During orientation, you get to sit for another quick picture that you get to see every day for the next four years.

The picture is for your i-card, a credit card size piece of plastic that you basically can’t live without while you’re on campus.

If you live in the dorms and have a meal plan, you need your i-card to get in to the dorm building and to access your meal plan account for breakfast, lunch or dinner. After some exams, professors make you show your ID before leaving the room or lecture hall. Your student number, or UIN, is on your i-card. The number is used for everything, and there is a good chance that within the first semester you’ll have the number memorized.

TCF bank allows students to connect a debit account to i-cards. Most of you probably already have a credit card or debit card before coming to campus, but having an on-campus bank can have its benefits. If you get a check, you can deposit it and not have to wait until you get home.