This has all been very helpful! Today I picked up the Kyptonite kyrptolok series 2 U-lock and it comes with a 4 foot cable so I will use the U-lock to lock up the frame, rear wheel, and rack, and then I can use the cable to keep the front wheel secured to the frame and lock. This is nice since I can register my keys and I might even sign up for the theft protection deal they offer since it's only $10.

On campus we have several areas where there are covered racks, but honestly we don't have a ton. I know a lot of people have really been pushing to get better racks that have covers to protect from elements so hopefully they actually jump on that. I plan on getting to campus pretty early in the mornings to snag the good bike spots before everyone else gets there. I wont worry about my seat for now. I'm nut sure why anyone would want to steal it since it's just a stock part that isn't particularly special. And if someone does take it for some reason I will just have a better excuse to upgrade the saddle.

I like using the ends of the racks too! We have a bunch of racks that are the style requiring you to lift the bike's font wheel up and over the rack and I find that it's just a pain and it ends up in a bunch of bikes that are all tangled up together. Parking a bike on campus is surprisingly difficult but parking a car is even harder and it's really expensive! So I guess it is worth it in the end