistake on the bursar’s part, asked about it, and had it deleted from my daughter’s account. Don’t be shy about asking what each weird acronym is, and why it’s on your kid’s account.
@suzy100: no - they chose each other through the school’s matching program. They actually did meet. D15 was in DC last week with a friend and they stopped by the school to visit the former roomie. D15 knew something was up immediately bc the former roomie wouldn’t look her in the eye nor would she speak other than to answer direct questions. This is why D15 is upset - she doesn’t understand what she did to make the former roomie dislike her.
D15 is getting support from people in a social media group who will be living in her dorm on her floor. They’ve all promised to stop by her first night and pick her up for dinner. As I said, she’s regrouping but she’s sad that she won’t immediately have the “roommate experience.” In terms of the contractual aspect, I would not want D15 to do something that would make someone feel left out just because she met some people with whom she became fast friends. Moreover, as this just happened today, I think I can allow myself about 22 hours of a small grump about this before I pack up and move on with the move-in.
You can feel irked. Especially since it is your D that was jilted after investing some time into the selection. But rest assured; you can probably convey from your own circle, and if not, certainly by those of us here on our (ahem) 4th lap around this track… a roommate bolting early? falls really far down the list of egregious offenses that can be committed by a roommie or potential roommie.
She’s better off without her, and finding that out now, than any alternative.
Well, it sounds like it had absolutely nothing to do with your D, and that maybe it is the best thing that happened since so many kids on her floor are reaching out her. That’s great!
ETA: You have every right to grump though.
Perhaps I am the only one on this board who has “bolted on a roommate” in the past, for my own mental health. And I mean “mental health” as in "the decision was made based on what the ex-roommate thought was best for her going into a new situation.
I agree that it is nothing to do with tranquil218’s D at all. But although grumping is appropriate, I would not cast aspersions on someone leaving before classes start instead of kvetching over the decision.
I also was not sad to miss the “roommate experience”, so that is obviously a huge difference. The only roommate I ever had that I wasn’t related to (or having relations with), I bought out her contract so she could move out. I knew her for over a year and got along well with her as a friend, but not as a roommate.
If your daughter reads CC, there are many many roommate nightmare stories, and few go on about how great their roommate is. I will pay more for my children not to have roommates.
@Barbalot , wow 1-Jan is odd - considering it is holiday pretty much across! I don’t know what they are thinking… At least what you can do is - you withdraw and pay in same year. So, at least whatever transactions happen, they happen in same year… may be that will shore up - I am no CPA and it does not mitigate the whole tax-free issue I brought up but at least you get and spend money in same year…small solace, may be? … I would also call IRS and check. And ask Bursar if they will give any grace. If indeed payment comes to you through ACH in 2 days, may be you will be lucky to get a week grace?..Not sure if colleges do that.
@sally22, thank you. I will remember that.
We requested that the money be placed directly from the 529 into our account. It took 3 days. We set up a payment for August 7th. After setting this up, I noticed an odd $2.00 fee on her account and it said " future due" next to it. I called the school and was told it has to do with housing and is due in September. So… I asked if I can put $2.00 in an envelope with her name and student ID and mail it in, and they said yes. Hopefully her account will be credited or I will end up paying it again when we move her in. Annoying, but not horrible.
Sorry to hear about the roommate. Nice to hear that the other kids are helping out.