As college students across the country are feeling the brunt of our current tough economic times, they and their parents are looking for ways to cut costs and stretch every dollar as far as it can possibly go.
When money is at the forefront of a student's mind, it can increase stress level and decrease the amount of crucial information they retain during class. It's tough to memorize the fundamental basics of any course when you're thinking about how you're going to afford enough gas in your car to get you to class in the first place. Because of this, students are seeking out ways to cut costs of living without having to sacrifice too much of their coveted personal assets.
Below is a short list of things that college students can do in order to help cut costs and maintain a good level of independence and self-worth.
Become A Residential Advisor At Your Facility
Residential advisors are students who live in a dorm while making sure everyone else living in the dorm are following the rules and behaving within the college guidelines. They are the "babysitters" of the dorm.
Since room and board is usually the number one expense for college students, in many cases even exceeding the cost of tuition, becoming a residential advisor can make a huge dent in your college costs. Freshmen usually don't qualify for the position, but sophomores and beyond are usually eligible.
While room and board costs for residential advisors are only reduced in some colleges, at some schools the cost is completely eliminated. If you are interested in applying for a residential advisor position, contact your school right away as the job positions are limited.
Research Your Health Care Insurance Options
In many cases, a parent or guardian's health insurance policy only allows for the maximum coverage for students on their plan. Needless to say, this can become very expensive and can sometimes mean the difference in what school a student is able to attend. Therefore, it should be a priority for the student or parent to research their health insurance options.
Many colleges and universities offer student healthcare plans that are much less expensive, however they usually have a cap of coverage per condition. In most cases, students will opt for an individual policy if they have no pre-existing conditions. Of course, it's up to the individual to decide what is best for them since everyone has different health issues and family histories.
If you do decide to leave the student on the parents' healthcare plan, you should know that the recent government healthcare renovation now allows full time students to remain on their parents' health insurance policies until they are 26 years old.
Save a Ton On Automobile Costs
Most people fail to realize just how much bringing a car to campus costs. With gas prices now hovering around $3.50 per gallon, gas alone will take a large chunk out of your budget, not to mention maintenance costs and insurance prices - which also continue to rise.
Most auto insurance companies will give you a break if your child leaves their automobile at home while away at college. Some carriers will go so far as to completely drop the student from the insurance policy altogether while they are away at school.
Factor in the small but serious chance of getting into an accident - even a fender bender - and the cost jumps again when you include insurance deductible charges. So it may be a serious consideration for you to just leave your car at home and rely on friends and public transportation while away at school.
Conclusion
There are a ton of different ways you can save money while you're at college, but if you seriously consider any of the ideas above, you can make a large impact on your college budget. Who knows, if you save money by utilizing the ideas we just discussed, you may be able to consider a more expensive school or a different living arrangement.
Whatever you do, remember that you are going to college to get a quality education, and you're paying a lot of money to do so. You should take care of these and other things prior to your first day in class so that you can pay 100% of your attention to the coursework and to learning. If you're worried about the bills, this can be very difficult to do. Good luck!
Author Resource:
If you're looking for the best colleges and universities in the U.S., then check out U.S. News & World Report's University Directory at www.usnewsuniversitydirectory.com. There you'll find the top colleges in the country based on the U.S. News rankings.
You'll also find information on many different careers, articles on college life, news and everything from business to nutrition and dietetic degrees.
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