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4 Ways to Help You Pay for College

The minute you graduate high school, your parents and other family members are bombarding you with questions about the future. What college are you going to go to? Did you get any scholarships? What degree are you deciding to take? Some people are lucky and have parents who are able to pay for their entire college education while other people need to find ways of paying for their post-secondary education. Of course, student loans are always an option, but there are some other ways you can supplement your income to help pay for college. We all know that education isn’t cheap, but there’s no need to leave college with a pile of debt.

Pick the right college

You may want to attend an ivy-league college but unless you have a scholarship or rich parents, you’re going to be paying off your student loan for the rest of your life. When it comes to colleges or universities, you need to pick the right one for your needs. Don’t choose a school solely on their name or reputation, instead, choose a school that suits your needs. You can attend a less expensive college and then transfer to a university to cut costs as well. Research the colleges/universities you have your eyes on and choose one that will benefit you.

Apply for scholarships… a lot of them

You may think that there are only a limited amount of scholarships available for students but the thing is most students don’t apply, leaving millions of dollars unclaimed for. If you want to reduce the cost of your post-secondary education, it’s time to start applying for scholarships. There are thousands of scholarships available to students all ranging in different categories. It’ll take some effort in searching for them, but you may end up saving a couple of thousands of dollars or even having your entire school year paid for.

Live at home

Though you may want to have the full college experience, living in student housing can be quite costly. If you want to save yourself a decent chunk of money, then consider living at home. You’ll be able to cut the costs of food, housing, and laundry, saving money and using your funds for your education. Living at home doesn’t ruin the college experience, instead, it makes it more enjoyable because you don’t have to worry about these extra costs.

Create a side business

Though you may be going to college for biology or psychology, you probably have a range of other talents as well. Maybe you paint, work with textiles, or enjoy working out. What you’re not realizing is that your skills can be used to help supplement your income while going to college. If you enjoy working out, offer yourself to train others. If you enjoy creating your own cosmetics, work on building a side business of lotions, soaps, and balms. Put your products on Esty, get yourself some custom cosmetic boxes and start selling. Look at the skills you possess and how they can help you pay your way through college.

You don’t need to leave college worrying about how you’re going to pay your student loan. You just need to be smart and use all the tools in your box.