For many college students out there, summer is a time to find a job and reconnect with old friends from back home. I used my summer vacations during college to work at a factory so that I could have money for books and other expenses for the upcoming year (as well as to pay off some credit card debt I amassed). But for some students, taking classes over the summer may be the ideal solution to your situation. I know, taking more classes doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun, but there are some advantages to it.… Continue Reading
Category Archives: College Finance
How I Survived College Financially
If you’ve read my post last week, then you know that I got into some credit card debt while in college. While I talked about working a summer job, I didn’t go into detail about the other ways I earned income throughout college. I thought that writing this might give some others that are in college (or even recent grads looking to earn a few extra dollars) a couple of ideas or at least start the creative thinking process begin.… Continue Reading
What I Learned About Credit Cards in College
When I went away to college, all I had was a checking account and a savings account at the local bank. In fact, I just opened my checking account about two years earlier. When I arrived at college, I was not overwhelmed with credit card offers, but did receive a few. That fall, I opened my first credit card. I was granted a credit limit of $500.… Continue Reading
Save Money By Going to School
This post isn’t about how you save money in college. Rather it’s about how you can use colleges and schools to get big discounts on some pricey services. You might now be thinking that I am going to talk about how my alma mater has a deal with AAA or something to save me some cash. Wrong again. I am simply talking about volunteering yourself or your possessions for the benefit of tomorrow’s leaders (and a fatter wallet for you)!… Continue Reading
Should You Start Your Own Business When You Graduate?
Let’s face it, the economy still stinks. In general, unemployment still sits at close to 8%. For those with bachelors degrees, the unemployment rate is lower, currently hovering around 4%, but this doesn’t include all those recent graduates who are working in low paying retail jobs instead of in their field of study. As a result, you might want to seriously consider starting your own business when you graduate.… Continue Reading
3 Possible Issues When Moving Back Home After College
With a still shaky economy and loads of student loan debt, more and more college grads are moving back home after college. While on the surface this may appear like an easy transition, there are actually many potential issues you could face. Before moving back home, or at least within the first few days of doing so, be sure to address the following three issues.… Continue Reading
Surviving Spring Break Financially
With most college student’s enjoying Spring Break in the next few weeks, I thought it would be a good time to offer some financial advice on the topic. I don’t plan on ruining your fun if you are headed somewhere warm for the week, but from my personal experience, Spring Break is a ton of fun. And with all of this excessive fun, many of us get caught up in the moment and don’t think about the consequences of our actions until it is too late. I am here to explain to you two consequences now, hoping you will think twice before going too far.… Continue Reading
Four Ways to Cut College Costs
I previously wrote in a post about how expensive college is. As a parent, trying to fund your child’s education while also funding your own retirement along with dealing with your current living expenses can become overwhelming. Most times, something has to give and that something is the child’s education account. The result of this is the child taking out student loans to pay for college and then being saddled with the repayment of those loans for decades after graduation. But there are some ways you can cut the cost of college. Below I list four such ways.… Continue Reading
Five Financial Aid Mistakes to Avoid
Applying to college and then trying figure out which college you are going to attend should be the hard part of starting your college career. But many make the mistake of letting financial aid be the hardest part. The world of financial aid is a big one and at times has some complexities to it. Below are five common financial aid mistakes to avoid. Doing so will allow you to take some of the stress out of paying for college.… Continue Reading
Common Misconception About Financial Aid
I’m going to tell you something that you don’t know: college is expensive. OK you know this already. The average cost of a year of education at a private college has cleared $30,000. Multiply that by a four year degree and we get to $120,000. Let’s not even calculate what happens if you stay in school for another year or two. Public universities are better price wise, averaging roughly $15,000 annually. That’s $60,000 for four years of education. This is more manageable, but is still a hefty sum of money. When it comes to college financial aid, everyone, and I mean everyone should apply. You might be thinking that you have too much money saved and therefore will be declined by the college for receiving aid so why bother. This is a common misconception and I hope to dispel it. So, here is hoping the following is something you don’t know.… Continue Reading
