Any College Cost Saving Tips You Want to Share

[MrsPete]

Mrs. Pete's post reminded me, in addition to a good laptop lock get a good quality trunk and lock box. The lockers we found at Target and Bed Bath and Beyond were not too sturdy looking. We bought some type of cable to anchor the locker so it couldn't be carried off.

Yes, we got a small lock box at Target. No, it's not all that sturdy, but I don't think it has to be super strong for this purpose. The idea is to have a small place to lock up a wallet, a camera, a passport. Dorm kids may pick up something that they see lying about, but they're not going to actively break into something that's locked up. In a small space, they don't want to make noise or attract attention.

My tips are for tuition savings -- many schools charge a flat tuition rate for 12-18 credit hours per semester ("full time"). Obviously taking 18 credits each semester gets you the most bang for your buck. The extra 3 credit hours (15 is the norm) per semester adds up to one less semester needed to graduate (so the student graduates in 3 1/2 years). It's tougher academically, but can be a big savings.

Yes, what you're describing is essentially getting a class for free! Of course, it probably means purchasing another book and it definitely means more work, but it does make sense to take a full load.

One thing to consider: Can you afford to take a class pass-fail? Typically this option is available ONLY for electives, but it means that you don't have to sweat the difference between an A and a D, which might mean you could handle the 18 hours more easily.

Also, planning your classes carefully is a HUGE money saver. I know, it sounds obvious, but quite a few people just sort of take whatever sounds good . . . without much thought as to whether it's going to fulfill the right graduation requirements, and then those people end up needing an extra year. Or two. Put serious time and effort into reading the handbook for yourself -- do not trust your advisor to make all your decisions for you.

Similarly, if you can't get into the classes you need, don't give up. Instead, first check to see whether your classes have wait list accessibility. Some do, others don't. Next, check every couple days to see if a spot in the class has opened up. My daughter couldn't get into a major class she had to have . . . but she checked the computer obsessively and -- wouldn't you know it? -- a spot opened up, and because she was checking every two hours, she was able to grab it. Multiple spots often open up on the day bills are due. Very sad for the kids who couldn't /didn't pay their bill on time, but their schedules are going to be dropped, and the spot will go to the kid who was watching at the right moment.

 

[sk8jdgca]

If you child is in a dorm, there is an electric kettle pot you can find at Walmart. It is great for making Kraft dinner, pasta, oatmeal. It costs around 15.

 

[erincon23]

If you need to get your child a laptop for college, don't necessarily fall for the school's "discount" through Dell - we priced out the exact same laptop on the regular Dell site vs. the college "discount" price, and guess what, the discount price was MORE than the same computer just through the Dell site.

Watch the Amazom prime student thing - I don't know if this is still the case, but when DS21 got it, it was only good for 6 months. He mentioned it to DS18, who just got his school ID, and without talking to anyone, signed up for it right away. So, if it really runs out in 6 months, that'll be before he starts this fall. And if you're considering purchasing Amazon Prime, the price goes up NEXT WEEK from $79 to $99.

If your child will be going to school a distance away, tell them to look for ride shares home rather than take a bus or train.

For printers and fridges, see if your area has a Freecycle group. I got two brand new printers on the same day from our Freecycle group (honestly, didn't think I'd have a chance to get either - our Freecycle group is large and things go quick, but I got both, so we gave one to DS' best friend.).

Find out what your dining plan will actually pay for. Most dining plans we've seen include not only meals but a dollar amount in addition, and lot of them are "use it or lose it." You're better off to get a slightly lower plan than you think your child will use - DS21 is not a breakfast eater, so he was happier having cereal or a PopTart in his room than trooping over to the dining hall. You can always add money to the plan, which can usually be used for meals, online, so your child won't starve- they can just buy meals for cash on the card rather than deduct a meal - but if they end up with leftover, tell them to go to the dorm grab n go and buy bottled water or soda, that will last over break (rather than packaged food that can be gotten into by bugs).

Increase the data plan on your shared phone plan. Just trust me.

Our youngest heads off this fall. The older one dropped out of two colleges, so we've done dorms and apartments, so I'm ready for anything.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

My amazon student was good for 4 years and was 35.00 a year. I just graduated and my student membership just expired in January. All the same benefits of the regular prime
Membership. I think there may be free one that is only 6 months.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

As a college student on a really tight budget paying my way myself, I think I can weigh in on this!

Books: Chegg.com Rent them. Don't buy them. I don't care what people tell you, no, you won't use them in the future. I don't care how "useful" they seem, google is faster, cheaper, and I guarantee you that you will turn to google to find out about that concept from 3 semesters ago well before trying to find them in your old book.

Food: For me, a meal plan was easiest since I at first lived in the dorm. It is fast, easy, and there, which means you're more likely to actually eat during crunch times like finals. Plus, not cooking ever is great. I am glad I didn't have a small dining plan, because frankly I would not have had enough money to supplement it.

Supplies: The schools are going to give you an insane list that rivals that of the entire inventory collection at staples. Don't bother. Buy 1 of those enormous multi subject notebooks. We mostly take notes on our laptops anyway. Buy your graphing calculator used on ebay and save $70+ dollars. Nobody will care.

Getting stuff to your kid: Amazon student is a great deal, with the new price increase it is only $49 a year for shipping and TV streaming privileges. Fun tip, you can order food on amazon. Drinks, easy mac, you name it; shipped for free!

If you are in a city like chicago (I was): ditch the car. There is literally no point. Everything I needed was walking distance, and parking fees were close to 500 a semester.

Cell phone: Don't cut too many costs here. I used this constantly for one thing or another.

- Do not buy things from the school bookstore. The markup is absolutely insane. Chegg.com all the way.
- Force your kids to apply to insane amounts of scholarships. Trust me, even the annoying and time consuming $500-$1000 dollar ones can add up fast!
- BUY A MATTRESS PAD AND DO NOT SKIMP ON IT. Dorm mattresses are the equivalent of sleeping on pavement I swear. I think they filled mine with gravel.
- Toilet paper. Do not overlook this. It is expensive. I really wish I would have searched sales and stocked up before moving in, because it seems we were always paying the insane prices of downtown convenience stores due to running completely out.
- Health insurance. If your kid is on yours, inform the school. Most schools auto enroll students in their insurance plan, and opting out can save thousands.
- Put tons of stickers on his/her laptop. A room with 30 black laptops is really confusing should you all have a mid class break. Engraving name and contact info is also a good idea.
- Get a huge dry erase board calender. This will make their life and organization of due dates so much easier.
- Get your own mini fridge. Roommates are snack thieves, and it is much easier to just completely separate your food.

 

[MrsPete]

If you need to get your child a laptop for college, don't necessarily fall for the school's "discount" through Dell - we priced out the exact same laptop on the regular Dell site vs. the college "discount" price, and guess what, the discount price was MORE than the same computer just through the Dell site.

Yes, a friend with kids a few years older than mine warned me about this one. When her son received the "welcome to our university" letter and materials in the mailbox, he had the option of ordering a laptop through the university. It would've been waiting in his dorm room upon check-in. (His school also offers the option of ordering your books from the bookstore, and they'll be waiting in your room.) At first they were interested in ordering the laptop, thinking that the university would use the power of group orders to offer their students a good deal . . . but then she realized that she could buy the same laptop herself for something like 60% of the cost. It wasn't even close!

The real lesson here: Trust no one. Verify prices for yourself.

Find out what your dining plan will actually pay for. Most dining plans we've seen include not only meals but a dollar amount in addition, and lot of them are "use it or lose it." You're better off to get a slightly lower plan than you think your child will use - DS21 is not a breakfast eater, so he was happier having cereal or a PopTart in his room than trooping over to the dining hall. You can always add money to the plan, which can usually be used for meals, online, so your child won't starve- they can just buy meals for cash on the card rather than deduct a meal - but if they end up with leftover, tell them to go to the dorm grab n go and buy bottled water or soda, that will last over break (rather than packaged food that can be gotten into by bugs).

I agree that it's best to go with the smallest mealplan. IF your student runs low on food money by the end of the semester, you can always increase to a higher food plan (or supplement in cash), but if you buy "too much" food plan, you're not going to get a refund.

Speaking of end of the semester, this isn't a money-saver, but it's something in which I believe: Both my daughter and her roommate became sick their first exam week. She called at 3:00 am the night before her last exam, saying, "I just threw up, and I have to take my Chemistry exam at 9:00. What do I do?" I told her that she was to go back to bed, sleep as much as she could, and at 9:00 go rock that exam! I told her to locate the garbage can in the classroom and choose a seat directly across from it (in the event, she sat across from the eye wash station . . . but she didn't throw up during the exam), and she was to give that exam 100% of her effort. I promised her that when she returned to her dorm, her daddy would be sitting on the steps waiting for her, and he would baby her and take care of everything else: He would strip her bed, return her textbook rentals, carry her things to the car, and bring her home. She did her part -- ended with an A in Chem. He did his part, brought her home, put her straight to bed to rest.

But when we talked about her illness later, it became clear to me that it was brought on by stress, lack of sleep, and too much junk food. So the next semester I encouraged her to make a study schedule two weeks ahead of time, a schedule that allowed for plenty of sleep. I reminded her to take her vitamins. And the weekend before exams I drove up to the school and gave the two girls a dozen individual bags of pre-cut fruit that they could munch as they walk to class, and I gave them a bagful of other healthy foods: Homemade vegetable soup, whole wheat rolls, and two small homemade casseroles they could cook in the dorm oven. BOTH GIRLS WERE HEALTHY AND HAPPY DURING EXAMS! And they learned a lesson. In the exam weeks that've followed, they've begged me for "exam food", and they've learned to plan ahead and control stress. They've never had a problem again.

Most schools these days offer X number of meals per week plus Y number of dollars on a "declining balance". My daughter's school has ONLY the "declining balance", and I much prefer this. She pays only for what she eats, so if she goes in for breakfast and only eats a bagel, she isn't paying for a full meal.

We mostly take notes on our laptops anyway. Buy your graphing calculator used on ebay and save $70+ dollars. Nobody will care.

We went back and forth on whether to choose a large laptop with a big, comfortable screen . . . or a small laptop that would be light to carry to class. In the event, my daughter says she never, ever carries her laptop to class -- not does anyone else. So everyone isn't taking notes on the laptop. This is something to consider carefully before investing in the laptop.

Getting stuff to your kid: Amazon student is a great deal, with the new price increase it is only $49 a year for shipping and TV streaming privileges. Fun tip, you can order food on amazon. Drinks, easy mac, you name it; shipped for free!

Yes, I've saved my daughter's dorm address on my Amazon account so I can send things directly to her -- faster, easier for me, and she only has to walk one dorm over to pick up her package. We both love it.

I do not recommend ordering food though. Although the shipping is free, the cost is much higher than the grocery store.

The best was that we had her dorm fridge shipped straight to the school. When they were willing to do the heavy lifting, why should we bother squeezing it into our car? On move-in day, she and her daddy walked over with the dorm's move-in cart, she showed her ID, and it was hers. Oh, I think we ordered it from Target.com, but the point is still valid.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

^^ that is so odd. Just about every person at my school used a laptop for notes.

That said, I have had both a netbook and a full laptop, and though the netbook was super lightweight and great for being portable, I really preferred the laptop. Easier for large papers, faster, more memory space.

As far as ordering food on amazon, that really depends where your kid is in school. In downtown chicago, I saved a lot of money by purchasing food on amazon. There isn't always a grocery store close, and if you don't have a car or are in a big city that can be a problem. So if they are in a big city amazon very well may be worth it. It really depends on location, but don't count it out.

 

[MrsPete]

As far as ordering food on amazon, that really depends where your kid is in school. In downtown chicago, I saved a lot of money by purchasing food on amazon. There isn't always a grocery store close, and if you don't have a car or are in a big city that can be a problem. So if they are in a big city amazon very well may be worth it. It really depends on location, but don't count it out.

I just asked my daughter, who is home for spring break, how often she carries her laptop to class, and at first she said never . . . but then she amended it to once. She said she took her laptop to class the day she had to present a project. She says she carries it out into the dorm lobby frequently, and she takes it to the library occasionally.

If Amazon is cheaper, I can't imagine what y'all pay for food elsewhere! Just a couple comparisons:

A 12-pack of 12-oz Cokes on Amazon is $18.50 (free shipping).
In my local grocery store the price varies widely. Usually it's in the $3.50-$4.00 price range, and I can always get Coke at the gas station five 12-packs for $10, though their selection is limited.

I just bought Utz potato chips yesterday, and I know they were $2.50 per bag. On Amazon (same size bags) they're three bags for $21.74.

Girl Scout cookies are $4/box here, and a portion of that goes to the scout troop and the council. On Amazon they're $8.24 and you pay shipping unless you buy $35 worth.

In comparison to the above, canned soup is almost a bargain: A can of Chunky Soup here costs $1.75 (but goes on sale for .99 fairly often), yet Amazon sells it for $19.95 for six cans.

I'm not saying it's not different in other areas, but here it'd be crazy to buy food from Amazon. My daughter doesn't have a car, but the (free) campus bus will take her to two different grocery stores and Walmart.

 

[PlutoPony]

I'll be the contrarian about buying laptops from the on-campus bookstore. We found them to be similarly priced to what could be purchased elsewhere for the higher spec'ed PC's needed for major such as engineering. Obviously YMMV. But the other real benefit to buying from the bookstore was the warranty and loaner policy...4 years and if it was going to take more than a week to repair, you are given a free loaner. And here we are in 2nd semester of freshman year and the sound is gone on his PC. Looks like either sound card or motherboard. When he gets back from spring break he'll take it in, swap out computers and be on his way.

As for taking a PC to class, my son has a 13 in. laptop and a high powered tablet, both required for engineering. Even the small laptop got to be a pain taking to class, now he just takes the tablet with him and uses it for notes. Most of his classes use PowerPoint to present info so the students download those and mark them up.

 

[crisi]

Make incidentials your student's responsibility. When I was in college (granted, in the dark ages) yeah, the meal plan wasn't all it could be, but I wouldn't STARVE - if I wanted coffee and muffins from the Student Union or a pizza on Saturday night or a can of Pringles in my room - that was my hard earned cash - not my parents. So was any travel expenses and my own toiletries (its amazing how good Suave shampoo looks when it cuts into your pizza budget - if my parents had paid, I would have probably been asking for expensive shampoo).

When I went back recently, a number of books were used "incidentally" in class - as in, you had to read 20 pages here or there once in a while. The library had copies of those - not to check out - but to borrow within the library. So check the syllabus - a book that you are only going to read a few pages of may not be worth buying.

And when I went last - I graduated in 2007 - no one took notes on laptops. IF people were taking notes, they were using notepaper. And a LOT of students didn't take notes at all. Granted, you need a computer - and you will want one you can bring in for presentations - but its really individual if people use them for notes.

I did go to school with someone who took handwritten notes, and as a study tool, then typed his notes into the computer - turning the notes into full sentences and making sure he understood the material - I always thought that was a good idea (that I was too lazy to implement)

 

[momoftwins]

What some great ideas and insight. It's funny how kid's can be. I can see my daughter wanting to decorate her room like Taj Mahal and my son could care less. I think that kid could sleep on a rock and it would not bother him.

Well, keep 'em coming!

 

[StephMK]

DD's (soph) sorority is actually cheaper than living in the dorms for dues and room/board. That does not include all the shirts she has bought or all the extra outfits she wants for all the activities though.

She lived in the dorm freshman year and did not have a car. I think it's good to learn to walk the area before you start driving around an unfamiliar city. She did take one this year but mostly uses it to head to Target.

I agree on the books. We always shop online in several spots to compare book prices. Before you rent/buy any of them, search for a discount code too. There are a few sites that will compare prices for you. The good sites seem to change so what is popular now may be different next year. We used chegg for most of her books last year but this year, they were more expensive there.

We gave her several items for Christmas and her birthday. Now, I usually give her gift cards for local restaurants and the movie theater. She has discovered the joys of student discounts and can go to a movie pretty cheap on certain days.

Have them figure out the health insurance and health center before they actually need it. DD called me not sure what to do the first time she got really sick and needed to see someone. It was not a big deal but good to know ahead of time - where it is, how to make an appt, how to handle the insurance, etc.

Good luck!!! I was a mess her senior year of HS. Plan something fun for yourself once they leave so you have something to look forward to!

 

[MrsPete]

DD's (soph) sorority is actually cheaper than living in the dorms for dues and room/board. That does not include all the shirts she has bought or all the extra outfits she wants for all the activities though . . .

You have to compare this for yourself -- it isn't the same everywhere. And if you're talking about an apartment, you have to include summer months, furniture, transportation and utilities.

My daughter's dorm is 2285/semester.
Her meal plan is 1195/semester.
So her total living costs are 3480/semester or 6960/year, which is all inclusive, walkable to class, and provides some security that's nice for a young student away from home for the first time.

When she's a junior next year she's moving to an off-campus apartment, which'll be 530 x 12 months (or 6360/year). So her apartment will cost almost as much as her dorm alone. However, it is all-inclusive: It includes furniture and utilities. Her meal plan was roughly $80/week, and I'm expecting she'll spend less than that once she has her own kitchen, but probably not a whole lot less.

In all fairness, she's getting more bedroom space, a kitchen, so it should cost more . . . but if we were watching every penny, or if she were forced to borrow for school, we'd be going with the cheapest option.

The larger points: Your student will probably live in the dorm the first year, but after that -- if you're looking for a change -- be sure to do the math. Don't assume that what other people say is automatically true for your school too. And compare total price to total price.

We gave her several items for Christmas and her birthday. Now, I usually give her gift cards for local restaurants and the movie theater. She has discovered the joys of student discounts and can go to a movie pretty cheap on certain days . . .

When our girl was a high school senior, all she wanted for Christmas was college stuff: A laptop, bedding, and a couple other things. Her campus has two movie theaters on campus, where she can see movies for $1, so she never goes off-campus for that. She LOVES gift cards for local restaurants.

Have them figure out the health insurance and health center before they actually need it. DD called me not sure what to do the first time she got really sick and needed to see someone. It was not a big deal but good to know ahead of time - where it is, how to make an appt, how to handle the insurance, etc.

Oh, I forgot that one! I think it's pretty standard now: The college adds X amount to your bill for health insurance . . . and if you want that deducted from your bill, you must tell them EVERY SEMESTER about your own health insurance. It makes a difference of something like $800/semester for my daughter.

And, yes, investigate together (before school starts, before anyone's sick) what your health center provides. My daughter can get full-sized bottles of cough syrup, cold meds, Tylenol and other over-the-counter medicines at the health center for pennies on the dollar . . . so she'd be foolish to take the bus to Walgreens or CVS and pay full price! Also, she can see a doctor for free or get a prescription filled for only $5. She's a vegetarian and very serious about it, so she's also seen a nutritionist a couple times -- for no cost.

My daughter became sick (was it strep throat or brochitus? something like that) her second week of school. This is VERY common. Quite a few of her friends did the same thing within the first month of college. Even though we'd talked about her using the health center if she got sick, she called me and asked, "Am I sick enough to bother them?" After that first trip to the health center, she understood that they're a campus service, something for which I'm paying and something she should not hesitate to use.


Oh, and while we're talking about campus services, buy your daughters a wristlet before they go away to school. Something that'll hold an ID and a room key. I've given them to several girls as graduation presents, and I've seen them carrying them later -- clearly used and worn out! Anyway, here's why: On the day my daughter moved into her dorm, we ran into one of her high school friends sitting outside crying her eyes out. She'd been on campus only a few hours, her parents had already left . . . and the girl had already managed to lose her school ID and flush her room key down the toilet. She was clueless. We took her to the RAs, who ordered her lock changed ($40 for a new key) and directed her towards the right place to have a new ID made (I don't know what that cost). Anyway, if she'd not been carrying her things loose in her pocket, I bet she wouldn't have lost them.

 

[dandelion]

Oh, and while we're talking about campus services, buy your daughters a wristlet before they go away to school. Something that'll hold an ID and a room key. I've given them to several girls as graduation presents, and I've seen them carrying them later -- clearly used and worn out! Anyway, here's why: On the day my daughter moved into her dorm, we ran into one of her high school friends sitting outside crying her eyes out. She'd been on campus only a few hours, her parents had already left . . . and the girl had already managed to lose her school ID and flush her room key down the toilet. She was clueless. We took her to the RAs, who ordered her lock changed ($40 for a new key) and directed her towards the right place to have a new ID made (I don't know what that cost). Anyway, if she'd not been carrying her things loose in her pocket, I bet she wouldn't have lost them.

I read the above to my daughter (she'll be a freshman somewhere in the fall). She felt she'd be more likely to lose a wristlet than the individual items. Her idea is a lanyard with a key clip. She said some of her friends use them now for their high school IDs, cash and car keys. I know I wouldn't like something that heavy around my neck all the time, but she did make the good point that if she wore it all the time then she would notice when it was missing.

Do you know if the high school friend ever finished the semester? Sounds a bit like she wasn't ready to be on her own. Maybe she was just having a very bad day. It was nice of you to help her get back on her feet.

 

[qv09vvp]

This is a cool thread... great idea OP!

My son is a sophomore in college.

I have never heard of the health insurance being added to tuition. was that itemized on your bill from the college? I know it doesn't appear on my son's bill. if that's something I can negotiate off the price that would be great.

I agree with the books advice 100 percent.

Toiletries & snacks (don't forget the bottled water)


my son keeps his ID etc on a lanyard. Don't buy the cool college one in the bookstore...everyone has it. I bought my Disney loving son a "stitch" lanyard on ebay and it really stands out.

Laptops - as an IT person who is also thrifty - I think parents buy a laptop "that will last you awhile".....but really technology is moving so fast.. if your kid only needs a laptop for notes, papers, connecting to the internet etc...a basic module or slight upgrade will do. Most college students will not use the massive amount of storage offered on today's laptop. Also a lot of times the computers with large RAM is meant for gaming. Of course if your child is a graphic design major, this advice totally doesn't apply. Look at battery life and invest in a good laptop backpack that has padding. Remind your student to not leave the laptop turned on..as in signoff, power down....even unplug. believe it or not this will make the laptop last a lot longer. Also, laptops have fans on them. invest in a laptop cooling lapdesk.... I would like to think my son sits at the desk in his room but in reality I know he is sitting on his bed. Remind your student to never ever leave a laptop on their bed, especially after its been in use. laptops get hot (see fan comment)... and hot laptop and bedding do not make a good combo - worst case =fire, minimally you could cause the fan in your laptop to go out....usually a 100 repair. lastly, most college require laptops to be protected by antivirus before they can connect to the colleges intranet. Do not wait till you get to college to buy it. call the college and find out what you need. shop around - but usually my local Walmart has a 3 laptop license for Nortan that was cheaper than what I paid for my son's first year at his college through the college IT department.

On of the things I did for my son was purchase smaller versions of Tylenol, ibuprofin, Benadryl, bandaids, etc. It wasn't much because he won't usually take it (male ) but when that first headache hit, he just had to check the little kit & the notes mom left him to know what to take. You think they would know but they don't.

Some of the best advice I received (and the hardest) was to let him go. That this was his time to grow. So when I get the call & that one of his suitmates is crazy (last semester), you gotta say "what are you going to do about it?" not here's what to do. sometimes he asks me advice but sometimes he doesn't..... it's hard for me, as I'm the controlling one but I'm amazed at how much he has grown. Right now, he wants to get an apartment off campus next year and he's calling and asking questions. Kinda hard for me to not go down there & take over but so far he's listening....

encourage your child to get involved...an involved child is much less likely to drop out...... of course, too involved has that problem also..... pray a lot.


thanks again for this thread!!! Good luck and God Bless

 

[tvguy]

Who buys books nowadays? You can rent from Chegg for a fraction of the purchase price. Or you can get the e-book version of a number of novels that are used for literature classes. Even some textbooks come in an electronic version that the student can "rent" for a semester or two.

I have two in college and one in medical school. Only the medical student purchases actual books and only a few at that. Grey's Anatomy is not just a TV show. It's a medical student's must-have reference book. The IT major didn't buy or rent any dead-tree textbooks this semester and the accounting major only rented one. Everything else was electronic.

Renting and e-books is what we hoped for.
But our kids ended up Professors who favor custom packets of articles ($65 for 400 photocopied pages) or odd books that not stocked by the book rental programs or available as e-books.

 

[elgerber]

Renting and e-books is what we hoped for.
But our kids ended up Professors who favor custom packets of articles ($65 for 400 photocopied pages) or odd books that not stocked by the book rental programs or available as e-books.

My son had a class in community college where the teacher wrote the book himself, so they had to buy it, and could only buy it from the school bookstore. It was around $185 if I recall.

 

[erincon23]

I think the note-taking thing (paper vs laptop) is really a school-by-school thing. When DS21 was in school (for such a very short time), nobody brought their laptops to class, unless you were in engineering or accounting. The teachers all recorded their lectures and you could listen to them through the school website, including anything written on the electronic white boards. The second college he went to, there was nothing like this. DS18 will be going to school this fall, and they give each kid a laptop as part of the program (only in their Honors program), but we don't know yet if they'll use them for notes during class.

And many schools are going to all e-textbooks - you buy them like Kindle books.

I also sent DS21 to school with a small tool kit- box set of screwdrivers, little pliers, little wrench, couple extra screws. He used it frequently - much easier to tighten the screws in your school-provided chair than try to get maintenance in. He also brought a small sewing kit to sew on buttons (I showed him how, you'd think it would be easy enough to figure out, but if he had to try to figure it out, he'd never do it - once he learned, he knew how easy it was), fix a pocket, etc.

 

[LuvGoofy6]

DD's (soph) sorority is actually cheaper than living in the dorms for dues and room/board. That does not include all the shirts she has bought or all the extra outfits she wants for all the activities though.

I have found this to be true as well. We certainly invested some money in cute dresses to start off but next year she will trade with her sisters in the sorority. By living in the sorority house instead of the dorms it will save us about $3000 a year and the food prepared by the house mom is like meals she gets at home versus the meals on the meal plan.

Renting books from Chegg saved her money. She orders them online and they are delivered right to the school and she returns them to the bookstore on campus at the end of the semester.

Sharing rides back home (she is 5 hours from home) saves us money. Most would like their cars with them over break to visit friends but it isn't cost effective. So my daughter and her friends take turns with who drives and they split the gas.

She asks for gift cards for her birthday and Christmas. She gets McDonald's, Starbucks, Target, etc. from relatives and uses them during the school year.

 

[PA Princess]

T
Some of the best advice I received (and the hardest) was to let him go. That this was his time to grow. So when I get the call & that one of his suitmates is crazy (last semester), you gotta say "what are you going to do about it?" not here's what to do. sometimes he asks me advice but sometimes he doesn't..... it's hard for me, as I'm the controlling one but I'm amazed at how much he has grown. Right now, he wants to get an apartment off campus next year and he's calling and asking questions. Kinda hard for me to not go down there & take over but so far he's listening....

encourage your child to get involved...an involved child is much less likely to drop out...... of course, too involved has that problem also..... pray a lot.

I have also been enjoying this thread and the above advice hit me square between the eyes. DS17 is a senior, and I have been growing apprehensive that maybe he is just not ready to go away to college. Hhhmmm...maybe it is more that I am not ready to let him go?

He was accepted at 4 schools, and he has to make a decision on which school to accept. He has been so fickle and wishy washy -it is a concern. It is like he is waiting for dh and I to make the choice for him. I guess it is the start to the letting go process.