<p>Some good deals on small laser printers right now (< $100), so want keep an eye out for the right thing to get S1 who will be in SEAS in the fall. The biggest question is this: is a printer alone sufficient, or would it be beneficial to get one with scanner/copier built in? That is both bigger and more $ but it really depends on whether there will be need for it or not. Any comments?</p>
<p>I used a scanner to scan in old homework/tests so I could toss the paper. I also had a few teachers would would accept electronic homework</p>
<p>Having a scanner/copier at school is super useful, you never know when you need to copy/scan stuff and relying on the school ones was expensive and unreliable</p>
<p>Watch sales at Walmart & Target online. We got S2 a printer/scanner/copier two years ago around June for about $50-60 at Walmart. It’s held up fine. If it weren’t packed and stacked in a pile of boxes downstairs I’d tell you which one, but technology changes so quickly it wouldn’t really matter. It was a name brand name, but obv not top of the line. It was also compact enough to fit neatly on top of his desk hutch in both first year dorms and Lambeth second year. The scanner/copier did come in handy quite a lot.</p>
<p>btw, OT but since you’re reading shoe…you were right, an internship did come through. He’d already made arrangements to do research and take classes over the summer. The prof he was doing research with was very excited about the opportunity with the internship and said he definitely wanted to work with S2 in the fall. It couldn’t have worked out better! :)</p>
<p>@grp - This looks very similar to what we got my son, with a couple of upgrades for technology improvement. It’s wireless but as I remember you can’t print wirelessly in the dorms, at least we could never get it to work. This one comes with the cable so it’s not an extra expense. It also prints both sides of the page which saves on paper. It’s worth a look at $66.</p>
<p>[Canon</a> PIXMA MG3122 Wireless Inkjet Photo All-In-One Printer w/ Bonus Accessories Value Bundle: Computers : Walmart.com](<a href=“http://www.walmart.com/ip/Canon-PIXMA-MG3122-Wireless-Inkjet-Photo-All-In-One-Printer-w-Bonus-Accessories-Value-Bundle/19423874?_mm=#ProductDetail]Canon”>http://www.walmart.com/ip/Canon-PIXMA-MG3122-Wireless-Inkjet-Photo-All-In-One-Printer-w-Bonus-Accessories-Value-Bundle/19423874?_mm=#ProductDetail)</p>
<p>Thanks everyone - sounds like the scanner/copier option is truly useful. </p>
<p>As an IT person, my preference is a laser (no ink issues, faster, cheaper per page, etc.) and one that can duplex. So, I went ahead and ordered a Brother 2280DW, of which I have several of them at work and they are really nice printers - even for their original price of $199. But I just got a refurb from Staples (with coupon) for $75 delivered, so it seems like the best choice. FYI - here’s a link to the refurb units at Staples. If you have the $30 off $90 coupon you can add it as well.</p>
<p>[Brother®</a> Refurbished EHL-2280DW Laser Multi-Function Printer | Staples®](<a href=“http://www.staples.com/Brother-Refurbished-EHL-2280DW-Laser-Multi-Function-Printer/product_125551]Brother®”>http://www.staples.com/Brother-Refurbished-EHL-2280DW-Laser-Multi-Function-Printer/product_125551)</p>
<p>Blue: told ya 
You’ll start to see “things fall in place”, partially due to good timing/luck, and partially due to your son’s actions/perseverance 
It’ll be fun to watch for both of you</p>
<p>My son is in the College, but he said he did very little printing. Most work was submitted electronically.</p>
<p>As noted above, you may find that a wireless connection will not work for a printer in the first year dorms. As of 2 years ago, many people got really frustrated before they found out that it was not possible.</p>
<p>At most colleges, wireless service gets slow when everyone is on Netflix. It is good to bring an ethernet cable.</p>
<p>Not really worried about wireless printing. If it works it works, if not, that’s what a USB cable is for. </p>
<p>@blue, congrats to your son. Sounds like two great opportunities wit the internship and the future research. Makes a parent proud :)</p>
<p>@charlie everyone’s printing needs are going to vary pending on the courses they take each semester. </p>
<p>@blue, yay! Glad that all worked out!</p>
<p>@grp, S1 and S2 found scanning assignments and other options available on their printer to be very useful. </p>
<p>Another thing you might want to consider is if he needs to print in the library. Some resources can only be copied there. For this you may want to look into a Cav Advantage account. S1 and S2 have used it for the following over their 3 years:
laundry (loved not having to have change), printing at the library, soda/snack in vending machines for those late night library sessions (or in between classes), food carts/trucks, and other food items on grounds and also the bookstore. </p>
<p>[Cavalier</a> Advantage: Card Access to University Services, U.Va.](<a href=“Search | The University of Virginia”>Search | The University of Virginia)</p>
<p>Please note he can also charge things at the bookstore to his student account which you pay the next month. They have done this for books and other incidentals throughout the academic year. This is different than the Cav Advantage.</p>
<p>Somehow I missed that you were looking at laser printers grp. My reading comprehension skills need some tweaking. I’m going to have to talk to DH about sneaking in half-caffine in the coffee maker. That’s a great deal at Staples! Woosah’s point about Cav Advantage is excellent. We have always put money on here for the reasons stated above. When dining flex dollars run out we have reloaded on Cav Advantage. They can be used the same way, but also for so many other things, and do not expire like the dining dollars.</p>
<p>Thanks for the well wishes. It is hard to believe he’s half-way done. It has honestly flown by so quickly. I’ve curbed purchasing of UVa paraphernalia (admitting to a lot :o ) realizing in a year S3 may be committing to a different university and we’ll be adding a second sticker to the car, and there will be new t’shirts, sweatshirts, etc. to collect!</p>
<p>Thanks for the information. Is Cavalier Advantage recorded on the Student ID card, or is it a separate card? Also, does this mean we should just take the default dining plan Plus dollars, and then add money to Cav Advantage if he needs additional dining money instead of adding Plus dollars to the dining plan? Any advantage/disadvantages there?</p>
<p>It is recorded on the student ID card, very convenient. </p>
<p>Take the meal plan with the most plus dollars on it. And have him use those first. Here is the catch with Cav Advantage in the dining hall you are charged tax on food if you use that mode of payment instead of plus dollars. That is just what I was told from a UVa rep. </p>
<p>Here is what we did and it worked great for them:
First year: Meal plan with most plus dollars and added to the plus dollars for this year. These do expire so be cognizant of how much you put on there as the end of the year nears.
Second/Third Year: Lived off grounds-no meal plan. Believe me when I say the food is bad. Most kids put on weight first year, not at UVa. You would think someone would actually do something to make it better. I have been there to eat, it is not good. This is when the Cav Adv kicked in and worked out great for them. They ate at the dining hall if they wanted or any other place that sold food. </p>
<p>Cav Advantage is great for first year for laundry and printing. After that it is good for all the reasons I stated. Cav Advantage dollars do not expire until you graduate. So if you put it on there first year and don’t use it, it is there when you return in the fall.</p>
<p>Thanks woosah. So - maybe they made better food while we were there during DOTL, both S1 and I enjoyed our meal in the dining hall. Wasn’t the absolute best of any school we visited (Cornell was very good, as was WashU) but certainly wasn’t the worst (Tufts was terrible, and they rave about their food…).</p>
<p>Kind of an OT followup - how did the actual food bill look for your sons once they moved off grounds 2nd year. Did you find it overall more/less $ than a meal plan?</p>
<p>S2 was on grounds second year, but in a student apartment (Lambeth), so he had a full kitchen. He had a small meal plan third semester for lunches and opted against it the forth semester. Each semester we started with what we’d paid for the first year meal plan, deducted anything paid for a meal plan, and put the rest in his savings. We then divided by weeks in the semester and created an automatic transfer once a week to his checking. This was his choice and he could obviously access more funds any time he wanted. Bottom line it was way more money then he actually needed and he’s told us next year he doesn’t need as much. He doesn’t eat out at high end restaurants, splits groceries with his roommate, but does order pizza and hits Bodo’s on a regular basis. Like anything YMMV.</p>
<p>Yes, DOTL and orientation the food was great. That’s why I was surprised to hear sooo many complaints. Not just from them but all of their friends too. Then I ate there to see and it was just not good. </p>
<p>2nd & 3rd year we saved so much money on food. In fact, I think it was more than half of what we paid for the meal plan. They ate out, cooked in their apartment and frequented the food trucks-which I believe you can swipe a meal card there now. The corner has great options for under $10 a meal which is what you are paying approximately for the meal plan. </p>
<p>Usually first years find their favorites at the dining hall that are amenable to their palette and stick with that each time they go. Or they go to the plus dollar/meal swipe options. Those are on the uva dining website.</p>
<p>One parent said that the only deceit they experienced at UVa was that the food was so much better on the day parents ate during summer orientation than it was for the students during the rest of the year. (Of course, that is a separate company, not UVa).</p>
<p>For the record, during DOTL we ate at one of the normal dining halls. Wasn’t a Mobil 5-Star dining experience, but it certainly wasnt substandard either (have you been in a high school cafeteria lately). Maybe we’re just happy with average food. I ate no-name Mac & cheese from a box two meals a day (without milk or butter) for months my freshman year because I ran out of money. A little adversity builds character. :)</p>
<p>I so agree with you grp and it does build character, however in this case my issue is that you are paying thousands of dollars for it.</p>
<p>@woosah, Yes, well… there is that! Luckily S isn’t an overly picky eater (we’ve worked hard on that for years) and can generally find food he likes everywhere. Now, caramel frappes on the other hand - that’s his weakness…</p>
<p>Anyway - back on point for the original thread. Printer already came. Can’t find a lot to complain about for $75 with this. I think a laser with duplex will be much more convenient - maybe he can get his roommate to fund his caramel frappes in exchange for in-room printer use :)</p>
<p>Could someone please describe a typical day in the life of an e schooler? Like how many classes usually, how much free time, what you do in that time, and other stuff. Please tell in order, from the beginning of the day till the end. Thanks</p>