Two Years at Community CollegeNew college students should consider spending two years at a community college even if he/she has good grades and test scores. Check your local college, quite often, core requirements are transferable and much cheaper to obtain.
Fastweb.com - College Scholarship OpportunitiesIf you have a high school senior in your household, check out http://www.fastweb.com for lots and lots of scholarship opportunities. Many require writing an essay -- if your son or daughter is good at creative writing, they will have an edge!
Decorating Tips for College StudentsBeing a college student for the past couple of years, I've had to figure out ways to decorate my apartments I've lived in to not only represent my style, but do it cheaply. And the answer is very clear, especially for those living in college towns: dumpsters.
Sunshine Box for CollegeWhen my daughter was away from home for the first time and living with a total stranger roomy. I took a page from my Amish friends and made them each a "Sunshine Box." Whenever an Amish person is ill or down about something, the community and family make a Sunshine Box.
Study Smart by Drawing Colorful PicturesStudying can be boring. After reading an entire chapter of text, can you remember the facts presented in the chapter? How much of what you read can you actually understand and apply during the tests or exams?
Inexpensive Higher EducationOur state allows older citizens to attend higher education for $l0 a semester. This allows them to take classes to help with hobbies, learn new skills, etc. It saves a bundle. They audit the class but who cares when learning how to use software or increase hobby skills.
College Student Care PackagesCare packages are always welcomed by college students, but they are expensive to ship. Instead, I recommend trying gift cards or money. Then the student can get whatever he or she needs or wants. Also, Wal-Mart has a reloadable shopping card now that a parent can put money on.
Assassin GameWhen I was in college, we played a fun game called Assassin. The purpose of assassin is to shoot your named target with a toy gun. When you "killed" them you then picked up their target.
Get Local Scholarships for CollegeLook to local sources when applying for scholarships. You are much more likely to get a scholarship from the school's PTA than you are to get the scholarships given by giants like Coca-Cola and Calgon. It's all a numbers game. National scholarship searches will have hundreds more applicants than local organizations.
Seek Out Jobs that Pay Your College TuitionIf you need a job to help pay for school, why not look for one that will also pay part of your tuition? National companies that supplement wages with tuition money include UPS, FedEx, and Home Depot.
Tips for Studying a Foreign LanguageIf you will be majoring or minoring in a foreign language you may find it beneficial to check your essays in a version of Microsoft Word that is capable of editing in the chosen language.
Study as You WishYou will hear from lots of people that the best way to study is in a quiet comfortable location free of distractions. While that works for many people, it doesn't work for everyone. I had a roommate that couldn't stand any sort of distraction when studying. I on the other hand cannot stand the quiet.
Doing Laundry at CollegeHopefully you have found yourself at a school that offers free laundry facilities. If so, do laundry all the time and be proud that you are saving hundreds of dollars annually in washing and drying costs. If you live off campus, bus the laundry in and do it for free.
Become a Resident AssistantIf you're looking for ways to save money at school, why not become a resident assistant? RAs are generally given free room and board in exchange for planning programs for other residents on their floor, helping solve any problems, and just being someone their residents can talk to.
Avoid the Standard Meal Plan at CollegeUnless you are an athlete that must eat copious amounts of food to maintain weight, muscle, and stamina, the standard meal plan is not advisable.
Easy Ways to Get a Little Cash at CollegeIf you are in need of a little extra cash fast try these simple tips.
Collect pop cans and return them for deposit. Looking for an easier way to get some cash? Donate plasma. Take part in a psychological experiment.
Don't Shop During the 1st Week of CollegeMove in with the items you will need. Do not plan to head to your local mall to pick up sheets, towels, etc. when you move in and by all means avoid the grocery store. Plan to eat everything on campus for a week, or bring groceries from home.
Check Out Textbooks From The Library!I graduated from college not that many years ago, and picked up a few tips during my years at my university! One of the things I wished I had started doing right away was borrowing textbooks from the campus library . . .
Credit Cards and New College StudentsCredit card companies fall over themselves to offer credit to new college students. If you have a child heading off to college, be sure to warn them about this because they can quickly amass high interest credit card debt that could haunt them, and you, for years to come.
Apply for Financial Aid EarlyIf you are a loved one is going to college this fall, apply for financial aid as early as possible. The amount of aid you get is based on your need level, fund availability, and the date your application process is completed. It pays to be on top of it.
College Survival KitThis is an idea for a going away gift for anyone going to college. My neighbors daughter is leaving for college and I wanted to give her something special to take with her. I found a very nice small vintage looking suitcase at an estate sale.
Saving Money on TextbooksTips and ideas for saving money on textbooks. Consider not buying the book until you've been to the first session of the class. Sometimes you find out that the professor plans to use the book very little, or not at all.
Warm Up Your Brain With Sudoku Before StudyingI accidentally discovered that if I 'warm up' my brain by doing 1 or 2 sudoku puzzles before studying math, the lesson seems easier and sticks in my brain better.
Organize College Subjects In Separate DrawersA helpful hint to help a college student keep from getting buried: get a 5 drawer rolling file cabinet. One drawer per subject; easy get at and keeps subjects separated.
Buying Textbooks OnlineMy Son is going to college and we are on a tight budget. We found a site that has used books that are cheap.
Buy Individual Chapters Of Your TextbookI am currently attending college and found that the teachers will usually give reading assignments from just a few chapters of the expensive textbooks; however, they are usually known ahead of time when the teacher hands out the syllabus.
Tips for Parents Sending Kids to CollegeA few tips as your student goes away to college. Send an umbrella. They may never have used one in high school, but they will to walk all the way across campus in a downpour.
Get Dishes That Fit Your MicrowaveI bought my nephew a microwave to take to college with him. At the store I gathered up some plates, cups and bowls of varying sizes to be sure they fit in the microwave. No need to return the microwave for a different size.
Sending Coupons To College StudentMy daughter is away at college and she loves to get mail. Whenever I send her a card I like to enclose a little surprise, something that will fit inside a card like a bookmark, flat decorative magnet, stickers, shampoo samples, etc.
Dorm Room NecessitiesSending our oldest away to college was going to be difficult enough as she selected a college 4.5 hours away. In order to provide some basic DORM ROOM necessities, I began collecting items last September to present to her upon graduation from High school.
Tips for College FairsVisiting a big college fair is a great way to get a little face-to-face information. I realized, though, that my kids were spending a lot of their time filling out send-me-more-info forms, which reduced the time they had for asking questions and getting a feel for each school.
Life Lessons Graduation Gift IdeaUpdated: Our 17 year old daughter, Kara, is graduating from high school in a few months. I wanted to present her with a gift that will have meaning long after she moves into the dorm.
Get Up Early to do College HomeworkI started college the same time my youngest entered K-5. I was having trouble juggling my homework with housework and family obligations. I found that if I took care of my family obligations and did not touch my school work until early morning things went smoother.
Finding Secondhand TextbooksIf you're looking for second-hand textbooks, check out second-hand book stores and library book sales (I've found brand new textbooks for as little as fifty cents at these sales). You can ask former students and teachers if they're getting rid of their old books.
Birthday Box for CollegeOur older daughter recently went away to college for the first time, and will not be home until after her birthday to celebrate. So her 18th birthday will not pass by unnoticed while she is at school, I put together a birthday in a box that can be used by her suite mates help her celebrate!
Saving Money on College BooksOne of the worst "visible" expenses I had to deal with at college was books and supplies. If you're a freshman, you will be knocked directly on your butt at the cost of a semester's worth of "educational materials."
Sell Textbooks OnlineIf you have college textbooks that the store you bought them from won't take them back, because they aren't going to use them anymore, check online. They were no longer using my husband's math book, so I went online and found a place that would pay me $14 for the book.
Study Tip: Rewrite Lecture NotesHere's what I found helpful when I was in college. The notes I took during lecture were usually messy, and could be hard to read and study from. Therefore, I would rewrite my lecture notes.
Work at Library for Scholastic KnowledgeThe thing that really gave me extra knowledge in the classes I was taking in college, was working in the library-books/periodicals. You just pick up on so much stuff by working there that you otherwise wouldn't know about.
Power Outage Survival Kit for College StudentMy niece is about to leave for college. In addition to the normal stuff a college bound student requires, I prepared a mini "college survival" kit, all packed within a small tupperware like container
College Scholarship TipsMay is coming soon. Some schools are very good at helping kids look for scholarships; others are not. Often times home schoolers and adults need guidance for scholarships as well.
Saving Money For CollegeI suggest buying savings bonds for an easy way to double your money. I also suggest either saving all your spare change or just a specific coin of your choosing. We saved coins for one year and just put $651.62 in the bank.
Saving Money on College TextbooksWhen going back to college after years, I discovered the college bookstore is a big rip-off. If you go online, like Amazon, amongst others, you can get brand new editions, sometimes called international versions, (same exact book, just looks different on the outside) for a fraction of the price.
Check Into Employer Tuition Assistance ProgramsAny national business may have a program that helps with higher education. The trick is to ask when you are interviewed for the job or talk to some of the employees before applying.
Encourage Students To Be Frugal In CollegeSome of my daughters' friends ran up huge debts at university. Their parents had said "We will pay your college bills". This sounds practical, but the students had carelessly charged everything to their college accounts, thinking that it did not matter, parents would pay.
Online Textbook Trade-in TipsDo you ever plan on using Amazon's trade-in program to get rid of old textbooks. Before you send in a book, cancel your trade-in submission and wait a couple of days to see if they will raise the price. I did this recently and the company added $8.00 to the trade-in value.
