<p>Thanks for the helpful info that so many people have shared. I’m continuing to follow this thread and make notes about the recommendations - all very much appreciated!</p>
<p>Re-reading some questions.</p>
<p>Shadyside Marriott-- ask for the CMU parent rate for that weekend – should be $135 plus $20 for valet gated parking.<br>
They have overflow parking-- so tip the guy and get in early.
Overflow is a block away-- and it’s sketchy there.</p>
<p>We took the computer and electronics into the room- and left everything else in the locked van.</p>
<p>If your S or D has a international roommate-- or a URM attending the diversity program-- or an athlete --all arrive 3 days earlier. The campus has 15-20% internationals - so the odds are high you might get into the room on Saturday night when all these students arrive back from the bonding retreats they attended.</p>
<p>Arrive on campus by 830 sharp am to be first on the long line of cars - you’ll be greeted by very very very efficient students who haul it all up to your room in 10 minutes or less – then the chaos begins.
The earlier you arrive the faster you get to unpack or at least make your bed-- and possibly be the first to pick the bed (if students didn’t discuss in advance as to who wants the loft bed if there is one).</p>
<p>Marriott shadyside - if full all the others I’ve enjoyed have closed garages and I would most certainly unload the car in any major city where your car was in a garage.</p>
<p>For those of you from outside of PA. Any suggestions on the best way to set up student banking with one of the university area banks? I’m concerned about the turnaround time to add funds to an account. Wire transfers are expensive and out-of-state checks require a lead time to deposit.</p>
<p>They had all the local banks at orientation and you can set up immediately. they send your kid the debit/cash card. They have the no fee student accounts. Perhaps other parents can opine on the various options. I think S got a lot of stuff in the mail. </p>
<p>My son decided not to do local banking and I think he regrets it. It is costly to get money out of the machine. The good thing is that he has become quite thrifty and slow to spend.
Paying CMU is easy (they are very good at facilitating payments!) because you can link various accounts to transfer money. </p>
<p>This is not true of 529 plans so get those transfers done early. Freshman need to get a student number and you want the 529 plan to reference this number or ss#. If you have a virginia plan, PM me because you need some inside information about the trials of VA students with those plans.</p>
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<p>I am an out-of-state student, and I got a PNC account when I came here, which was a great idea - PNC is everywhere here, and pretty much all other students not from PA seemed to do the same thing and get a PNC account. It’s very convenient to set up; they have PNC representatives in the University Center who will set up an account for you right on moving day. The only downside, at least for me, is that there is no PNC at home, so when I"m there for breaks, I can’t withdraw cash using my PNC card, but that isn’t a big deal for me.</p>
<p>Yeah, I definitely second getting a PNC account if you’re from out of state. I was with Wells Fargo in California, and even though they just bought Wachovia neither of those banks are present anywhere near CMU. The ATM fees sucked freshman year, so I bit the bullet and got a PNC debit card and things have been great since.</p>
<p>In terms of wiring money as a parent, I’m not precisely sure on the specifics but I know that my dad’s account at Wells is somehow linked to my PNC account - it’s some kind of student debit card setup. I think they do charge a fee per wire though.</p>
<p>If you click “personal expenses” there’s no fee within Paypal to the sender or recipient to move money.</p>
<p>It’s how we send money to S and D and also how they move money from their home banking accounts (out of PA) into their PNC acct.</p>
<p>If any of you have an ING Direct account, you could always transfer money into there from your checking account, then transfer the money over to them. It takes a few days for it to go through, but it’s free.</p>
<p>Also, just want to mention Citizen’s Bank since I had them back when I lived in Pennsylvania and felt their service was always top notch (both at the branches near my parents and the one near CMU in Pittsburgh).</p>
<p>I know another technique for getting money when you don’t have a local branch nearby is to ask for cash back with a debit purchase. I know my girlfriend’s used that for a long time instead of bothering with visiting the ATM and it’s become pretty rare to see a charge for using debit at a store.</p>
<p>Hi, I am interested in the Carnegie Mellon B Arch and was wondering what your daughter submitted for her portfolio. The description on their website is very vague in my opinion. Did your daughter submit structural designs, or other mixture of art media, or both?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>