The OFFICIAL Unofficial Achewood Message Board
Trivial Pursuits => Sports & Leisure => Topic started by: theinevitable on August 11, 2006, 04:12:03 pm
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so, I am moving someplace where it gets colder than 20F. I have not lived someplace like that in a while. I need a good quality jacket-- better than the awesomely stylish jacket I have now, which is essentially 1 layer of canvas-style material. However, I have a deep aversion to the "Gore-Tex" and "Simulo-Flex" and "Pseudo-Pyrotex" crap which is all over jackets nowadays. I want a basic cloth-ish jacket which will not make me look like some Skiing Asshole. I am basically like Pat about this. My Mom has informed me that I will not be able to find a jacket of this description which is warm enough. In your opinion, is this true? I plan on wearing many layers, obviously. And utilizing the tiniest amount of southern accent which Bi-Lo has allowed me to perfect (ie: when talking about how damn cold it is.)
Am I being a dick about this? Part of the problem is that my parents are being all "goddamnit, why do you want to pretend you can't afford a nice jacket?" They do not understand my deep hatred of the "North Face" brand, which is what they have offered me.
What i really want is a surplus army jacket. but I realize that my parents have a point when they tell me that that is probably not very warm at all.
so, do you have a jacket which is nice? do you have a suggestion? should I give up and buy some kind of snow-FX whatevershedoozy jacket?
secondary question: are there any non-obvious things which you find it is necessary to have when packing for the College Experience? Right now my checklist is down to: buy ethernet cable, buy the aforementioned jacket, and getting my iPod fixed.
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Army Surplus Navy Peacoats are warm as hell and that's basically one of the coats I use here in the winter. They're wool.
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I really love that that is the exact jacket which I saw and wanted. And you live in the exact place I am moving to.
my favorite moment:
mom: "daniel, it's OK, I understand... you want to see what the other kids are wearing when you get there, so you'll fit in."
my brother: "mum... this is my brother, Daniel. have you two met before?"
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Army Surplus Navy Peacoats are warm as hell and that's basically one of the coats I use here in the winter. They're wool.
Wouldn't that be a Navy surplus peacoat?
Anyway... last August I found a leather or leather-like jacket with very nice polarfleece insulation for about $60 at a department store on sale. Though I dislike people who wear polarfleece in public, this is just a liner and therefore does not have an ego projection power. It is quite warm, and does not make me look like someone who can say "The powder is fresh" without giggling helplessly.
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I have a thick leather jacket with a nice lining that is so warm I sweat in it if I button it up in the dead of winter.
I highly recommend animal hide jackets.
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Wouldn't that be a Navy surplus peacoat?
Man my head hurts today, let's not squabble over miscellany you pedant. :P
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When I was reading your needs, I too will have to go with the peacoat.
They're usually a 3/4s style coat. They come in a nice drab blue. Like Q said, they're wool. You can get soaked with water, and it will still retain its insulating properties.
Plus, you run the chance of looking like this fellow. A dapper fellow indeed.
(http://raindog.net/ljimages/thisguy.jpg)
edit: oh man, so many posts while finding and creating a picture of Wayne in a p-coat.
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Am I being a dick about this? Part of the problem is that my parents are being all "goddamnit, why do you want to pretend you can't afford a nice jacket?" They do not understand my deep hatred of the "North Face" brand, which is what they have offered me.
I hated North Face too, until I moved to Massachusetts. The waterproof down-lined coat I have from them is so warm that it occasionally makes me perspire ever so slightly on winter days that are not below 10ºF. And since I'm planning on studying in Russia, it is perfect for me.
However, you will be in St. Louis, and do not need something that warm, so your aversion is understandable.
EDIT: Proof (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nohobotic/212588467/) that you don't have to look like an asshole in a North Face jacket.
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secondary question: are there any non-obvious things which you find it is necessary to have when packing for the College Experience? Right now my checklist is down to: buy ethernet cable, buy the aforementioned jacket, and getting my iPod fixed.
A small toolkit and/or Leatherman. Nobody realizes how often they need a screwdriver until there are none to be found.
Coax. You probably already arranged for the cable TV in the room to be turned on when you get there but they don't supply the cable. My first couple of nights at college I was the most popular guy in the building because nobody else thought to bring this.
Depending on the climate duck boots are totally useless or indespensable. At my school everybody had a pair because it rained a lot.
Insulated coffee mug with a carabiner handles were popular and convenient in my day.
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Do you have a cell phone? You'll need a cell phone. You'll also need to turn it off while you're in class.
You can get a prepaid deal for pretty cheap. If you put $100 into a T-Mobile prepaid phone the minutes don't expire for a whole year.
I found a PDA really helped with keeping track of classes and schedules and things. I didn't have one until my last semester of college, though, and it was like, the very first Palm Pilot.
Otherwise I'd just recommend you bring the things that you use often while at home, and maybe some things you don't use often at home, like condoms and lube and stuff for when your roommate is feeling frisky.
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Here's my winter coat. (http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?page=adirondack-barn-coat&categoryId=34796&storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&parentCategory=3523&cat4=6348&shop_method=pp&feat=3523-tn)
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Hobot-- see, I'm not a small and adorable girl, so it's different for me.
Yes, Wayne looks great in that coat. I'm sold.
Yes, I have a cellphone. I am debating whether to change it to a St Louis number or not.
I am not planning on having a TV. There is a TV on my floor, I think. All I use TVs for is watching movies, and I have a DVD drive on my laptop.
I bought some nice boots. They are fun and very comfortable. and warm.
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you're moving to St. Louis and worried about the cold? Oh my, don't stress and a peacoat will work just fine.....from the way it sounded I thought you were moving to Northern Minnesota or something!! :)
I lived most of my life in STL and survived with no real winter coat for years just layered hoodies and jean jackets, etc.......not that I don't reccommend having a coat, but a peacoat or a nice Land's End down coat will do you well......
I actually hadn't owned a proper winter coat until I moved to Chicago, and yes....I needed it. It is significantly colder here. Damn lake. ;)
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Remember, when buying an ethernet cable, buy the longest fucker you can find. Like, buy a comedically long ethernet cable. If your dorm experience is anything like mine, the ethernet connection will inevitably be somewhere totally nonintuitive, as far as possible from your desk as humanly possible, and you will relish every foot of your novelty mega-cable as soon as you realize how much more freedom it gives you.
Also, get a lot of the basic necessities -- tape, glue, scissors, sticky notes, pens... After a certain amount of time at college, nobody has these anymore, and being the guy on the hall who has Scotch tape or stamps will make you a tiny god.
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If you want to be a real geek god (See what I did there?), buy a modular crimping tool and a large bulk ethernet cable. They are usually available at home stores. It is not that hard to learn how to make your own ethernet cables, and being able to supply them cut to order might be a good thing. At any rate I found a 100m bulk cable + tool cost exactly the same as a 10m pre-made cable at CompUSA.
You will want to have a trash can or two. If you have room a thing that you can sit on and also store things in will come in handy, but you probably won't have room for such a device. Do you have a rain mitigation device/garment? You will probably want a few toys of the type that everyone will want to pick up and play with, such as a rubik's cube or Al Roker.
All in all, you will wind up taking more stuff up there than you need, and leaving behind something vital. This is the way of dorm rooms. Do not be afraid to cull, but do not be overzealous!
Roomates often stink. Take something to help mitigate that. You won't be allowed to have scented candles, but air fresheners and Febreze will help. Febreze is not a substitute for a shower, and neither is aftershave. Teach this to everyone you know.
If you haven't chosen classes yet, it's vital that you keep each day as similar as possible. Try not to have more than a one hour difference in start times through the week. The only classes I was consistently late to were the ones that started three hours or more before the classes on alternate days did.
Learn to handle your drink, should you decide to partake. Vomiting is not a good thing, especially in a dorm room or on clothes that you can not wash immediately.
I should shut up now. I feel like Jor-El or something.
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If you haven't chosen classes yet, it's vital that you keep each day as similar as possible. Try not to have more than a one hour difference in start times through the week. The only classes I was consistently late to were the ones that started three hours or more before the classes on alternate days did.
This advice is the goddamn gospel truth. It will seem like a real thrill if you manage to schedule yourself very light or nonexistent class loads on days within the week -- "awesome! No getting up before lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays!" -- but it will fuck up your circadian rhythms something awful and make the days on which you do have early classes suck much worse.
In general, don't be afraid of 9 AM courses or modifying your schedule to fit them. Really, you'll live. Just remember to sleep; even an hour or two more a night will make a difference.
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Just remember to sleep; even an hour or two more a night will make a difference.
YES. If there was one thing I wished I could have convinced my students of, it was this.
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YES. If there was one thing I wished I could have convinced my students of, it was this.
The worst part about this is that, even if you know intellectually that more sleep is good, there will always be some fucker you know in college who doesn't need it. Thanks to a resilient circadian cycle or immense fortitude or some blessing of the gods, he'll never appear to be getting more than four hours a night (if that), and yet he'll still pull all-nighters all the time and do everything with flying colors. He inevitably makes it look easy. The only thing to keep in mind here: it is not easy. Most people are not that guy. You could not do what that guy does, no matter what you think, and for the love of God do not exhaust yourself trying. Get the sleep you need.
Also, be careful about what you eat. Everyone has disdain for dining halls, but they will provide you with a rhythm for your day -- lunch at X time, dinner at Y -- that makes life a lot easier. Don't eat random crap, and don't eat random crap at random times. This is where the "freshman fifteen" comes from. (Well, that and beer.)
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I only slept 3-4 hours a night in college - I was one of those fuckers that everyone else hated because I seemed to never sleep.
Actually, I had continued my hardly ever sleeping thing up until recently.
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I tended to sleep between 3 and 5 hours a night during the week and catch up on the weekends, sleeping until 3 or 5 p.m.
Do you have a tape/digital recorder? The two best study guides, better than textbooks even, I ever had were my recordings of class lectures. (Listen to them after class and type notes, then amalgamate w/ notes you took in class. You will miss things, and this catches you up.) and the resultant notebooks. (To study, retype your notes into a new document and organize as you go, looking up what you don't understand. Trust me, it works.) If you want to graduate, study. If you don't give a fuck, don't bother going to college.
Also: don't use your credit card unless you want The Bad Men to come and take away your future. I know this sounds like a Mom&DadTM threat, but I used my credit card and I'm still catching up to the mistakes I made.
Finally, you'll want a lockable box- not like a fire safe, necessarily, but something to keep various private items away from an unwanted audience. (Cash, medicine, porn/toys, etc. Don't look at me like that, you know it's true.)
PS: Avoid LSD at all costs. At least if you have anything at all to do the next day.
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PS: Avoid LSD at all costs. At least if you have anything at all to do the next day.
In fact, why don't you send all the LSD you run across to me. It'll effectively remove the temptation.
Another suggestion if you haven't registered yet.
Don't kill yourself the first semester. Ease into the college classwork. I was overly arrogant as a freshman and took an extremely difficult schedule my first semester. It bit me in the ass, hard. It's not a reflection on your academic abilities, it's just wise and/or shrewd. You're making a huge life adjustment to a new social and academic atmosphere. There's plenty of time to take everything you'll need. You will be far better served by taking an easier schedule and getting your feet under you than by trying to prove your scholastic studliness your first semester.
Good luck. Maybe you'll get one of my old dorm rooms.
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Forgot to mention: never put ice in a glass bong.
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Augy-- I am in a new(er) dorm, meaning it was built some time in the late 90's. My roommate is kind of a dork, but oh well. He seems nice enough. Everyone else, yes. I have taken note of your notes. I leave in 10 days.... yeesh.
I signed up for a "freshman program" which means like half of my classes are chosen for me... but I will use at least 1 or 2 of the other openings to take things which are fun (for me, at least) like Linguistics or Latin or music.
my "first year program" is Memory in Mind and Culture
I looked up the program, and apparently all it really means is that I take 2 psych classes this year, and 1 next year. It'll be cool.
and yes, I am terrified of credit cards. I have a small amount of cash from my parents each month, and about 500$ in the bank that I've saved up. I have the exact amount written down on a small ledger-type pad which fits in my wallet. Luckily I get a free metro card, and can't bring a car, so transportation costs aren't an issue. The dining hall food seems acceptable... at least, much better than the food at my high school was.
also, at this point I have realized that I need huge amounts of sleep to function. Blegh.
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Forgot to mention: never put ice in a glass bong.
Avoid glass bongs in general. The plastic ones are just as good. Or poke around the internet and learn how to make a gravity bong.
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and yes, I am terrified of credit cards. I have a small amount of cash from my parents each month, and about 500$ in the bank that I've saved up. I have the exact amount written down on a small ledger-type pad which fits in my wallet. Luckily I get a free metro card, and can't bring a car, so transportation costs aren't an issue. The dining hall food seems acceptable... at least, much better than the food at my high school was.
also, at this point I have realized that I need huge amounts of sleep to function. Blegh.
I managed to get sleep in college and enough buck-wild time to write more than a few pulp novels. ALSO... avoid credit cards like the devil. I ran up so much debt on mine that I had to declare bankruptcy, and now NOBODY will give me the time of day, let alone a credit card that allows me to rack up free Alaska Airlines miles. Sad.
The credit card debacle was made that much worse because I have basically no impulse control, and a very limited ability to even imagine "delayed gratification." I am shocked that they continued to extend credit to me as I snowballed into Debtor's Hell. Do yourself a favor, learn how to stick to a budget. You'll thank me when you're my age and wanting to buy a house. I want to buy a house, but nobody will lend me a thin dime for the mortgage.
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Or poke around the internet and learn how to make a gravity bong.
Quick instructions: Trash can, fill with water. 2-liter bottle, cut off the bottom. Socks, wear some you don't care about. Cut middle of bottle lid out (x-acto blade?), replace with screen or foil w/ holes poked through. Sink all but lid of bottle into water. Load w/ tobacco, light afire. Raise slowly to keep alight and fill bottle w/ smoke. Unscrew lid, replace w/ mouth, and inhale while re-sinking bottle. Have someone else reload while you hold onto your socks, because if you don't they'll be blown right the fuck *ff.
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Re: credit card. Try 18.5% on a USED CAR LOAN. Thank $deity that car's almost paid off. I'm almost 30, and still over 6 months from buying a house. I should own where I live by now, damnit!
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Quick instructions: Trash can, fill with water. 2-liter bottle, cut off the bottom. Socks, wear some you don't care about. Cut middle of bottle lid out (x-acto blade?), replace with screen or foil w/ holes poked through. Sink all but lid of bottle into water. Load w/ tobacco, light afire. Raise slowly to keep alight and fill bottle w/ smoke. Unscrew lid, replace w/ mouth, and inhale while re-sinking bottle. Have someone else reload while you hold onto your socks, because if you don't they'll be blown right the fuck *ff.
Variations, some of which might make the process easier.
Instead of a trash can, a deep sink (i.e. a kitchen sink) works just fine. We always used a gallon milk jug -- more volume. A screen or foil placed directly onto a plastic lid = toxic meltage. A better choice is the bowl + stem from a bong.
The Gravity Inversion Bong brings to mind another phenomenon. I think it was called scuba diving??? Basically it involved inhaling a hit, holding one's nose then exhaling as if to pop one's eardrums, thus blowing the smoke into the eustachian canals. Said canals are assumably full of mucous membranes and tiny little capillaries, thus providing vast new surfaces for absorbtion of intoxicating substances.
Heh.
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Sounds fun :)
I did say "Quick instructions" - foil, given a couple layers, will usually last long enough for 4-5 hits before melting the plastic around it.
Man, I *love* a nice vanilla tobacco in my gravity bong.
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Yea, my freshman year I really screwed up. I would get stoned and play two square (like 4 square but with your feet) until like 6 am. Then I would wake up (sometimes) for class at 9:30. I got a 2.9 my first semester, and a 2.2 my second. I also took a ridiculous amount of classes. I haven't really changed anything since then, except I ALWAYS go to class, and I pay great attention. Also, your first year is always the one where you take more widely varied classes. These suck, and lots of them are in the morning with no attendence policy. Make sure you go to these. These are also the classes with really lame multiple choice tests, these suck. Since I got into my major, I always become friends with my professors, do great work, and do as many outside of class "activities" as always. I cannot emphasize enough becoming friends with your professors and going to office hours like early in the semester just to talk (if he/she is cool at all). Most of my professors have been former stoners that always are like making jokes about it and what not. For instance, one time I was up in my instructors office where he was going to give me and a few other people a paper of some sort. When he couldn't find it, he said, "In my old life back in California, I would have asked whose holding". After finding the papers in his bag, he made some joke about dealing that I have since forgotten. I have taken three classes with this guy, and always get A's because he enjoys my writing and knows I always do the reading. That is all most professors ask for, just to see you are trying and can procss information. Then again, I am a history major, so I am sure not all are like this. I have made near 4 points each semester since getting into my major. Just remember, it gets easier as you go.
Bongs:
First on all, if you make a gravity bong using a glass bowl from a real bong, a trick is to stick a straw in the bottom of the stem. This way, you can get a gravity bong that actually cools the smoke, and wicked cool bubbles filled with smoke that come up to the surface. A bucket is much preferred in these areas for the base. Glass bongs are indeed overrated, and I generally view them as excessive and just something to show off with. That said, I owned one until the DEA showed up at my house. Bubblers and chilums, on the other hand, are a mans best friend.
Remember, while a hit of kief in the morning makes a man as strong as a 1,000 elephants, many hits make a man lazy, but do not take away his ability to learn. The hardest part about college is not the work, but making yourself do the work. Just do it, and it will be almost as easy as high school, especially once you get into your major and actually care about your classes.
Also, my freshman year, we used to smoke in the bullpen of the baseball field. I know you don't smoke, you may take it up (it's college man), but if you don't you should look for cool places like this that you can just hang in at night with your friends. Every campus/college town has lesser known spots that are fuck*ng awesome to get away from the craziness. Oh, you are going somewhere in St. Louis I remember, never mind that college town bit, but your school will still have some awesome places to chill that aren't like the student union or some lame coffee shop.
One time I took mushrooms the night before a 8:30 class and it sucked. As previously mentioned, keep the psychedelics for the weekends.
Oh yeah, jackets. It gets well below 20 F here, but only for about a month worth of days throughout the year. The wind is the real thing you need to look out for. Personally, I can go to the top of a Mountain in Boulder CO at night during Christmas break wearing:
Long john full body suit (seriously this is really all you need), leg coverings fit for public sight (some call them ******), a long undershirt that goes ontop of the long johns, and a hoody/ button down long sleeve and light soccer warm up jacket that is insulated awesome.
I am all about layers. Get some type of cheap moderate weight jacket made out of rain proof material for rain. Or just buy the bad ass Wayne Coyne jacket.
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I love how this thread has turned into "tell theinevitable how to do drugs successfully."
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Sorry, one more thing. If you are like me, 4 out of 5 of your meals will be cereal. If the milk is possibly bad, do not risk it. Seriously, just let it go.
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Huh. My parents actually made me get a credit card before I went so that I could establish good credit early. As long as you make only 1-2 purchases a month and pay it off in full then you're golden.
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Huh. My parents actually made me get a credit card before I went so that I could establish good credit early. As long as you make only 1-2 purchases a month and pay it off in full then you're golden.
Yeah, same here. Cautious use of a credit card is to your benefit; I have an acquaintance who had a hell of a time renting an apartment after college because he had no credit rating at all, and in many cases that's as suspicious as bad credit. That, and trust me, there will be time when you need to purchase something immediately and don't have the cash on you. Only avoid a credit card if you're a total impulse shopper, but if you're capable of using a credit card carefully and paying it off in full every month, it's a good idea.
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The Gravity Inversion Bong brings to mind another phenomenon. I think it was called scuba diving??? Basically it involved inhaling a hit, holding one's nose then exhaling as if to pop one's eardrums, thus blowing the smoke into the eustachian canals. Said canals are assumably full of mucous membranes and tiny little capillaries, thus providing vast new surfaces for absorbtion of intoxicating substances.
Heh.
Jesus, sounds like a great way to get an ear or sinus infection!
Although a friend (we called him MacGyver due to his awesome building skills) created a hella-cool scuba mask apparatus. My only mistake was opening my eyes in the middle of it. I thought I would die. But it was very, very cool. Someone else had to "operate" the bowl for the mask-wearer. He also created a beautiful vaporizer out of a variable temp soldering iron and some other odds 'n' ends. Whatta guy!
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Although a friend (we called him MacGyver due to his awesome building skills) created a hella-cool scuba mask apparatus. My only mistake was opening my eyes in the middle of it. I thought I would die. But it was very, very cool. Someone else had to "operate" the bowl for the mask-wearer. He also created a beautiful vaporizer out of a variable temp soldering iron and some other odds 'n' ends. Whatta guy!
Let's not forget the high-tech, probably-toxic use of a crushed soda can. Taste those chemical dyes!
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so, Q, did your navy pea-coat cost 130$? I was not sure whether this was a reasonable price, so I told them "I'll come back tommorow."
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Yea, totally get em used and broken in. They're pretty rugged, so used isn't too scary.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-US-NAVY-PEA-P-Coat-Men-38-Short-38S-Peacoat_W0QQitemZ190018477581QQihZ009QQcategoryZ57988QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
or for Pinache...
http://cgi.ebay.com/East-German-Navy-Uniform-Enlisted-P-Coat-Tunic-Jacket_W0QQitemZ300017502006QQihZ020QQcategoryZ135QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I have a East German full length overcoat I wear when the winters get bad enough. It's thick and it lacks lining... but man, it's like hugging the SUN.
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Forgot to mention: never put ice in a glass bong.
I disagree completely. If it's large enough to get ice into the chamber and floating, then nothing can go wrong. If it backs up into the stem, then the stem might eventually get resiny and smell nasty. But other then that, ice that fucker up, I say.
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Ice can crack a glass bong, destroying it for good. I'm all for ice, but only in plastic or porcelain. Snow, though, is the best filter of all.
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WELCOME TO OUR NEW VISITORS FROM THE DEA!
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Yeah, tell your mom not to worry about the peacoat. You can tell her you know a girl in Winnipeg Manitoba Canada that wore one for so many winters that it fell apart. One suggestion, since you haven't bought it yet, remember to try it on with something fairly bulky underneath like a sweater or hoody or something. As long as you can wear layers under the coat if it gets unseasonably cold you should be fine.
Also, I majorly agree with those suggesting you get it used. As far as I'm concerned anything over $75 is highway robbery. There are always tons of peacoats at used clothing places that are in great condition - basically old men who take meticulous care of their clothing, they die, and you win. You'll probably be much more likely to find a good one where you're going to though, so why not wait until you get there? ... other than that your mom has mocked you for wanting to do this to match your peers.
Having worked for Mastercard for several years, I definitly agree with the people suggesting you get a credit card and use it only a small amount and pay it off everytime it comes due. But only, only, do this if you know you will not surrender to temptation. If there is even the slightest chance you are the sort to surrender to tempation, you might want to get the card, but leave it at home with your parents and only use it when you're at home and otherwise financially supported.
Other things you might want in your dorm:
A small fridge. If you have room and are allow to. They make really small ones these days, and it's always nice to be able to keep some fruit and drinks in your room. If you get one with a tiny little freezer compartment, even better.
A signifiantly larger amount of socks and undies than you think you will need. You will be surprised at how rarely you have time for laundry, and depending on the facilities, you may find that the rare time you do find to do laundry is the same time as when everyone else has decided to do their laundry too.
A good set of ear plugs. Seriously. If you can block out the noise of the world, you can study or sleep just about anywhere.
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Haha, you're all so crazy. I can't (and can) wait for college, because it sounds really fun (if not drug-filled blegh). One last year in highschool and it's out to college, just...you know...gotta apply to one first XD.
As far as weatherproof wear goes, I suggest long john's, then normal clothes and a sweatshirt. That seems to work really well for me in Central Minnesota, but if that's not working, try adding a hat to the equation.
Of course, you're already getting the coat, so I just suggest long john's. They haven't failed me yet (in the city). It's awesome to be the only person walking around, and totally warm, laughing at people in cars. Hehe, gas prices.
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Many colleges now offer the option of renting a micro-fridge (a small fridge with a small microwave bolted to the top) that's already in the room when you show up and gets removed after you leave. This was hell of handy for beverages and Easy Mac and the like.
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my roommate has a fridge and a microwave.
I am bringing earplugs.
I have a credit card in my name "for emergencies" which I end up using like once a month. Usually in the circumstance "hey, mum, I left my cash at home. can I use the card and pay you back when I get home?" Will this work, or does it need to be billed to me?
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hm. I might go for this.
the fun part: my dad works for a bank. the credit-card-issuing part. However, the bank he works for does not have branches in St Louis. So, I have already opened an account with their main competitors... do I get a credit card from them now?
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Ash is right, if your mom simply added you on to her account, it will not effect or establish your credit rating.
However, if you have applied for/plan to apply for a student loan or line of credit in your name, you will already be establishing a credit rating through these, and as long as you make your payments, you will be establishing good credit this way, and do not need a credit card, though it will actually help things in the future - the better the credit rating, the more you'll be pre-approved for when you want to buy a house or get a car loan.
You can ask your new bank if they have a student credit card, but it's unlikely, as many banks don't issue student cards. If your first week at school is anything like mine, there will be people there just shoving clipboards into your hands and trying to force you to sign up for their student credit card. You don't have to be a member of a bank to have their student credit card.
Things that are super important to know if you are going to apply for a student credit card:
1) Don't apply for more than one card: every time you apply for a credit card, it negatively effects your credit rating and your available debt ratio. Only apply for one card. If you are declined for one, you will likely be declined for them all.
2) Take your time - if there's more than one card being pushed out there, ask to take the application for each back to the dorm with you, and read them over. The important thing to look for is the lowest interest rate - for student cards the rates are normally really high, and somewhere around 18-19% is fairly normal. Yeah, the person will aggressively want you to sign up right then and there because they make a bonus for each person they sign up, and they'll have some stupid give away that you'll probably want, so you can ask them how long they'll be there that day, if they'll be back again, etc. No matter what, you can mail the app. in on your own later, and it is highly suspect if they don't want you to take some time to look the application over. Make sure the card has no annual fee, one that gives you airmiles or other points you already collect, and go for a Mastercard or Visa - some of the other cards are good, but these two are universally recognized, and this will be useful to you later on if you chose to travel, make purchases online, etc. The absolute best feature a card can offer (for you, not the credit card company) is the option for automatic payments directly transferred from your bank account to pay off the balance in full. This will force you to spend only what you can afford to pay off in full, and completely avoid interest. Fewer and fewer cards are offering this option, so don't be surprised if this isn't an option on the cards you're offered, but if it is, set up the automatic payments as soon as you get the card.
3) Once you're approved for the card, look at the credit limit they've given you really honestly. Student cards often offer limits that are impossible for you to pay back on your own, without mom or dad's help. If you want to be a respectable kid who never, ever has to go to your parents for help to pay off your card, call up the credit card company and have them lower your limit to the lowest amount possible- normally the lowest limit for Mastercard is $500 (it used to be $200, but I'm pretty sure they've increased it across the board). When you lower your limit, they will not be able to increase your limit again for a specific period of time - for the card I worked for it was six months, but ask them - it useful to know if you suddenly need to book a flight or some other big ticket item. Also ask them if the card's limit automatically increases over time, and if so, ask them to turn off this feature - I'm not sure if the law's the same in the US, but in Canada, creditors are legally required to be able to turn this function off. This won't close the door to future limit increases, but it puts you in better controle of your spending, because you'll have to call in and request the increase if you want it.
4) Never ever ever ever ever use your credit card to get a cash advance. Unlike other purchases that only accumulate interest after a month if you don't pay the balance off in full, cash advances accumulate interest on the balance in full from the moment they're taken out until they're paid off in full. Cash advances and balance transfers are how credit card companies make their money, avoid them like the plague.
I could go on and on about good spending behavior. It's pretty dorky, but if you could have seen the impressed expression on our mortgage broker's face when he saw our credit ratings when we bought our first house a year ago, you'd know why it's worth it.
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wow, so, yeah.
they'll have some stupid give away that you'll probably want
was basically my favorite part.
I will take that all into account.
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Yeah, well my sister had no idea that it negitivly effects your credit rating to apply for multiple cards, so everytime she saw some stupid give away for a credit card - "free tupperware if you apply for K-mart card!" "Free bottle of Mastercard water with application!"- she'd apply, not knowing it knocked her rating down a few points everytime.
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If you ever get a late fee, just call up the company and say you never got the last bill. Booyah, late fee gone.
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T.C. 'o' D.P. to Show for awesome credit advice to the young consumer!
Seriously, credit in the states is pretty much legalized indentured servitude. Master your card, lest your card master you.
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When I started college a couple years ago, these credit card offers where all over town. I never filled one out, until someon offered me cigarettes for a credit card. I thought it was a pack and I was real stoned, so I did it, unfortunately, you onle got 3 cigarettes. Oh-- the point of this is, I just used a fake name and address and stuff.
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If you ever get a late fee, just call up the company and say you never got the last bill. Booyah, late fee gone.
Ah, darlink - if only you knew the truth. These things are recorded. It used to be that Mastercard would allow the person you were talking to to wave the magic wand a maximum of once a year and take off the interest, but just as I was leaving they were instating new software features that tracks this activity and only allows customer service to erase the interest once in the life time of the card, followed with a statement where we'd tell the customer something to the effect that they are billed once a month, at exactly the same time every month, and it is there responsibility to pay, paper bill received or not, and that the same information is available 24/7 by calling the call center or viewing one's account on line. And it was basically our job to encourage people to stop using paper bills, because if you never get a paper bill, you can never say you never got it... Back in the day, I was able to credit any account I want to up to $25 without consulting anyone, but this function is going the way of the dinosaur.
Most fun thing ever? People calling in saying "I don't recognize this charge " and me looking up the transaction code and seeing that it's an on-line sex site (very common - watch out for those three day trials that automatically charge you if you don't cancel). "But I don't visit those kind of sites!" "Well, Mame, I see your husband is also on the account. Could I suggest you talk to him about this charge?" Silence. "Is there anything else I can help you with?" Silence "Thank you for calling Mastercard."
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something to the effect that they are billed once a month, at exactly the same time every month,
Unless you have a 0 balance, then they send you nothing. That burned me once. I had a zero balance on a card for like 6 months, then used it for Paypal and never received the bill. Since I'd been billless for months I didn't even notice until the next bill came. It's only happened once so they did end up waiving it but it was still annoying.
Now the only paper bill I get is for cable. Comcast claims I can pay online but keeps asking me for a user name that I don't have and that nobody will give me.