<p>I searched online at the Bama Bound website, but I could not find a tentative schedule for when activities end for the students on the 2nd day of the orientation. There is a tentative schedule for Parents that ends about 11:30 am on Day 2. My D’s grandmother is joining us for BB, and I need to get her to Birmingham for a flight home, so if I know what time things wind down on Day 2 for the students, I can have her schedule her flight accordingly to give me enough time to drive her there. I know that there are a bunch of other activities that we want to get accomplished while we’re there too (from this forum) such as getting mail set up, etc. so I need to also allow time to get that done as well. As for my D and me, we’ll be sticking around for that 2nd night and leaving early the next morning for the long drive back to Chicago. Any info would be helpful. Thanks.</p>
<p>Activities were wrapped up easily by noon on Day 2. IIRC several of us were talking/comparing schedules in the Ferg by then with time to spare. The final event for students was the actual registration, which involves sitting in a room of computers and doing it online just as if they were doing it at home, so some finish fast, others find conflicts and rework it until they get what they like, but nearly everyone was done by noon.
We easily made the 3:30 non-stop to MDW with time to hit Dreamland and a drugstore on the way, and time to spare at the airport.
Also - don’t know when you’re getting in, but if by chance you arrive any time the day before BB, get your PO Box (and credit union?) then. No lines, during BB it looked like a long wait.</p>
<p>AL34 … Thanks, perfect. The PO Box setup is done in the Ferg downstairs right? As for the Credit Union, help me understand the benefits of getting her a local account vs. managing her access to funds via her Action Card & Bama Cash? Is it just so that she can have a debit card and local bank for purchases off campus that do not accept Bama Cash?</p>
<p>Yes, PO Boxes are downstairs in the Ferg. across from the SupeStore. Keep in mind they are on regular post office hours.
As far as the Credit Union, we did it so DS would have a debit card/bank down there for use where Bama Cash is not accepted (like some places on the strip, Home Depot etc.) Also I was thinking it would be nice to have a “school account” where we would fund it and his school-related expenses would not come out of his personal account. There is a branch up here where we can make deposits… good idea at the time.</p>
<p>He already had a card and direct deposit from his summer/breaks job on his personal account up here and it turns out he uses that card primarily. He doesn’t differentiate between what we should pay for and what he pays for. The Credit Union account is there if I need to get money to him in an emergency, or to deposit Christmas checks from grandma etc., but realistically all that could be done at his bank here. It was free so no harm done but we find now not really necessary. He has never had a problem with anyone accepting his card from his Chicago bank.</p>
<p>One other thing though, for whatever reason the CD rates were much better at ALCU then up here, so he moved one of his CDs down there and gained some interest there.</p>
<p>I’d recommend not using Bama Cash except for laundry and printing/photocopies. I know at Publix and other stores, using Bama Cash is very inconvenient as the cashier has to go to another register and manually charge the account.</p>
<p>ALCU is good for a local account, but one can use their OOS debit/credit card everywhere without difficulty.</p>
<p>My son is finishing his third year at UA and has never needed to have a local bank account.</p>
<p>I think there was only one time in the first year when he needed me to go onto his Bama Account to add money. He uses his personal Debit card from our Fifth third Bank in Ohio for purchases around town. </p>
<p>Parents handle the Major Credit Cards for their dependent children differently. Our family has chosen to get our kids a SEPARATE Mastercard account once they turned 18 years old. I am the co-signer on each of my son’s cards and the bill still comes to the house. They know the card is for gasoline, pre authorized purchases and any emergency. This allows our college students to book and purchase their own travel tickets because they know their schedules best. They have used it for books and parking permits and room deposits. As for “pre approved” charges, they will ask if they can make a purchase for items we would generally pay for (oil change, new jeans, or dorm supplies). They have never abused this privilege. Occasionally we may tell them to take a friend out for a steak dinner or treat a friend “just because”. It is our way of telling them we love them. I pay the Mastercard bills. </p>
<p>We also pay the “student membership” fee for our boys to have a Sam’s Club membership. I think the charge is $30 per year. They are able to use the Mastercard at Sam’s. Since my son is an athlete, he purchases Granola Bars and Gatorade in bulk. He also gets his laundry supplies, Toilet paper and general items at Sam’s. Every once in a while, a friend without a membership will go to Sam’s Club with him to “stock up”. He collects the money from the friend for their purchases. Our son will keep the cash but tell me to transfer money from his personal checking to our personal checking. Since I do all the banking and bill paying on line, I have always had joint accounts with our son’s. I never transfer money out of their account without their approval or knowledge. When your kids are far away, it is peace of mind knowing they have access to funds in an emergency. </p>
<p>Parents of any young adults need to be very proactive about educating their college students about the increased concern of identity theft. Our college students need to watch their accounts weekly if not daily and know how to ACT FAST when something just doesn’t look or sound right. Just this past December, our oldest son (age 22) was victim to his Debit card being breeched. Our son is a college graduate and is currently serving in Iraq. On Dec. 26th, he attempted to make a purchase at the Base PX. His purchase was denied. Thanks to Fifth third Bank, they blocked his checking account (debit card) after suspicious activity was red flagged. Someone had already racked up $1000 in charges in less than 1 day. Most of the charges were $50 itune cards and net gaming membership fees. Fortunately for my son, I was able to get the ball rolling to dispute all the fraudulent charges. Not only am I a joint person on his accounts, I am currently his Power of Attorney for all his legal matters while he is serving his country. Between a Skype call on one laptop and me looking at his banking accounts on another laptop while on the phone with a customer service rep from Fifth third Bank Fraud Department, we managed to stop the thief from getting any more of his money. All the fraudulent charges where reversed and my son had a new Debit card ordered. My soldier had to make temporary arrangements with the Army’s Office of Finance to allow him access to some funds until his new Debit card was in his hand. </p>
<p>Teach your children to keep their money matters in check at ALL times.</p>
<p>Thanks for the great advice everyone! Much appreciated.</p>
<p>And for another perspective: we have all our bank accounts via Bank of America. D had just transferred her account over to a Student Advantage account in fall of her senior year when she got a regular job. So she had an established account and debit card, etc. About this time last year when this convo came up here on the forum, we considered having her get a Credit Union account. But we couldn’t figure out any benefit to switching things over. </p>
<p>Right now, I can transfer up to $500 per day directly via the BOA website. And although she would incur a fee if she used an ATM on campus (because BOA doesn’t have a presence in Tuscaloosa) if she needs cash she gets cash back when she goes to Publix during the week. She hasn’t actually needed much cash, as she can usually just use her debit card and/or Bama cash.</p>
<p>She doesn’t have a credit card yet (she was 17 when she left for college & we didn’t see the need) but we may establish one for her before she goes on her study abroad trip. Thanks for your perspective on that momof3boyz</p>
<p>momof3 -
That’s something I hadn’t thought of, DS will be bringing his car next year and as an employee he has a Costco card… I see frequent road trips to Hoover in his future :)</p>
<p>Another benefit to having joint accounts with your college students just came to mind. I mentioned that they ask to make a purchase using the Mastercard (credit card). This has always been our routine even when it is obvious we will cover the expense. We do it this way more as a heads up on monthly expenditures and we always have a general idea what out Credit Card debt is before the bill(s) come. </p>
<p>There are other times when our boys have used there own money for something we would typically pay for. When that occurs, they let us know and I can quickly transfer money into their personal checking accounts to make them whole. </p>
<p>Fortunately we have raise three boys that don’t like to spend their own money on “things”. They like to save for a rainy day. We transitioned our oldest off the payroll once he was earning an income from Army Reserve even though he was finishing his degree. He paid his rent and utilities for an off campus shared house with his student loans and work study. We gave him an older car about the same time and he paid the insurance and gas from that point forward. We continue to pay for his cell phone until he returns from his deployment or until the next contract date ends (it is currently on military suspend at not charge).</p>
<p>Our current college junior knows he will be transitioned off the payroll shortly after graduation. He may stay in Tuscaloosa but the car we are providing him will then be transitioned to the incoming freshman. They will have to share that car for one year, with the oldest trumping the younger one if a need to use conflict occurs. They will work it out. As long as our boys continue to work hard and progress in their major and maintain their scholarship(s), we will continue to bless them. At the first sign of poor choices, they already know the consequences. Trust me, THEY REALLY DON’T WANT TO GO THERE! </p>
<p>For first time parents sending their babies from the nest…the clearer you all know the ground rules, the smoother the transition will be. Happier students preform better in and out of the class room. You do have to let them fall but hopefully they will come to you for advise on the important issues. Trust is a two way street. It will soon be just my husband and I at home this August. We will be 11 hours away from our babies. Let the PARTY BEGIN!!! Hee hee! : )</p>