College Life: Resources and Tips for College Students
Whether you're going off to college for the very first time, or are a returning student, you can find the help you need with our College Life Web Guide. Succeed academically, physically, financially and emotionally during your college years with advice on dorm life, health and finances, as well as Web tools for academic success. Don't go off to school without first checking our College Life Web Guide.
Expand All Guide SectionsDorm Life and Keeping in Touch with Friends
For many students, going to college involves a physical move away from family and old friends and ... read more »
Staying organized in college
One way to make sure that you are successful in college is to keep yourself organized; the Internet ... read more »
Note-taking and academic tools for university students
Getting organized is one giant step toward academic success, but there are plenty of other tools ... read more »
College Health and Nutrition
Academic success is not the only goal for a college student; your college years are also a good ... read more »
Student Financial Aid, College Budgeting, and Saving Money
Just as developing a healthy lifestyle in college is important, developing money-management skills and wise spending habits is imperative during your college years. Careless spending during these years (especially of student loans) can lead to a lifetime of debt. On the Web you'll find advice, calculators, tips to help you save, and other money-management resources to help ease your money worries during college.
Dulcinea's Insight
- You can keep track of you bank accounts, bills, and student loans online, and most of your creditors let you make payments via the Web. For some people it can be easier to use the Internet to manage expenses than it can be to remember to write and send checks to pay bills each month. Also, if you forget to write all of your spending in your checkbook, you can reference and monitor spending through your bank's Web site (this can also help you detect fraud early).
- Consider buying used textbooks and selling your textbooks when you are done with them (hang on to the books you might use for later classes, though). Some college bookstores offer book buyback or online book sales; check your bookstore's Web site for more details.
- Try to catch a ride with another student to save money on gas, or see if there is any bartering that you can do for items you need (books, furniture, whatever). Uloop aims to help students connect with each other to do just that.
- For some general finance advice, see our findingDulcinea Personal Finance Guide.
- To save money on everyday objects that you need to buy, see our findingDulcinea Bargain Hunting Guide.
- For more sites to help you find a great job during college, see our findingDulcinea Part-Time Jobs Guide.
- Not sure how you'll fund your education? See our findingDulcinea Financing College Guide.
- Try student travel Web sites to book travel (listed below), but don't forget to check travel prices on regular discount sites. For more budget travel resources, see our findingDulcinea Budget Travel Web Guide.
Dulcinea's Picks
For help with financial aid ...
TuitionCoach
provides free access to its college cost estimator, its financial aid worksheets, the Financial Aid 101, FAQs, and a glossary. Paid membership to the site runs about $60/year and gives you access to audio podcasts about funding college and sections of the site that help you minimize college costs and figure out what kinds of financial aid would best suit your needs.
EducationPlanner.org
has an "Educational Loans" section that gives you brief explanations of all the different kinds of student loans, how they work, and for whom they might be best suited. The "Private Loans" page discusses only the private loan affiliated with this site, but the site is still a good reference for government loan information
FinAid
explains the different types of student loan options along with a table that shows the percentage of students that borrow money for school and how much debt they accumulate on average. FinAid also has a section on "Education Lenders, Guarantee Agencies, Servicers and Secondary Markets" [http://www.finaid.org/loans/studentloans.phtml] that helps you understand where loan money comes from and who manages it through each stage of the lending process.
Bankrate
has a "College Financing Basics" section with a chapter about federal loans and grants that lets you know what you need to qualify for federal student aid and then explains federal work-study, different types of federal loans, and federal grant programs.
To find a job during college ...
CollegeHelpers.com
hosts a listing of internships, part-time jobs, and summer jobs for college students looking to work off-campus. This Web site is geared toward students, employers, and even colleges' resource centers.
The Riley Guide
recommends several Web sites for finding part-time, hourly, or temporary employment. It sums up the sites it recommends and even gives little warnings (like if drug tests or background checks are required), not unlike Dulcinea's Picks.
Groove Job
has a clientele of several large companies looking for part-time, hourly, or seasonal employees. Start by typing your zip code into the search box in the upper right-hand corner of the page and then go on to see companies in your area. Click on a logo to discover any restrictions and to find more job specifications.
Craigslist
could be helpful if you are looking for part-time or freelance work during school. Click on your city, then choose an industry, "part time," or "ETC" to see what jobs might be available near school.
For budgeting tips and tools ...
"118 Ways to Save Money in College"
from College Scholarships.org has some practical (and interesting) tips for saving money. From the expected ("Pay credit card bills on time") to the unusual ("Find restaurants that let you bring your own beer"), you'll find lots of creative ways to keep your cash in your wallet.
"27 Money Tips for College Students"
from the blog Get Rich Slowly provides some common sense advice to college students about avoiding poor spending habits. All the tips in this post will prove helpful to any student looking to manage their budget.
Moneytrackin'
is a free online application that lets you track your expenses. Although it might not be reasonable to track all your finances through this site (as checking your bank account online would probably be an easier way to track your personal accounts), this is a great tool to track expenses/payments shared by roommates, or to track school-specific or work expenses for tax purposes.
For student tax information ...
The Internal Revenue Service
has lots of resources that can help you make sure that you are being taxed appropriately as a student. You'll find information about tax credits, what income or financial aid might be taxable, and a page with documents and forms specific to students.
To save money on books ...
Reduce College Costs
has a "Secret Textbook Savings" entry that provides some tips from the blog about how to get cheap, or free, textbooks. For example, try to find a copy in your school's library or purchase an edition of the book that was printed internationally.
BookFinder.com
sells textbooks directly from the bookseller. Search for a book by title, author, or ISBN and you'll be able to see the price for the book from different sellers around the Web with shipping included.
Amazon
has a very large selection of used textbooks, both from Amazon itself and from independent sellers that sell through the site. If you know what books you'll need before classes begin, this can be a good way to get low-priced textbooks, just be aware of additional time and cost needed for shipping.
To travel cheaply ...
STA Travel
is not only an online travel-booking resource (air, rail, hotel, hostel, and more) for students; you can also locate an STA office nearby to get in-person help from a travel agent when planning a trip. STA often has writing/blogging contests about student travel that reward winners with travel money and other prizes.
StudentUniverse
provides travel search and booking at discounted rates for students. In addition to a straightforward interface, this site has a "Study" section where students can search for study and volunteer abroad opportunities, international internship opportunities, and language schools.
To learn something for free ...
Lifehacker's Technophilia
feature has an article called "Get a Free College Education Online" that lists plenty of free lectures and other course information that you can access online.
The Online Education Database
has a list of more than 200 free learning resources including research materials, open courseware collections, archives, podcasts, videos, and other tools to help you further your higher education without the price tag of enrolling in a class or university.
© 2009 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
