<p>Incoming first-year here-I just got a lot of info in the mail and do I have questions:</p>
<p>What's the difference between the student account and the campus card account?
Where is the workstudy paycheck paid to?
Are RHL linens really that bad? And if so, do people use other package companies or do they just go to Walmart?
And are lofts and mini fridges really necessary?</p>
<p>The student account is your account for any charges that are billed to you, i.e. tuition, room&board and other fees. This account should be balanced before you arrive on Campus, unless you have a work-study or some monthly payment plan.
The Campus Card Account is the money you put on your P-Card for use on Campus, laundry, snacks and things like that. You can either use the machine in the JRC lobby, go to the Cashier’s office or authorize your parents to put money on your P-Card account. Lots of parents put a lot of money on this account for buying books and such, but it makes more sense to buy your books and other things online and only put a small amount of money on it for laundry. </p>
<p>When you fill out your paperwork for working on Campus the Cashier will most likely ask you for a direct deposit form and deposit the money on your bank account whenever you get paid. I believe that if you don’t fill the form out they will just put a check in your Campus Mailbox. </p>
<p>I never used RHL linens but got my stuff from Wal-Mart. I wasn’t even thinking about ordering something online as my information package just said, there would be an organized trip (for internationals) to Wal-Mart to buy dorm essentials. Some people order it online (BB&B, Target) or bring it with them. </p>
<p>If you are placed on East the beds are lofted anyway (you can take them down), other than that you have to organize your own loft. With most rooms they are not necessary as most are big enough and bed’s are always a handy space for visitors to sit on, if they are not lofted. Mini-Fridges are imo unnecessary. All dorms have at least one fridge (many have several) and cheap mini-fridges don’t work that well. My ex-roommate left me hers when she left and I am now stuck with it. Stuck with it, because it doesn’t work as well as I would like it too.</p>
<p>Thanks for answering all my questions!</p>
<p>That’s great, I really didn’t want to buy a mini-fridge or a bedloft. I’m fine with people sitting on my bed, and the only foreseeable issue with using the common fridge is the possibility of people stealing food I put in there–does that happen often?
And speaking of food–how hard is it REALLY to take food from the cafeteria?</p>
<p>Also, since I won’t know my classes until I get there, what is the best way to get my books for cheap? Are the Grinnell bookstore’s prices reasonable? Will sophomores still have books from last year to sell to me?</p>
<p>Regarding the food: It really depends on the dorm. I lived in a party dorm full of stoners (the place where you’d think your food would just disappear) for 3 semesters and I never had issues with people taking my stuff. Last semester I lived with mostly athletes and somebody repeatedly stole my full(!) jugs of skim milk. Sometimes people might take your stuff if you don’t put a name on it, thinking it’s up for grabs or confusing it with their own stuff. Most people won’t take your stuff, on purpose at least, but like everywhere, Grinnell has the occasional dick, who doesn’t care about that. </p>
<p>It’s definitely not easy to steal from the Dining Hall. At least not in large quantities, but tbh there is always a way around the checkers at the door, you have to be creative though. Let me say this much: big hoodies are a wonderful piece of clothing with a lot room 
</p>
<p>There will be quite a few returning students who want to get rid of their books. I would recommend not buying from the bookstore, because a lot of the time you will find something cheaper online/from other students. ordering online is the better choice (chegg or amazon), even if that means going without a book. You could always order online and buy one from the book store and return it when your book arrives (I think the book store takes the books back for a week or two, but don’t take my word on this). Most professors understand if you are without the book for the first week and often the library will have the book in question on reserve, which means you cannot take it for longer than 2 hours, but that should be enough for reading a chapter.
I also realized this last year that you don’t need all the books that professors put on the list, sometimes you are fine sharing a book with a class-mate or just borrowing it from the library; this is especially true for novels and such. </p>
<p>If you are on Financial Aid you can always see and try if the Grinnell Textbook Lending Library has your books. It’s a student-run library that lives of textbook donated by students. They don’t always have the most up-to-date issue or every book you need, but it’s definitely an option for common classes (intro classes for example) if you want to save money. But out of consideration for others, who may have less money, please only use it if you are on financial aid.</p>
<p>Thanks again for your help! All this is really helpful.</p>
<p>Just a quick comment about buyings books: as a first year, because you wont know what your classes are until the day before they start I would recommend buying all of your books in the book store for the first semester. It is expected that you come prepared to class with all of your books (if not the first day than at least the second, after you have gotten your syllabus) and you will have homework/ reading for the second day of class. You can check out the books from the library but keep in mind that this is not a sure thing; sometimes the book may be checked out or, if it is ‘on reserve’ someone else my be using it when you need to read. If you do buy your books from the book store you are also guaranteed to get the correct edition.
For the future though, I generally look up my books on Amazon and price compair them with the bookstore’s website and that normally gets me the best deal.</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>For the first semester, the best thing to do is buy all the books you need from the bookstore, keep the receipt, buy them on amazon at the same time, and return them as they arrive. If you have to write in the books before you return them, you can return the book Amazon sends you to the bookstore, as long as its the same edition.</p>
<p>Wow, this isn’t very nice to hear! It’s no wonder bookstores can’t stay in business when people scam them with internet purchases!</p>
<p>Well it’s no wonder the Bookstore can’t stay in business overpriced as it is.
I know by buying there I support a local business and so on, but tbh I barely manage to pay for college as it is and if I can save money by buying online than so be it. I’ve saved up to 50 $ on some science textbooks. </p>
<p>And for most classes, if I didn’t have the book because it took longer to be shipped most professors understood when I explained the reasons to them. Yeah it’s inconvenient not having the book, particularly for intro-language classes, but it happens and a lot of professors are very understanding if you explain why you don’t have a book yet.</p>
<p>It’s one thing to buy online, but another to buy from the bookstore, use it until the Amazon book gets there, and then return it to the bookstore.</p>
<p>And, if anyone replies, “well everybody does that,” I say, just because everybody does it doesn’t make it right.</p>
<p>If you want to buy the lowest cost book, go ahead, but don’t be dishonest about it with the bookstore.</p>
<p>I’ll be attending Grinnell in the fall, and I have a few questions of my own to ask, if the OP doesn’t object.</p>
<p>1) The mailing stuff was a little unclear, are ONLY refrigerators and/or microwaves that are part of the combo from bedloft.com allowed? Because those seem extremely overpriced to me, especially since there doesn’t seem to be a rent-to-own option.</p>
<p>2) Also, how many people at Grinnell forgo a TV? I’m considering getting a media center laptop that has a pretty good screen for movies and such(even though its only 15"), but if I did that I would not be bringing a TV, and possibly missing out on some social opportunities. I was just wondering if current students would recommend one way or the other.</p>
<p>3) One last question (for now): I received a financial aid offer when I was accepted, but due to some outside scholarships I have 0 self-help financial aid. Would I fall into the camp that should or should not consider the Lending Library?</p>
<p>Thanks a bunch</p>
<p>SDonCC I am pretty sure the bookstore knows of this since many students are doing it; I don’t because I am notoriously forgetful about things like that and also way too lazy to buy something knowing I will return it. </p>
<p>mkshort: </p>
<p>1.) Nope, you can get your own Fridge/Microwave. I’d say a Microwave is not necessary, as all dorms have at least one kitchen but do what you want to do. </p>
<p>2.) Depends on where you’ll be living but I wouldn’t necessary get a TV. Few people actually have a TV and there are some rooms where you will be able to fit a TV but not a lot of people. Bringing a TV only for the social bonus that comes with it seems kind of stupid to me, especially considering that you can a.) either go to the lounge of your dorm and use that TV or hijack a room in Noyce or ARH and use the computer and projector there to watch a movie. </p>
<p>3.) I cannot really answer that for you. If you are able to pay for the books on your own, than don’t use it, if the money you would use for textbook purchases is something you could spend on something sensible, e.g. a train/bus/plane ticket then use it.
I assume 0 self-help financial aid means you did not get work-study?</p>
<p>I was wondering, if your work-study gets reduced due to outside scholarships, can you still work to earn some extra money?</p>
<p>You definitely can but some employers are more inclined to hire students on work-study. But that’s only a few, as far as I am aware.</p>
<p>mkshort:</p>
<p>I wouldn’t bother buying a tv: computers are easier to use for the same thing, and most people I know do what _Silence mentioned and hijack a classroom, because the academic buildings (as far as I know) never lock to pcards, or just gather in the room of whichever person has the biggest tv. </p>
<p>If you’ve got the money to buy at the bookstore, buy there. If you’ve got the money to buy online, buy there. and if you can’t afford either, rent or get from the lending library. Most Grinnellians do whatever they can afford, and those of us who are more disadvantaged then others are sometimes simply not able to afford the often exorbitant prices the bookstores charge, or even the more reasonable amazon charges. If all else fails, borrow a friend’s book. And you buys should know, at the end of ever semester a bookstore comes to the campus and buys used books, as long as they’re in good condition, and you can sometimes get back a lot of the money you spent that way.</p>
<p>My understanding of the way work study works is that every student works 10 to 12 hours a week, maxing out at, like 20. I don’t think it gets reduced. And I’m pretty sure the d-hall is always taking people, work study or no.</p>
<p>I’ve seen a lot of people saying what they’re going to buy for their rooms, and the amount of things, seems rather bizarre. Rugs, TVs, microwaves, irons, fridges, sheets, comforters, lamps, toilet things etc. How much did it cost you to get your room ready? Because it seems like you are required to spend $ 1,000+ at least to make it livable. I’m on FA, and my parents will be paying about 18k per year, which is a struggle, I really can’t afford to splurge large amounts of money to furnish a room.</p>
<p>I would wait and work it out with your roommate. You will need bedding, though!! </p>
<p>You can get stuff at Walmart when you arrive and IIRC there is also a sale of used stuff students left from previous years.</p>
<p>A clip on lamp for the bed is a good idea. The rest is not necessary, although a rug is a good idea – not talking about a fancy rug; my D bought a fuzzy bath mat to put beside her bed (at another school). A small area rug can also be quite cheap and you can split this with your roomie.</p>
<p>@onceandagain
Ask yourself how many of those are needs and how many are just wants. You could live without everything on that list except sheets and toilet paper. Not having a fridge would be annoying, but you could make do by buying food/drink when you need it and/or buying nonperishable items.</p>
<p>The school supplies toilet paper!!</p>
<p>You can check on the website the floor plan and amenities for each dorm. I think most have kitchens and you can see how far you’ll be from the fridge and microwave there…</p>
<p>And, look, if someone’s stealing your food, then you bring it up with your dorm mates – that’s what self-gov’s about! Learning to live together as members of a community and finding ways to resolve issues…</p>
<p>I didn’t have a fridge my first year and it was fine - I didn’t keed refridgerated food and if I really needed something to be stored, I just used a friend’s fridge down the hall from me. You will probably know somebody you trust with a fridge. </p>
<p>A rug would be nice because I beleive that most rooms don’t have carpeting (so unless you want to wake up to the touch of a freezing floor in the cold months). Microwaves are really unecessary when every dorm has one (usually multiple). Cleaning supplies are usually available through a cleaning closet. I spent maybe a little less than $100 to furnish my room which was, between laundry supplies, storage containers, school supplies. Can’t think fo anything else. But yeah, you don’t have to go crazy with furnishings.</p>