The Daily Tip Jar

The day after a child is born, the thought of how to pay their way through college begins to creep in. Every year the idea slowly turns into stress. College is a significant investment, but there are ways to help cut that price tag down.

Start Community

Those coming right out of High School don’t always have the life experience to know what they want to do with the rest of their life. Jumping right into a degree program at a University and realizing it wasn’t for you will cost you more. Start at a community college to get a feel for what you genuinely want to do. These first two years will cost you less and let you dip your toes in.

Stay in State

Out of state tuition is a killer. Unless you have a particular degree that you can’t avoid leaving, stay close by. Most colleges offer similar degrees. Why spend more when you do not have to? You will also have the advantage of already knowing the area. Being able to remain close to home will save you more in the long run.

College Student

Scholarships

Start the search for scholarships early. There are so many out there to be had. Apply for as many as you possibly can. Fastweb is a site dedicated to helping students get all the help that they need. Scholarships, Internships, and student deals are just there waiting for you the find. Every little bit helps bring the prices down. 

Buy Used

When possible, buy or rent your book used. The textbook will remain the same for a few years. There is no need to pay the full price. There are many sites out there to use instead of paying the high price tag at the school book store. eCampus.com is one to test out. Another option is to ask the Professor if they will allow you to use an earlier edition. The previous edition with be cheaper, and have almost the same information. 

Live at Home

A significant advantage of attending a college close to home is living at home. The cost of living on campus and feeding a college student can be just as much as the tuition. If there is the opportunity to remain at home,  take it. Any inconvenience of staying home could be made up by saving thousands of dollars a year.

Work

College is a job, but finding one that makes money is needed. Especially in the first years, there is time to spare. Finding a job that is flexible with a changing class schedule is required. Jobs that allow you to make your schedules like Uber and Wag. Any work from home opportunity is an excellent option for college students. Look into working on campus. Those jobs are used to working around a school schedule.

College is a massive investment, and you don’t want to be paying it off the rest of your life.

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