<p>Any thoughts from students about how much you use this as a debit card (as opposed to actually using a debit card) and what the appropriate amount to fund this each semester would be for a first-year student?</p>
<p>I only put about $50 or so on my card for laundry, but I actually write checks from my own account. If you are making a selection that will be billed to your account and your parents are paying, go for as much as possible (haha). Honestly though, I only use it for laundry. Others will use it to buy concert/event tix or stuff from the bookstore.</p>
<p>My children have substantially more money loaded onto their card, but as upperclassmen they buy/bought 7-8 meals per week for meal plan (what is offered seems to change every year) and others off the debit portion of the card, often off campus. I know the freshman meal plan has more than 21 meals included (how many times will kids eat Branscomb breakfast after midnight, particularly since they aren't in Branscomb?) . My kids always bought their books off their card balances, so that's another reason they had more. However, if your parents are assisting with move-in, they might rather pay for your books on their credit card and get reward points.</p>
<p>I have been trying to figure out how much to put on our 10-month plan budget. Does anyone here pay that way? I plan to use the estimated figures for tuition, room, and board (what happened to announcing the new costs in May?!). I read somewhere that I will have to let someone at Vandy know that I put board on the plan, though --- not sure who & why! I did email the Commodore Card office yesterday, but I haven't heard back.</p>
<p>i had $750 on my card each semester. considering approximately 4-500 of that went toward books every semester, that left me some side cash aside from meal plan to use for meals beyond my 7 meals a week, to buy the occasional shirt, birthday card, etc. from the bookstore, and to use at on campus eateries like starbucks. you can also convert commodore cash to meal money to use off campus like qdoba, chilis, etc. i really found commodore cash quite useful. i also used it for laundry. </p>
<p>the best thing about it? this past month (i just graduated in may), i received a check in the mail in the amount of $290 from vandy, a refund for the money i did not spend. each semester any unused money carries over and you can always change the amount you load each semester, although it's easier to change that and/or your meal plan on a yearly basis as opposed to a semester basis. so i would try something "safe" maybe $500 or so if that's financially feasible and see what happens after the first semester; like i said, if you dont spend the money, itll be refunded to you after you graduate.</p>
<p>also, when on campus, it is MUCH easier to have just your card that you need anyway to get around campus than to carry a wallet, cash, debit cards, credit cards, etc etc.</p>
<p>Don't buy your books in the bookstore. They are way overpriced and you can get brand new ones for less than half the price of used ones from the bookstore. Just look for the titles for the class on the bookstore website and order it online.</p>
<p>ahhh forewarning re: the departed's suggestion, i do definitely agree that the bookstore is overpriced but buyer beware!! if u buy your books online, make sure you have the EXACT ISBN # of the textbook(s) you are using. the bookstore will often use "bundle packs" esp. for foreign language, math, and chemistry classes where you will need the "class paks" and things as such that if you buy the book online, (a) you may not get the correct edition and (b) you may not get the complete package. so yes, if you want to spend the time and hope that you get the correct books (edition and all), it will be a lot less to buy it online, but i personally found the convenience of the bookstore worth buying it there.</p>
<p>... plus my parents certainly assisted in paying for my textbooks as long as i paid for them on the card. the one semester i purchased them offline, i was paying for them on my own credit card.</p>
<p>... last tidbit on purchasing books online, be careful if you buy them used off sites like amazon or ebay, you may end up with a really crappy worn down version of the book. likewise, if you buy it used u may end up with a gem, but there's always the what if. moreover, if you buy offline, esp. for the fall, be wary of how long they take to ship them. id recommend sending them to your house and then bringing them w u to vu, i cant tell u how many ppl i knew that were missing books and other packages for the first few weeks-month of school just do to the overhaul of everyone shipping stuff there.</p>