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By Guest Writer Grace Frenson,
We spend the first quarter of our lives in the education system.
How crazy is that?
Nothing is more rewarding than cruising your way through college, getting your degree – and of course, landing your dream job. Yet, at the same time, there is nothing as soul-crushing as the mountain of debt that college seems to be partnered with.
It’s pretty insane when you think about the fact that almost 1 in every 3 Americans are struggling to pay off their mountain of student debt from college.
We are pretty sure that is not a position that you want to find yourself in. Which is why we decided to create this guide to help you get through college, without that mountain of debt taking out all the sense of achievement from graduation.
Don’t Underestimate The Power Of Scholarships
One of the easiest ways to reduce the overhead expenses of college is scholarships. Yet, almost $2.3 billion in funding went unclaimed last year. These unclaimed scholarships were open for the taking.
Yep, you read that right!
You could have applied for one of these scholarships.
The problem is students seem to be under the impression that they need to be an ace in school to even be considered for a scholarship. This could not be further from the truth.
There are plenty of different resources that you can turn to for scholarships. Some are based on merits, others on sporting, religion, demographics, and so forth.
Here are a few good places to check out:
- Collegeboard.org: This website allows you to fill in a profile with all your information to help you find a scholarship that fits your needs. They have a huge database of scholarships for various types of individuals.
- Fastweb.com: This website is pretty much the exact same as Collegeboard.org. The only nifty advantage of Fastweb.com is the fact that they have weekly/monthly competitions that you can enter to win cash.
There, are, of course, tons of other tools you can turn to. But this should be enough to get you started.
Do You Really Need To Live On Campus?
Trust me, I get it! You are finally out of high school. You are classified as an adult. You deserve to finally get the right to be independent, right?
I know, when I first got into college, I had butterflies in my stomach to get out of the house. There was nothing I wanted more than to move into a dorm on campus and enjoy my newfound independent lifestyle.
But guess what?
At the end of the day, I ended up sacrificing this benefit. I stayed with my parents and commuted to campus daily. Which saved me an absolute fortune in the long-run. Helping me ensure that by the time I did finally graduate, I had $0 debt to my name.
Student Loans Are An Option If You Are Willing To Work
The biggest reason why there is so much student loan debt in America is due to the fact that people do not realize the work that comes with this financing method. I don’t just mean long studying hours. I mean the grind of a side-job while keeping your grades superb.
I mean working until 2-3 AM every day, and being awake at 7 AM to get stuff done.
We are talking about grit and due.
If you do not manage to secure yourself a scholarship, grant, or other financing options. And student loans are really the only way forward – don’t be scared to go for it.
But, be sure to find yourself a way to make some cash on the side. Even if it’s a part-time job earning you a measly $400 a month.
Think about it.
If you are studying for four years, that’s a whopping $19,200 you could have already paid down to your student loan before you even graduate.
But how can you get a job?
The one option is to become a freelancer. Start up your own little gig making money online. There are plenty of platforms to help you get started, such as Upwork.com, and Freelancer.com.
Otherwise, you can also look more locally at job opportunities around your home. Or campus if you do need to stay on premises. Here is a guide to help you secure a part-time job as a college student.
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Disclaimer: We at Prepare for Change (PFC) bring you information that is not offered by the mainstream news, and therefore may seem controversial. The opinions, views, statements, and/or information we present are not necessarily promoted, endorsed, espoused, or agreed to by Prepare for Change, its leadership Council, members, those who work with PFC, or those who read its content. However, they are hopefully provocative. Please use discernment! Use logical thinking, your own intuition and your own connection with Source, Spirit and Natural Laws to help you determine what is true and what is not. By sharing information and seeding dialogue, it is our goal to raise consciousness and awareness of higher truths to free us from enslavement of the matrix in this material realm.
