I’m talking about your social security number.
It’s a very important number to know if you are an American student leaving home for college. If you want to go to the doctor or need to go to the ER, chances are, you are going to be asked for your number. It’s a good idea to memorize it before you leave home.
Passport. Do you have one? Do you know where it is? Start talking to mom and dad about where they keep your imporant documents. If you want to be treated like an adult, start acting like one. Know your information.
If you are an international student and may have an address in the states where you want your mail sent, including bills, know the address by heart!
Are your forms all filled out? Are you sure? If you own your own car, where are the documents for it? Have copies of all your important information. Life happens, and you want to be prepared! Show your parents that you know what you are doing, or at least taking charge of your life. Mom and Dad aren’t always going to be around with all the answers when you need them, so it is a good idea to sit them down and ask them questions.
Where do they want you go to in case of a hurricane? What is your health insurance company? If your car breaks down on the side of the road, does your car insurance cover the tow to the shop? How far do they tow?
Then the big stuff for college students! Where’s the money coming from! How much money are your parents willing to give you each month or week to spend. Think about things you will have to spend money on each month like clothes, special food, bills, gas for your car, dues for greek life, etc. Growing up and being on your own means having to keep track of all your money.
Just a few things to think about. Talk to your parents before you leave college!
August 5th, 2008 at 10:19 am
A great post. As an international student from South Africa, it takes time to get funds from my South African bank into the US, as we, like many other countries, have something called exchange control (basically, you can’t just take money out the country).
This has caused a problem throughout my school career, and very often I have to return to my home country in order to go to the bank personally and sign documents. The best thing to do in this sort of scenario, is have your parents draw up an official document stating that they give you authorization over the account. If you are under 24 years of age, you need your parents’ signatures for all financial matters… which can deem a problem if your parents are thousands of miles away!
So, think ahead, get several copies of that letter, and ensure you purchase a scanner! Thats exactly how my parents and I send documents back and forth!