I would have her open the bank account in the college town. It can be handy sometimes to be dealing with “your” bank in case of an issue. Best if the bank is a branch of one you use and if you are on the account, so you can transfer money from one of your accounts to that one if need be. So much easier and quicker than the other options.
I agree with so much mentioned already! I would also recommend getting a credit card with mileage points. We received this advice when our 2nd chose a far away school… the points add up quickly (put everything on it an pay off monthly,) and we have not had to pay for a flight. Our 1st went 40 min from home… and we visited our 2nd across the country more… great spot for vacations:)
We were considering several schools that were either a long drive or a short flight away, or in one case the choice of a long drive or two flights. It was quite helpful to actually do the trips before deciding on a school, so that DD could easily take the travel time into account as one of the considerations in picking a school.
I agree with a post above that one flight is a lot better than two – particularly over Christmas/New Year break when snow can result in delayed flights and missed connections.
Disagree about opening a local bank account- with online banking and all the instant money transfer options it’s really not necessary.
Agree completely with the ‘do you really need that?’ advice. Even my complete minimalist collegekid found that she took way more ‘stuff’ than she needed- as did my collegekid who went to university in a different country with just what the two of us could manage in checked luggage! . There is a tendency to try and think of every possible need, and most of them either don’t come up, or can be improvised- and if not, there is always local shops & Amazon.
“Agree completely with the ‘do you really need that?’ advice.”
I agree also. DD tells me that I will be driving up with a lot less stuff to university in September (for her second year), compared to what I took up last year and brought back at the end of April.
I have to disagree with @collegemom3717: If something goes wrong, there can be a benefit to being able to walk into the branch where YOU have an account and being able to talk to the manager of YOUR branch rather than being one of a million customers of that multi-state bank around the country. Trust me. People still matter sometimes, and online banking is not the answer to everything. Also, there is often a big difference in transferring money between accounts in the same bank [potential delay] as opposed to transferring money between linked accounts [no delay], which was the reason for my post and my recommendation. You do what you want to do.
Thanks so much for all of the great suggestions. She won’t have a car but will have free bus service she might need to learn how to use. We love SW too but no direct flights. She’s pretty comfortable flying so I think she can get herself through an airport. Sadly no direct flights and we’ve had multiple experiences with delayed or canceled flights.
We plan to open an account with a bank that is on campus and has a branch right by our house as well. H works for a bank but no branches out that way and we don’t want to deal with transferring between banks.
We just took a load of her stuff out to store with her sis. The rest we will send with her 2 suitcases on SW or have shipped. It’s coming up fast!
One thing we just encountered was medical consent now that she’s 18. I know I can have her sign a consent with student health but I’m now researching what to do for insurance or local health providers for emergencies. Luckily BCBS has network dr available but it was a bit of a hassle to coordinate a recent minor medical situation when we were all traveling in different areas. Above her level of handling independently at this point.
Thankfully she loves her college as much in person as she did in pics and got to meet her roommate while in town. She did not get her first choice dorm but it will be fine, despite her dramatic texts that life was over and she was quitting college. LoL
I don’t think getting an account at a local bank is necessary, and it could end up costing you more money than going with a national bank.
[ul]
[] Check the terms of the banks that you want to use. Many offer the ability to deposit checks online and reimburse ATM fees that other banks charge for using their ATMs. I haven’t set foot in a bank in over 20 years.
[] Make sure there aren’t fees if a minimum balance isn’t maintained.
[li] Make sure that you include a savings account that can automatically provide overdraft protection for the checking account. Start the savings account with a reasonable balance to cover the occasional/inevitable overdrafts that will happen.[/li][/ul]
We use USAA and set her up with a custodial checking and savings account when she was young. The accounts automatically convert to standard accounts when she turns 18. No minimum balance requirements, overdraft protection, We’ll also add her to our USAA credit card (cash rewards) so that she has this available for unexpected expenses.
I second using Bed Bath and Beyond’s services. Stores like Target and Walmart will be picked clean during move in in any college town. If you do need storage not every school offers that so it’s helpful to book a place well before the end of the school year. Depending on the college location Amazon Locker is another way to have items delivered that you can pick up once you arrive.
Not a tip but an observation. Going that distance truly means “going away to college”. Although just a rising sophomore, we can see tremendous growth in S. There’s something to not being able to come home several times a semester. He really feels like campus is his home (for now). Has had to figure a lot of things out. We recently visited Boston for a family event and he stayed for a few extra days to visit some college buddies. Didn’t need to discuss getting to the airport, be careful, etc. I started to explain the options (public transportation vs Uber, etc) and he literally said, “Dad, I’ll figure it out. Don’t worry about it…” . That was nice to hear! And guess what, he showed up in Tampa on his scheduled flight (actually figured out it was cheaper to buy an extra bag at the airport than pay for luggage - good problem solving skills) with no scars.
@drewsmom17 : What you propose for banking is exactly what we did. My regular bank did not have a branch in that state, but BofA was in town and there’s a branch only 5 blocks from my regular bank so it was easy enough to top up a joint account with D at the ATM on the way home from work. She had immediate access to the money, and there were no fees. It’s not hard to find a no fee account.
Re health care. There was a long thread on this within the last few years, but I can’t find it at the moment. I highly recommend a comprehensive power of attorney and medical care directive. God forbid anything should happen, but accidents do, and these documents can greatly simplify/expedite your ability to make decisions for your daughter should the need arise. Make sure that the documents meet the requirements of the state where she will be living as well as your own.
Off to look more for the prior thread. I’ll be back if I find it.
Okay … just needed to use better search terms.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1908704-durable-power-of-attorney-for-college-student.html
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1999309-power-of-attorney-medical-forms-for-before-college.html
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1939934-power-of-attorney-form-completed-does-she-it-take-it-with-her.html
Best tip given to us was to get TSA approve; shortens the line for going through security check. You can apply at most airports takes about 6-8 weeks. It been a blessing on those trips “holiday” traveling
My kids just kept their regular Credit union accounts they’d had since they were babies. They’d added debit/checking accounts when they were teens. I was/am listed as a co-owner on their accounts, and since I have an account at that credit union I can transfer money or handle any problems (one has had her account number stolen and a fraud on it several times, so we’ve had to cancel the card and get a new one; just happened last week and she is home and working for the summer). The credit union has ATMs all over the country, some take deposits, but they can also deposit by taking a photo. One needed one check per month to pay the rent (to another parent) and the credit union runs them out for them on sheets of 4, so we didn’t even have to pay for those.
I like using the credit union/bank that I know and have a relationship with (I’ve been there almost 40 years). When there is an error, I call and they fix it even if it’s MY error! I used the checking account suffix for the tax payment, the CU paid it and then charged a $25 fee, but when we figured it out (I’d checked ‘savings account’ on the tax form, but the number for the checking account) and they waived the fee. I like a little customer service!
I lived and worked in another state for 4 years but always kept this credit union. With direct deposit and most bills paid online, I didn’t really need a physical branch of the bank. The ONLY time I needed a bank was to change coins into bills but I did that at Coinstar machines, and once when my daughter was going to France I needed to buy Euros, but I just ordered them online and that worked too (or I could have gone to AAA). There are work arounds.
Put a sticker with name and kid’s cell number on all electronics that pass by TSA. People leave stuff all the time, so make it easy on TSA to return it.
^^Good idea for ME, who seems to be unable to clear security without circling back 2-3 times per trip lately! I’ve left a license, my jacket w/phone in the pocket, and my friend’s phone on recent trips. My friend panicked, but I told her “Hey, I’ve got this!” and we doubled back and her phone was right there where I knew it would be.
I’m thinking of getting a chip implanted so I don’t have to carry ID at all anymore.
TSA Pre-check is a lot quicker to get now than it was a few yrs ago. Did it last month for one of my kids who just turned 12 - went to DMV for the state ID, came home and made a TSA appt for two days later, went to small TSA office (not at the airport) for approximately 6 minutes, and had the KTN three days after that.
I just gave my daughter a TSA precheck for graduation. REALLY wish I would have given it to her for High School graduation! She has stood in too many lines at Orlando.
Another good gift would be the ‘perfect’ carry-on.
@twoinanddone : I could not resist posting this link in response to your implant idea. For anyone interested in wacky legal news, add the site to your faves:
Re the bank branch / atm thing - today’s kids will hardly ever use either. They will deposit checks with their phone. They all seem to set up venmo accounts to pay for things. Typically you can add cash to their college ID so they can use that like a debit card on campus.
We set up the BofA account too but he’s never used a branch or atm.
My sibs and I and our kids all ended up flying away to college/grad schools. We all managed fine. Back in the day, my folks had us all fly on our own, with whatever we figured we needed. It worked out. For our kids, of course, we flew up with them and helped them get settled. It gave ME peace of mind having our kids have a joint checking account with me and one of their own at the credit union on campus. We opened it when they had orientation. I’m not sure it was NECESSARY, but it was just one more way we could easily get money into their accounts. We also had a local HI bank account jointly held with each of them.
There are so many online merchants that sell things with free or low cost postage, it’s easier than ever to go to a school that is a plane ride away. Most kids are able to figure out how to navigate the airport and get on the correct plane with their gear. Most kids these days may have already flown with the family, school, sports, or other groups by the time they’re heading off for college or grad school anyway.