Four Things Every College Student Should Know

These days, it seems like students’ schedules seem busier than ever before. There’s schoolwork, with classes, exams, and deadlines, and then there’s actual work, shifts, jobs, and working hours.

Add in extra-curricular and a social calendar and it’s not hard to see why the modern American student is busier than ever before.

However, throughout the course of your academic career, it’s important to keep a few things in mind as you work toward your ultimate goal. These things can either help you make smarter financial decisions, better manage your time, or chart your life after school.

Different Types of Financial Aid

The different types of monetary assistance to students could fill a book. Despite its catch-all name, financial aid is composed of two different types of categories: self-help and gift aid. Gift aid is the best for students to receive.

Why?

Because it’s most often free money.

Scholarships, grants, and awards are given to students for merit, sometimes given on a conditional basis (e.g. maintaining a certain GPA). Self-help aid, while still beneficial, is less preferable because this is most often debt: student loans.

It’s important to be mindful of these differences – especially when you are thinking about your financial future.

Credits Required for Graduation

While your primary goal in school is to learn the required information in your chosen field, an additional, ongoing goal is to accrue enough credits to graduate. This number can vary by institution, but every accredited school is required to publicly publish this information. Setting regular meetings with your academic advisor, even if your schedule is already set, is critical to ensuring that you are on track to graduate. Taking too few or too many credits can affect when you ultimately graduate or how much you have to pay.

Pro-tip: research your academic programs ahead of time to learn how many credits you will need in order to graduate. Then, compare with other schools and use this information to help you evaluate the benefits of different schools.

Upcoming Deadlines

Calendars are your best friend – use them! From upcoming academic due dates such as papers and exams to when your scholarship application is due, making sure that you have a clear understanding of what’s coming up is a great way to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. Don’t be afraid to add more than schoolwork to your calendar. If you have a job, if you’re looking for more scholarship money, or have an important upcoming social event, write it in there so that way you don’t get caught by surprise! Having a master calendar for everything can help ensure that you are the master of everything coming your way!

Pro-tip: use a digital calendar so that way you’ll have it with you wherever you go and can easily update it or make changes throughout the day.

Goals for Life after School

For better or worse, there will come a day when you graduate. You will have to determine whether to continue with your education or enter the workforce.

But be sure to plan out your future well ahead of time! If you know that you are done with your schoolwork, try to find apprenticeships or internships during your free hours to make yourself more attractive to potential employers. If you know that you want to work on obtaining more advanced degrees, research different programs, and start studying for the entrance exams.

Be mindful that the next phase of life is coming and start to think about the different ways that you can prepare!