Archive for January, 2010
What Is A Student Credit Card?
When young people start college they are attacked by a huge amount of offers and deals but what is the most desirable for each student is the student credit card. Such credit cards obtainable at almost any major credit card company present a package of offers somewhat different from typical credit cards. The purpose of it however is the same and a student can employ a card for a whole range of expenses and even get rewards or bonuses.
How is a student credit card different? The most widespread differences are the next: lower interest rates; no minimum income; no annual fees; lower credit limits. They are usually easy to obtain.
Students are rarely searching for these credit cards themselves. The thing is that credit card company representatives usually take initiative to visit campuses especially at the beginning of each semester. This is where the problems may start. A lot of students who have never dealt with credit before make the mistake of applying and getting approved for more than one card and very soon find themselves in debt. It is extremely risky to be in debt even before one graduates college but unfortunately it is quite common. Here are some pieces of advice for students using credit cards.
1 Be sure to employ your card only for necessary things.
2 Pay the whole bill monthly. Otherwise you may have your interest rate drastically increased.
3 Do not apply for a credit card if you simply want the gift or reward which comes with it.
If you are eager and ready to accept the responsibility of handling a credit card you should know that there are many benefits in receiving a student credit card. Actually many students consider the student credit cards much more convenient than a standard credit card. The advantages are: 1 the lower interest rate implies somewhat lower payments; 2 a credit card gives one a sense of independence and responsibility; 3 you have a chance to acquire good credit habits and a good credit rating before you finish school; 4 a credit card is a helping hand in case of emergencies; 4 credit cards can also be a source of rewards extra points on buying books groceries and other college supplies.
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What Are The Costs Of Going To College?
When it comes to college selection the most important questions you’ll have to answer include: how much is it going to cost and how are you going to pay for it? With the rising cost of tuition and ever increasing costs for housing textbooks and many other college related items financing is an important aspect of college attendance.
Once you’ve selected a college the next step is to understand college costs and financial aid options. Before exploring any funding options prospective students should fully understand all college related costs. After you’ve determined what you will owe then and only then can you analyze payment options.
Determining College Costs. When determining how much a college costs it’s important to remember that expenses go far beyond tuition and housing fees. You must also take text books travel expenses and spending money into account or you could find yourself in a financial jam throughout your semester.
Start your college financial planning with a thorough assessment of the complete costs associated with each school on your list. This will help you to accurately compare expenses when you have financial aid offers from each school.
Do You Qualify for Financial aid? Covering the cost of higher education can be a real challenge. Once you have figured out the price tag on your colleges of choice it’s time to start thinking about the prospects of financial aid. But how do you know if you qualify?
The process of determining your eligibility starts well before you ever receive an offer of admission. To get the ball rolling complete the Free Application for Federal and Student Aid FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1 of the year in which you intend to start school. Based on the information you provide you’ll open the door to various forms of needbased aid.
FAFSA and PROFILE essentials. When it comes to getting financial aid consider the FAFSA your best fin aid friend. Why? To qualify for any state or federal aid including scholarships workstudy programs grants or loans you are required to complete this government form.
More than six hundred undergraduate colleges many of which award large amounts of their own financial aid also require you to fill out an additional form called the CSS PROFILE. The CSS PROFILE is designed to provide schools with more information than the federal government provides in the FAFSA. The CSS PROFILE requires you to pay a small application fee but it also qualifies you for institutional aid.
Expected Family Contribution EFC. Approximately three weeks after you submit your FAFSA you will receive a copy of your Student Aid Report. This report details your Expected Family Contribution EFC which is how much you’ll be expected to contribute to college costs. Your EFC is determined by the information you supply on the FAFSA form.
The schools you selected on your FAFSA will also receive a copy of your Student Aid Report so that they can customize a financial aid package that’s right for you. If you’ve been accepted for enrollment the schools will send you an Award Letter. Award Letters outline the total cost of attendance at each school your EFC and a financial aid package.
Outofpocket costs. Once you know your financial aid information it becomes a lot easier to get a realistic idea of what you’ll need to come up with to bridge the gap between the cost of a school and the financial aid offer. There are plenty of resources to help you pay for school so research all your options.
Paying for college begins with understanding all of your costs. The sticker price related to admission varies greatly from school to school. Many schools will also negotiate if they really want a particular student to attend.
Knowing your eligibility for financial aid expected family contribution and funding options offered by the school can create a complete financial aid picture. This allows you to seek out options based on a realistic estimate of your true college related costs.
About the writer: Michael Fleischner is the Managing Director of Peterson’s providing help with your college essay personal statement and college application essay as well as College Planning. Learn more at StudentEdge.com
Using Your Computer At College
You’ll Be Expected to Have a Computer and Printer or Access to Them
The first thing students should know about using computers at college is that their professors will expect them to have computers and printers or at least access to them. While we realize that not everyone can afford a computer and printer we do expect your work to be typed and handed in when we ask that of you. Most schools have several computer labs. If you don’t have a computer or printer you are going to have to make it your business to use them. If you have a written assignment due do yourself a favor and make sure you can hand it in. Having no printer or low toner is not an acceptable excuse and if you try to use one of these conditions to excuse not having your work it could affect your grade.
Turn off Internet Explorer and Log Off Myspace
When you are using computer for school work one of the best things you can do for yourself is to log off the Internet. Instant messages and emails are much more fun than homework but if you succumb to their temptations the night before a paper is due you will be kicking yourself at 4:00 in the morning when the paper’s still not done and your efriends are all in bed.
Google.com is No Substitute for the Library
If while you were reading the above section you found yourself screaming: “But what if I have to do research?” you are probably not alone. You will probably have a library tutorial in at least one of your classes that will go indepth with what I’m about to say: the computer is a wonderful powerful tool and so is the Internet but when your professors assign research projects they do not expect to see a works cited page full of web links. Therefore in response to your earlier question about research I’ll say that before you sit down to write your paper most of your research should have been done. At the library. If you need to look up one quick thing online do so then log off and get back to your Word document.
Buy a Travel Drive and Use It
While computers are wonderful and powerful tools they are also unreliable. More than one of my students has experienced hard drive failure over the course of my teaching career. I do my best to be accommodating and understanding the same thing happened to me in grad school after all but even with understanding professors coming back from a loss of everything you’ve done over the course of the semester is hard if not impossible. Invest in a flash drive and back up your computer with regularity.
About the writer: Review more industry related articles by Elizabeth Saas at CareersandEducation.com. Elizabeth Saas is a feature writer and often covers topics related to Campus degree programs and Career Advice.
