<p>About how much do you need for spending money? (Not including tuition and room & board) What about books? Thanks</p>
<p>On the same note, which banks are you guys using and which credit card companies do you recommend?</p>
<p>hey teresa!</p>
<p>oh, and i got a bank of america check card b/c there's an ATM in TresEx. i've seen washington mutual (kinda far from main campus) too. </p>
<p>also adding to the question: doesn't our financial aid bill INCLUDE money needed for textbooks for the year?? or is it separate?</p>
<p>I suggest getting Wells Fargo as there is an actual branch on the second floor of Tressider. </p>
<p>As for books, it depends on what you take. If you tend to do more science & math, you might only have a couple of textbooks. If you're in SLE, you will have maybe 15 paperbacks at $15 or so apiece per quarter.</p>
<p>what about the amount of spending money per quarter/month or whatever?</p>
<p>your fin aid bill includes it in terms of taking it into account and adjusting your fin aid w/ how much they think you'll spend on books. however, you still pay your books out of pocket. depending on what classes you take, i'd say you're probably going to average $150-$350 in books from the STANFORD BOOKSTORE. </p>
<p>now, here's what i suggest...
1. buy books online where they'll be much cheaper.
2. buy books from students selling them
3. for ihum, i would say but the books you need as the course progresses. the bookstore allows you 2 weeks to return a book or utnil the the "add courses" deadline passes (whichever's longer). since ihum usually makes you buy around 5 books, and you use those books one by one throughout the course. so when you get your syllabus, buy the book you'll need for that 1 or 2 weeks of class and then return it. if you need them for essays later, there will be plenty of people that will let you borrow it.
4. see if books you need are in green library and just check them out for the quarter.
5. borrow the books from fellow students...haha</p>
<p>as far as the bank question...there's a BANK OF AMERICA ATM at tressider on campus. there's also a WELLS FARGO OFFICE at tressider, so that might be more convenient in terms of having an actual place to go to open accounts or if you have questions or need checks. however, bank of america is more nationally known and has more atms nation wide. if you already have a wells fargo or bank of america account, just keep that one. if you don't have either, you should look into getting one of the two.</p>
<p>i don't have a credit card so i don't know about that. i don't think you'd really need a credit card honestly. as far as spending money goes, you don't really need any. the only thing you need it for is if you want to go to san fran, shop at the mall, or eat of campus, or a place on campus that doesn't take cardinal dollars. oh yeah, and for books. but i'd say about $0-$100 a month is good. i think i spent about $50 a month on random stuff i really didn't need.</p>
<p>I think I probably spent about maybe $200/quarter on random stuff (trips into the city, food, transportation to/from the airport etc.). Books can be really expensive. Although you might only need one or two books for math or physics, those books can be up to $160 or so each. Getting books online makes sense. Sometimes you can find international versions of textbooks that are MUCH less expensive (like $30 instead of $160-180). You could also share books with friends. That might sound somewhat weird, but it actually does make sense given how much textbooks cost. </p>
<p>I have a Wells Fargo account. It didn't really matter for me that it was on campus, just that there was an ATM.</p>
<p>Stanford's financial aid office officially budgets $1290 for books and supplies ($430/quarter) and $1935 for personal expenses (about $200/month), which includes a bike, clothes, electronics, entertainment, transportation, eating out, etc. but you can easily get by with about $100 a month if finances are tight.</p>
<p>The most convenient bank is Wells Fargo because they have ATMs and a branch office right in Tresidder Union, and they waive the fees and minimum balance if your parents have an account with them as well. Bank of America's branch is a short bike ride away at the Stanford Shopping Center, and they also have an ATM at Tresidder. The Stanford Credit Union has no fees, I think, and they're located on the east side of campus near the fire department.</p>
<p>Frankly, how much you spend can vary quite a bit. Do you like going into Palo Alto and having expensive dinner twice a week while buying expensive clothes? You'll spend lots more than someone who only eats from Stanford dining and doesn't buy clothing. You need to judge how much you'll spend in part on how (un)frugal your current habits are.</p>
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The most convenient bank is Wells Fargo because they have ATMs and a branch office right in Tresidder Union, and they waive the fees and minimum balance if your parents have an account with them as well.
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<p>my parents didn't have an account with wells fargo and i didn't have to pay any min. balance or fees. i opened a college student account last summer, and right now they have a promotion that allows you to have a savings account they usually offer to people w/ around $10,000, and it has no min. balance and gains more interest than the normal savings account they offer. i got it and only have the $100 deposit you need to open it...haha.</p>
<p>That's a pretty good deal, because the last thing a college student needs is to deal with minimum balances and fees. They didn't have that when I signed up 3 years ago.</p>
<p>I'm probably going to open an account at some online bank. They have pretty high interest, and they'll probably give me a debit card. Unfortunately, I have to be 18 to do that, and I turn 18 the day before I leave for Cali.</p>
<p>Well, online banks offer high-interest savings accounts, so you'd still need to open a local checking account to link your funds and get an ATM card.</p>