[tempus vernum]

Originally Posted by charla

Tuition, room and board (dorm and food plan), parking permit, all other fees charged by the college (which for our son is about the same amount as tuition), snacks, dorm supplies (bedding, towels, fridge, microwave, dishes, paper goods, bath/toiletries, cleaning supplies, decorative things/storage solutions), cell phone and plan, internet if not included in room and board, laptop, software, printer, books/computer subscriptions, school supplies, etc. One of the things that surprised us is that depending on the major there can be ongoing supply fees. Ds is an architect major and has to buy all of his tools and supplies to build his models out of his own pocket in addition to the tuition and fees charged by the university.

Disclaimer— my dd has taken all this upon herself and so she’s done 95% of the everything without us but she’s shared w me


My dd lives at home for college so I cannot speak to that part .. but the bolded part of charlas post definitely took her by surprise and semester 1 cost her a lot of extra money. Something we now know for her school is NOT to buy books in advance. After buying booksim advance, one ofdd’sclasses in fall required an online subscription that included a free copy of the book. They didn’t inform her of that until she walked in the door... but she learned her lesson.

Also think about little things that make life easier. Maybe it’s just cuz she’s a working commuter but she got special “college” stuff no one else uses. a good blender bottle for on the go smoothies, a decent travel coffee cup and water bottle. A good backpack. Extension cord for her laptop at the library