College Budgeting

While most universities do a good job of providing students with a list of costs, don't forget transportation costs. As you plan for college, think about the expense of coming home for holidays, parking costs, gas, etc. There are many additional costs that come with living away from home, so keep this in mind if you plan on travelling cross country or even across the state while at school.

Buying them online is your best bet. There are tons of websites that sell textbooks much cheaper than the college bookstore. This works best if you can get the list of books you need prior to classes starting, or if the professor gives you a week or two to get the books after the first day. Some great websites: www.half.com www.textbooks.com www.amazon.com www.valorebooks.com www.ecampus.com www.a1books.com If you need the book right away, but it Used from the bookstore (first come, first serve!), check Craigslist or your school's student forum, if it has one, to see if any students are selling their books they don't need anymore.

Books, furniture, food, other creature comforts that suit you.

There really aren't any. As long as there are no monthly charges, go for it!!

Keep <$100 in your name as students have NO asset protection allowance and lose 20 cents a year for every dollar they have in their name. Contact book publishers to see if there are any defective textbooks or any overstocks you might get gratis or at a reduced price. Sell your old books & any useless stuff you may have. If you have unused meal tickets, sell them to the highest bidder.

Tutoring, doing odd jobs for others in the dorm, make sure they ask for a Federal Work-Study program when filing the FAFSA, working off campus, chauffeuring students if they have a car, cooking in your room for others & selling meals, doing research for a professor who has a fellowship.

Many colleges assume students have no health coverage and bill accordingly. Be sure to check this on the Bursar's bill. If so, contact them and ask for a waiver card verifying that there is coverage as a dependent on the parent's health plan. If not, you're SOL (Surely Outta Luck)! There are also a host of misc. fees that show up from time to time, so be aware and ask exactly what & why.

Buy used books, trade or tutor other students in lieu of paying for them. Another novel idea is to contact the publisher and ask for a defective or overstocked copy.

It's virtually impossible for students to become expert negotiators - they need professional help.

They can't unless they loan all their money to parents or grandparents. Money in a Custodian Account is an irrevocable gift, and can't be removed by the student until they turn 18, usually after they've entered the financial aid system. There are legal asset repositioning strategies however.

Flexibility is why I recommend a campus-based job. If you are working for the school, your employer will be far more understanding if you need to miss some work for an important exam than a private employer will be. Second is flexibility to do your own work while on the job. Often, if you are working late shifts in the library, you can bring your own work along. Cafeteria jobs tend to pay better, but they often do not have as much flexibility. Finally, working in a department that is related to your academic and career interests gives you the bonus of gaining contacts and a potential strong letter of recommendation.

It’s easy to land a job waiting tables or working at a coffee shop, but then you’re just trading time for money. Instead, get a head start on your career and follow your passion. Consider getting a job in a department at college that is in line with your future plans. Want to be a reporter? Join the campus broadcast station or write for their newspaper or website. Thinking about biomedical engineering? I’m sure faculty could use an extra set of hands in the lab. Seek out these on campus opportunities to save on gas, get some first-hand experience in your career choice and likely secure some great recommendations while you’re at it.

Elsie loves sociology and just got a work-study job helping her SOC 101 professor on a research project. Mike loves helping kids get ready for college and got a campus job working in local high schools and giving tours for the admissions office. Working on campus is ideal as you get to follow passions and build up your resume. You can work your schedule around your class hours. You can work in a coffee shop or a bookstore as well and still get great benefits. Most work study jobs are connected to financial aid but you can exceed the minimum hour requirements.

The most convenient college jobs will be right on your campus.  Having an employer who understands your academic schedule and the primary reason you have come to college is important.  Look for jobs in your academic department that can benefit your eventual degree.  Want a quiet work area?  The campus library works.  Are you a good communicator? Campus tour guides. Good swimmer? Lifeguard at the campus pool. Check out student job postings on your campus website.  You will never get rich with a college job, but it can cover your books and incidentals and keep you out of credit card debt!

In today’s competitive job market, you must prepare for your future after graduation. The good news is that campus career centers are concerned about this goal as well. The even better news is that there are paid internships available to prepare you for your future career. If you need a job to help pay for bills, ask the career center to help you locate paid internships related to your major. By using this strategy, you will kill two birds with one stone: snag a decent paying job and use your job experience to build your resume and your network.

As you are working in college, whether on or off-campus, use the experience as a time to develop your communication skills (i.e. “soft” skills). We communicate a lot more these days through virtual communities, but the value of a face-to-face interaction is still current and relevant. If you are working at the on-campus library as a shelver, for instance, there will be opportunities for you to interact with supervisors, coworkers, and patrons. Leverage your work experience with building those soft skills and it will carry you through your future career.

Passionate pursuits reap intrinsic rewards; sometimes simultaneously, extrinsic rewards are also obtained. Reframing the question, what would you be willing to do, learn, or spend time doing if you were not compensated at all? Now, that is the best job. Some suggestions include developing websites for faculty, tutoring, giving campus tours, learning medical techniques at the hospital/health center, organizing books in the law library, or collecting neuroscience or engineering lab data. These are often offered as work study jobs, though students are sometimes employed through a grant. It has been said, “Do what you love and the money will come.”

Too many students turn up their noses at jobs that seem too menial, despite the fact that they can pay a lot.  Slinging packages on the night shift for UPS can make you tons of money, plus benefits, and even land you some scholarships. Consider working part time for a moving company, or painting houses, or washing windows.  Earn as much cash as possible, and don't fret over the prestige factor.  A job like this will give you valuable insights, earn you surprising amounts of respect, and you'll graduate with much less debt.  And reject the frilly internships that force you to pay tuition to colleges for work experience.  Follow the money.

Whether you are looking for a work-study job or just looking for a part-time position to supplement your college expenses, investigate on-campus options first. From dish washing to secretarial work, admissions tour guide to landscaping, there are student positions in most college offices including athletics, student affairs, maintenance and library. Find the office you are most interested in, send a cover letter and resume and follow up with a request to talk with that office in person before school starts. Campus jobs will allow you to both develop your resume and typically earn more per hour than most off-campus jobs.