<p>Thanks for the post, liaku. It sounds a lot like my perceptions when I visit as a parent. My son lives in ODB, but you know, it’s a big dorm. (For Reed, at least.) He’s in a divided double, too – his room is HUGE, bigger than our bedrooms at home. </p>
<p>My son links skipping a few days of course with overall performance in the class – he’s found that he can miss days, but it does affect how well he does. In particular, some HUM 110 lecturers are known for including information in their lectures that ends up on the midterms and exams without being discussed in conference, so when it’s one of those people lecturing, he’s much more careful to be there. This semester he has tried not to miss days, and seems to think he’s done better overall because of it. </p>
<p>As far as running out of Commons cash, some students do, and some have extra. There’s a way to transfer between students as the end of the semester nears. The receipts you get for each purchase have information about whether you’re “on track” for expenditures or ahead/behind. I think next year I will try to help son pay for the most expensive level of the plan, since he appears to be running a little short.</p>