<p>Hello,
I am attending college 8 hours away from my hometown and living in Chicago. I currently hold an account with a local bank in my town that doesn't have a branch in Chicago. Is it better for me to open an account with a bank in Chicago and transfer my money so it is more accessible or what?
My parents will be supplying me with some money for living expenses and such and would just be able to send me a check or maybe deposit money in my my new account online. Anyone know the best route to go for this? Thanks!</p>
<p>You are going to want a local bank account so you can get cash from the ATM if you need it-- believe it or not there are still some instances where you can’t swipe a card.</p>
<p>Personally, I opened a local bank account, transferred a small sum of money in it, and used it only if I needed cash. I liked my local bank account too much to close it out-- and my parents had an account at the same bank and could instantly transfer money to me 24/7 in an emergency, you don’t want to have to wait for them to go into a branch and make a deposit or mail a check if you’re sick or something. I kept my bank account at home and closed the local account when I graduated. I did end up using the local account a lot-- special events, buying t shirts from my department, the ice rink I liked to visit, and my favorite hole-in-the-wall burger joint all required cash. You never know.</p>
<p>I opened an account with Chase before I went to college. Since it’s a national bank, I’ve never had to worry about there being an ATM nearby, and there were quite a few on my campus. So see who has ATMs near where you’re living and attending school.</p>
<p>I have two; my main and the one that has a branch on campus. I keep a small amount of money in that one and if i need to i can cash checks there.</p>
<p>I definitely use the bank a lot at college. Luckily, at my house, I live within a mile of 8 banks and there are four ATMs on campus, so I was able to choose a bank that would work at both places.</p>
<p>But there were definitely times when I needed to get out cash. Splitting pizza with friends, paying for tickets to concerts/plays, and other things all required cash and living within walking distance of multiple ATMs was very helpful.</p>