12 Things College Students Don't Need

Parent Cafe
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<p>I don’t know if I would say that many schools provide this service. I’ve never heard of a school doing this (I’ve only heard of schools that have security escort students around campus at night or “safe rides” for students who are too intoxicated to drive). I have never heard of campus security driving students somewhere, especially to an off campus home or apartment, which is where students who need cars would typically live (I.e. commuters). Perhaps, this is more common at smaller schools?</p>

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<p>Our kids seemed to appreciate the printer. It was S’s contribution to heir room (his room mate got a TV). When S didn’t need it any more, he gave it to D. They both prefer to read printed docs over those on screen, when possible. We got a multifunction one at Fryes electronics for about $100. It seemed well worth the convenience.</p>

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<p>USC provides free escort service, haven’t heard they car whether you are sober or not. They will drive you within the designated zone, during the hours they are staffed, including to private apts near campus.</p>

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<p>^I was imagining something more related to after-hours (or even early morning) rides to areas outside of the school’s immediate vicinity, which is when students would most need a car (outside the hours the buses run, further than the immediate vicinity of the school).</p>

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<p>My D just used the night transit service at her school. It operates 7-12 sun-wed and 7-3am th-sat. Operates a wide off-campus/on-campus coverage area. So far neither kid has needed a car and none of us have smart phones. The schools have emergency text service so are able to be contacted if something important happens on campus.</p>

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<p>-Some textbooks you need new because of online access codes found inside them</p>

<p>Agreed.</p>

<p>-if you get a cheap laptop, chances are it won’t last you 4 years and you’ll need another at some point, probably spending more on 2 decent ones rather than 1 new one.</p>

<p>This cannot be emphasized enough. Not only will you end up paying more for 2+ crappy notebooks, but also in lost productivity, time, and aggravation/worry when the budget notebook has developed serious issues/crapped out at the worst possible times. </p>

<p>As for gaming…depends on one’s definition of gaming. There’s a difference between playing web/app games and say…your latest and greatest games for hardcore gamers who IME…prefer high-end custom built desktop gaming rigs with much better power to price ratio. </p>

<p>-get a printer. everyone has a printer. everyone uses their printer.</p>

<p>YMMV here depending on student and courses. IME, I found having my own laser printer to be a great convenience…especially during severe snowy weather when the computer labs may not even open. </p>

<p>I also printed quite a bit as I liked to go over my essay drafts on hard copy than on computer. Especially considering the quality of computer screens were such eyestrain was more of a serious issue when I was in college than nowadays. In practice, I used the college’s printers much more than my own…but having my own printer was nice for occasions of bad weather. </p>

<p>-the price of a new smart phone is so marginal in the scheme of things its hardly worth listing. All the plans are stupid expensive anyway.</p>

<p>YMMV depending on student. While it’s becoming less common, I still meet undergrads who opted out of smartphones due to budget consciousness and/or not buying into it in the first place. </p>

<p>-cable TV comes in my dorm included but a lot of listed streaming services hardly do television justice. (you need cable for ESPN3 anyway…</p>

<p>YMMV depending on student and prevailing campus culture. For instance, at my LAC, popular spectator sports was such a non-factor no one I knew on campus would have even noticed if ESPN disappeared off the face of the earth during my undergrad years. </p>

<p>Also, there was so much going on with classmates and campus that I wondered “Why watch TV…I can do that at home”. </p>

<p>-For the car you probably don’t need but I’d love to know where you get a lower premium for having it not at school because mine doesn’t matter at all…
Never had a car during my entire undergrad at a rural Midwest LAC. Never had any issues as there’s enough to do and I liked the novelty of walking around cornfields. :)</p>

<p>-Credit card is kind of a personal decision
Unless the given college student is known to be lacking in self-control when it comes to finances, I believe it’s best if undergrads get one with a low limit to develop a decent credit history which could help them with future loans or even renting urban apartments from more desirable buildings/landlords IME. </p>

<p>This assumes, however, student concerned is responsible enough to use it for reasonable affordable necessities and pays off the balance consistently each month. </p>

<p>-high bank fees doesn’t really belong on this list IMO, no one WANTS or NEEDS that.
-be smart and you don’t need overdraft</p>

<p>Agreed. </p>

<p>-You eat a lot and get hungry a lot in college. You need money on that meal plan.
Some residential colleges…including my LAC may mandate one go on the meal plan for all freshmen in their first semester/year. While my college also allows going on Co-Ops, not all freshman would have known about them or understand the obligations/responsibilities/risks* of joining them. </p>

<ul>
<li>Possibilities of running out of food during servings of popular menu items and/or student management miscalculation towards the end of the term. Don’t know about now…but it was an issue with some Co-Ops when I attended.<br></li>
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<p>-Health insurance is really up to you
More colleges are mandating entering students have some form of health insurance comparable/better than the one they provide. If your parents’ plan doesn’t compare in their eyes or there’s no insurance…you’re enrolled on the college’s health insurance plan by default. It’s mandatory. </p>

<p>-private loans are again something no one WANTS or NEEDS and doesn’t really belong here either…</p>

<p>Sometimes, private loans are needed to cover some/all of one’s educational expenses. Agreed it’s not ideal.</p>

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<p>Printer is vital. It is much better to print it out when you want than have to haul ass to the library in the pouring rain to wait 20 minutes for it to open only to realize that your laptop isnt configured for the printers. So yea get a printer</p>

<p>Cable TV…I dont think thats a thing. Seems a bit outdated. No college kid I know gets that. </p>

<p>Big Meal Plan is crucial. Better to not use it than starve. If you can do weekly I suggest doing first week on meal plan and then decide. I don’t like a big breakfast so I switched off it in a week and used flex dollars. Ate where I wanted and saved my parents money.</p>

<p>High end computer…Depends on your definition. Macbooks are $$$ but they do offer some great services (but not great customer service)</p>

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<p>The university our son attends has three meal plans, big, medium and small and you pay accordingly. Each version offered a certain amount of flex dollars. Since son only lives an hour away we figured he’d be coming home holidays, some weekends, ect… So looking at the what the plans offered, he went with the small plan and for him, that worked. He always had snacks in his room, including ramien noodles, breakfast bars, popcorn and coffee. He liked the flex dollars on the plan.</p>

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<p>baktrak, my school has something similar to that. We call a number after 11 pm (when the buses stop running) and no questions asked, we’re picked up wherever we are, and taken to our dorm/etc. We also have a non-sober number but I’m not sure if that’s only on the weekends. </p>

<p>And my school is a decent sized university.</p>

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<p>The “everybody” and “nobody” declarations in this thread are not terribly helpful because every kid is different. My D stopped using her printer freshman year because the noise it made when not in use–periodically hiccuping and humming was annoying (that’s what she said) and she didn’t want to turn it off and wait for it to warm up when she needed it. Sounds odd to me, but she was perfectly happy using the computer lab in her dorm and never really had that much to print out anyway, since most of her written assignments were submitted online. Her dorm was equipped with cable, one suite member had brought a TV, and it was frequently used. Lots of “appointment” television to be discussed as soon as it aired–among the females, anyway. As for the meal plan, the first semester she barely made a dent in it because she wasn’t fond of eating in the single cafeteria, so we scaled back second semester, and by sophomore year had abandoned the meal plan altogether–she made some meals in her dorm and ate at some of the campus alternatives, and the cost was still less than the meal plan. I actually think it may only be guys and female athletes who take full advantage of meal plans. Her smartphone is as important to her as oxygen is to me–I don’t even own one, so don’t exactly get it, but I accept her view.</p>

<p>Bottom line, different stokes for different folks.</p>

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<p>The Wall Street Journal has a different take on the subject: [Essential</a> Gadgets for the Dorm Room: Fortify Your Freshmen - WSJ.com](<a href=“Essential Gadgets for the Dorm Room: Fortify Your Freshmen - WSJ”>Essential Gadgets for the Dorm Room: Fortify Your Freshmen - WSJ)</p>

<p>:)</p>

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<p>Wow, the list from Wall St Journal, those are things that my D for sure doesn’t need.</p>

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<p>I’m one of those people who prefers editing drafts and highlighting/taking notes on hard copies, so I guess I’ll be getting a printer then. @pentaprism, thanks for recommending a laser monochrome printer!</p>

<p>I’m quite sure I won’t need any of the items on the Wall Street Journal list though… or at least, not those expensive versions!</p>

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<p>Yes, a durable and reliable laptop is key. Many students accidentally drop their laptops - a good one will hold up, while a cheap one will shatter into pieces. I bought both of my kids Dell Latitudes - which are designed to be durable for business travelers, with metal cases, strong hinges, etc. Also, solid state hard drives are also much more durable over time than regular hard drives, because there are fewer moving parts. I bought these on Dell’s factory-refurbished website, and they didn’t cost any more than a crappy plastic laptop in a store.</p>

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<p>I mostly agree with this article. I would like to touch on a few of them:</p>

<p>A high-end laptop or desktop computer - At my University, you don’t need a laptop or computer at all. It is a complete luxury. Most professors don’t allow use of laptops in the classroom. There are computer labs with advanced computers for people who are doing high tech things. It’s usually pretty empty because people are using their own computer. Why would you want to pay extra $200+ for a software when you can get it free at the computer lab? I realize this is not the same with all schools, but check with your school for. </p>

<p>A printer - If you want a printer because you don’t want to walk in bad weather, that is convenience. Convenience is luxury. My University has lots of printing stations so I never needed a printer. In my University all undergrads gets 500 pages of printing, and grad students get 900. There is no reimbursement so if you don’t use it, it goes to waste. </p>

<p>A pricey smart-phone plan - Getting a unlocked Nexus 4 (about $350) and using TMobile’s flat $30 smart phone plan is cheaper than buying a iPhone and paying all those high fees. Nexus 4 is a good phone and can compete with Samsung Galaxy. If you’re truly trying to cut down costs, a smartphone really is not a necessity. </p>

<p>Cable TV - I have gotten it for free at the places I lived but it really is not a necessity. I am very involved on campus and as a result I barely watch TV. Now a days you can watch your shows or movies online for cheaper. The dorms at my university provide it for free. There are also many big screen TVs on campus that students can watch.</p>

<p>Campus health insurance - That depends on the person. If you are covered under your parents, you don’t need it. The health insurance at my University doesn’t cover anything, so I would never get it. Plus, I am covered under my parents insurance.</p>

<p>Private loans - You should always do your best to avoid loans. I am sure you don’t want to be in debt forever. I know everyone has a different situation by private loans should be the absolute last solution. Those interest rates really do add up.</p>

<p>A car - If you live on campus, a car is a luxury not necessity. At my University dorms are very expensive and being a commuter is cheaper. It depends on the school and its location. If you live on campus and trying to cut down on cost, you really have to consider selling your car.</p>

<p>A credit card - It is really easy to abuse a credit card. College students don’t always make the right choice. A credit card is not a necessity. You can always get it later in life. I know a lot of people who didn’t have a credit card in college and they’re doing fine.</p>

<p>For the record, I don’t think parents should pay for things like cell phone plans. Your kid is an adult and they should pay their own cell phone plan. If they don’t have a job but are looking for one (I understand, bad economy), don’t get them a pricey cell phone plans. If your kid wants one, he/she can get one once he/she has a job.</p>

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<p>Before spending money on software for a new student, check to see what is available through the college. At both my kids’ colleges, anti-virus is free (and required). At my son’s college, a student can get a very cheap Microsoft operating system upgrade and MSOffice full suite. Also, there is heavily discounted software available for students in specific majors.</p>

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<p>I liked my kids having a credit card–because it was actually my credit card, I was able to monitor their spending, and I got the points. They’ve both been pretty responsible about it.</p>

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<p>My Ds must be very spoiled! Both had printers and used them all of the time with their laptops that they bought with their own graduation money. Both have smartphones and had cable provided by schools. D1’s school did not have TVs in their community rooms so she had one in her own room. D2 took her TV although there was a large 55 in flat screen in her community area. Insurance coverage was ours. Both had student credit cards tied to our account so we saw the bills. Both are extremely grateful as they now have excellent credit ratings. Both also took their cars to school with them and were able to get amazing jobs and internships off campus because they had transportation. No high bank fees as their home town bank had branches in their town. Meal plans were required freshman year and then were partial depending on year and what dorms they were in. As far as gadgets go I think they would say their Keurig is their favorite. ;)</p>

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<p>I dont know why everyone seems to want to slam the credit card. Have you see the nazi tactics of some of the prepaid debits ? Millions of resposible adults use credit cards every day. The trick is easy…pay off the balance. </p>

<p>I would make one modification to the cell phone comment. They do need smart phones in our modern world. What they dont need is a data plan on a college campus thats studded with free wifi.</p>

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Amen! They can get by with a very limited data plan, or none at all. My kids have a limited data plan for just this reason.</p>