<p>S is at Nova, seems to be enjoying and doing well. I'd love to hear from some parents of freshmen there what their S or D are spending, or getting, for weekly expense allowances--this is for a socially active kid who is going to parties off campus and using the taxis and paying fraternity party costs etc., taking a train to Philadelphia, concert at Temple etc. I'm excluding costs for books etc. Private message if you want, I will post a survey that is annonymous if I get some data. If you have your expectation and a request that is higher, include that. Thanks all.</p>
<p>I would suggest reposting or having a moderator move this thread into the Parent’s Forum. You’ll get at least 10 fold the amount of responses there as you would here.</p>
<p>D has access to a debit card,which we add to as we see fit…started with $500, and has yet to ask for any additional funds,though we didn’t think we’d need to after 6-8 weeks…also has a CC,which we also monitor for spending patterns ;)</p>
<p>Freshman S started the school year with about $1500 in his bank account, all from his own savings, previous job and gifts. Don’t know what he’s spending, because we don’t fund it; he knows he is on his own for all expenses other than school bills, books and transportation home.</p>
<p>After about the first 2 weeks, he did let on that compared to “everyone else” he has met, he definitely is the “poorest”. Not surprising; we knew the Villanova profile before signing up. But we were also very clear that his social life is his responsibility. So far we have heard about a couple of trips into Philadelphia and a couple of trips to the mall for movies. Hopefully he is monitoring his spending and participating in whatever free activities are available on campus.</p>
<p>We have encouraged him to find a suitable work study job on campus, but nothing has become available that works with his current class schedule. A low bank account balance may motivate a second look at the job list 
.</p>
<p>This question is brought up 5-10 times each year. I’d suggest doing a search on “allowance” or “spending money” to find some of the old discussions.</p>
<p>PS - Mom3togo and I pay tuition, room+board, and books … so our answer is zip … our kids can finance their social life through summer jobs and school year jobs.</p>
<p>I did find a lot of discussions about spending and allowance elsewhere. I guess I was more curious about Nova specific experience and knowledge, as in, what does it cost there as opposed to elsewhere? Nova has some unique attributes, like kids having to take taxis to go to parties, charges for parties, etc., that might make it pricier to socialize than at a state school in the West with a party scene. That’s why I don’t think a lot of other discussions of this topic are all that helpful.</p>
<p>My S didn’t have a summer job–wasn’t feasible with our family’s summer schedule and hasn’t been for years. And I’ve been reluctant to push a job on campus till we see what the work load is like. Looks to me like there aren’t that many jobs available on campus. He doesn’t have a car and isn’t getting one to work somewhere off campus. So the comments from parents about how their kids are paying their own way etc aren’t really relevant–no value judgment intended. </p>
<p>I’ll post the question on “parents” and see what comes up.</p>
<p>archiemom, my freshman s is in the same situation as yours. His spending money is whatever he’s earned from working and saving over the years. When it’s gone, it’s gone and we are not replenishing it. He knows this and I think he has been fairly frugal as a result.</p>