The Loan Lobster spits some fire about how you should choose your student loans over a hot beat by DJ Marwan. Check it out, and dare to compare at simpletuition.com/youtube.
Do you have to pay back a grant? — College on the Cheap
College on the Cheap’s street team asked students if you have to pay back a grant — and refreshingly, almost all of them answered correctly!
Think you know the answer? Or want to learn more? Keep checking in for more College on the Cheap updates!
What does EFC stand for? — College on the Cheap: Video
College on the Cheap’s street team did another round of interviews, and asked students if they knew what EFC stands for in financial aid terms. Not surprisingly, none of them got it — it was a tough question.
EFC stands for Expected Family Contribution, and is the amount of money your college expects you to contribute to the cost of education. It is determined by the information you supply on your FAFSA.
Keep checking back in for more College on the Cheap!
The College Bucket List: 10 things to do before you graduate
10. Take advantage of your student status to get discounts everywhere. Don’t forget to ask!
9. Experiment, and find your niche – join a club or sports team; do something social that you’ve never done before.
8. Explore the area around your college, whether it be rural, urban, or somewhere in between. There’s always stuff to be discovered, you just have to look.
7. Take a class in something you’ve never heard of. Push yourself outside of your academic comfort zone. Be curious.
6. Travel around, if you can. Go to nearby cities and explore. Yours isn’t the only college out there – visit friends at other schools and see what life is like at different colleges.
5. Organize an around-the-world party: every room, a different destination—every destination, a different drink.
4. Study abroad!
3. Stay open-minded about your course of study – don’t ignore other options just because you really want to go pre-med or major in business. See what else is out there, and you never know what might happen.
2. Make sure you have enough money to get to graduation – fill in the gaps with SimpleTuition!
1. Whatever you do, enjoy your college experience to the fullest! (And make sure your finances are in order so you can.)
Alternative Ways to Pay for College
Alternative Ways to Pay for College
College is expensive, a hard to swallow fact for many families. While financial aid, scholarships and grants, federal loans and private loans are all ways to help fund the rising cost of education, we’ve listed the below alternatives to help stretch your dollars.
Did you take Advanced Placements (AP) classes in high school? Most colleges reward students who took higher level classes in high school. Check with your admissions department about the requirements to gain college credits from your AP classes, which will depend heavily on your AP Test score. Remember that every college class that you don’t have to take will save you money.
Consider taking a couple courses at the community college during summers. Community colleges charge much less for courses and by taking some of the dry, but necessary core classes at a local college you can not only save a few dollars but also take advantage of more interesting courses during the full semester. Just be sure to check with your college to make sure courses taken at the community college are 100% transferable – you don’t want to have to pay for the course twice!
Apply for scholarships within your major at your university. Many departments have scholarships totally separate from general admissions scholarships. There will be a smaller pool of applicants and you may actually enjoy completing the requirements for entry.
Constantly check back with your high school guidance office for scholarship information. Even if you are a few years out of high school, it’s still worth checking back to see if any new scholarships are on file. If you’ve done any sort of volunteer work or community service since graduation be sure to mention it! Check within your local community as well – if you’re an active member there may be local scholarships to help you out as well.
Look into a co-op program. Co-Ops are generally longer-term paid internships. Most employers do require a six month commitment. A popular schedule is to take classes for a full semester and for part of the summer and then commit to a 6 month internship to earn extra income. The cash you earn can be used for books, paying down your student loans, and making your college experience fun!