princessbubblegumandjustice:

badsjw:

If you’re in high school and you’re looking to go off to college, you’ve probably been scared to death by all the ominous threats of student loans and the exorbitant cost of college. While we’ve all heard about how expensive college is  and the loans you may need to take out to pay for it, we don’t hear enough about measures you can take to lessen the blow or even eliminate it completely. So listen up, here’s some advice.

• You don’t need to go to an expensive college. Community college is affordable, and public colleges can be much less expensive than private colleges if you’re in-state. Remember that college is what you make of it. A star student with a great resume from a school in the middle of nowhere has better chances on the job market than a kid who barely clung on to the minimum for graduation from his top-tier school. Ask yourself if the payoff will be worth going to a school that will put you in debt.
• Scholarships are a thing. Go out and try for every single scholarship that you think is worth it. Keep your grades as high as you can, and colleges might throw some money at you. 
• You can enlist in the military, if that’s something you’d be interested in. There are many ways to go about this that boast some great scholarships and opportunities, which may even mean a full ride.
• Take as many classes as you possibly can at a community college over breaks. You will save a lot of money and get some hard classes out of the way by doing this, and the additional credits might even let you graduate early.
• FILL OUT THE FUCKING FAFSA!
• Look into work-study programs, if available.
• Never, ever, ever buy textbooks. Most bookstores have renting options, and amazon lets you rent most books. If you can get away with it, get an earlier edition, it’ll be cheaper. If you can’t rent, the next best option is to get a used copy. If you can’t get a used copy, buy a new copy and sell it after the class is over. Remember to always check online to see if a book is free or cheap online. If you can, get the book after the first class- sometimes, the class doesn’t really require the book.
• If it’s not too late, take as many AP classes in high school as you can handle. My boyfriend came into his university with 19 credits just from AP classes- that’s an entire semester’s worth.

Good luck!

I’d like to add a few things:

• Review whether your scholarship is renewable or not. Not all are, and many are one-shots.
• Be aware of how your scholarship will be renewed and the conditions for its renewal. You may have to take a certain amount of credits, keep a certain GPA, complete a certain amount of hours of service, take classes toward your major, or remain in the same major.
• Most universities frontload scholarships. The later you attend, the less opportunities there are available. Transfer students are usually also given less than freshmen.

• Be aware that scholarships may not be adjusted over the years. If the tuition or expenses go up, there’s a likelihood that your scholarship will not.

• If you are receiving financial aid, make sure to ask if getting a job will affect future eligibility. I know of a few instances in which people acquired a job to pay the difference, but then lost part of their financial aid for the following year.
• AP classes are not a guarantee, and are completely dependent on your school of choice. While your community college will most likely accept them, there are four-year universities that may not. There are also schools that take them, but not in the way you think. They may: count them as a class but not as transferable credits, do not allow them to be transferred as credits toward core curriculum, do not allow them to be transferred as credits toward your major, or only count them as extracurricular. 
• If you are enrolled at a four-year university and want to take courses over the summer at a community college, make sure you confirm that the credits will transfer with your school’s advising. They may not accept credits from other schools while you are enrolled. This just happened a few weeks ago to my friend. If they do, it might only be certain courses.
• Be aware of any associations between two-year community colleges and four-year universities. For example, the community college of my county is directly associated with the biggest state university. Many classes, close to all of them, transfer since the material is identical. However, the community college a county over has less eligible classes.
• Always look at ads on campus about buying or renting books from fellow students if your school has a history of making custom books to combat people buying and renting books off campus.