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Booklet Excerpts - How to Go to College Cheaper

Preparing for, Applying and Going to College

If you are deciding between an in-state school and an out-of-state school, or between a private and a public school, there are li kely to be significant differences in cost. Make sure you are getting what you a re paying for. Is the added cost going to pay off in some measurable way? If it’s worth it to you, then it’s worth it. Just make sure your expectations are realistic.
Before college, have a garage sale or use Ebay to get rid of the stuff you don’t want or need any more (Ihrig, 2008b) – CD’s, DVD’s, bike, stuff with your high school logo on it, sportswear, gym bag, etc. or offer to sell them to a younger family friend, cheap.
Get a debit card instead of a credit card (DaveRamsey.com, 2009) – that way you will only have access to money you actually have (instead of being able to charge more than you have).
Make use of tax-free shopping days or weekends in states or towns that have them. You can save 5 – 8 percent on purchases (Advisor, 2007;CollegeScholarships.org, 2008). Find out what is eligible for the discount and wait until that time to make those purchases.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Volunteer to help someone a year ahead o f you find scholarships. Mount an extensive search and agree to give them all the information you come up with, and have them agree to give you all their information when the year is over. As long as both of you are truly working at it, it will be beneficial to both of you. Then hand-pick someone you know in the class below when you’re a senior, and do the same thing w ith them. Pass along to them what you collect when you’re through.
Don’t choose not to apply for small scholarships. Others may ignore them, so there may be fewer applicants and every dollar adds up (SayStudent.com, 2006-07).
Remember, senior year of high school is the first (rather than only) year you should search for scholarships. Many scholarships are given to continuing college students (not just to incoming freshmen) and are often renewable.
Both you and your parents (if you are a dependent student) should set up FAFSA PIN numbers before filing the FAFSA – these numbers act as a signature later in the process that can speed the completion of your file.

At College and Beyond

Take 15 or more credit hours (5 classes or so) each semester. The more credits you take at one time, the shorter the period of time you’ll spend in school. Taking only 12 hours (about 4 classes) will result in you spending an extra year in college! 120 hours (a degree) ÷ 15 hours = 8 semesters (4 years),120 hours ÷ 12 hours = 10 semesters (5years). The difference is just one class per semester.
If you plan to go to medical school or nursing, pharmacy, veterinary school, etc., completing pre-requisite courses first (before general education courses or major courses) could allow you to be admitted to your graduate program more quickly, possibly saving tuition for a year or more of undergraduate school. Of course, if you don’t get in, you’ll then have to go back and finish your degree, which could then take longer than four years. . . It is a bit of a gamble to try this strategy, but if you get in early, it will definitely save undergraduate tuition money.
If you want to really get serious about comparison shopping for textbooks online, Google “How to Find Cheap College Textbooks.” It’s an e-book put out by Edvisors and CampusX.com. It includes step by step instructions…
Eat cheap at restaurants. Try the appetizer sampler or see if they will let you buy a kids meal. Both are probably enough to be a full meal, and are likely cheaper than an entrée. . .
For a list of over 3 dozen easy, fast and cheap recipes for college students, visit the University of New Hampshire’s Good Eats web site - http://www.unh.edu/health-services/good_eats/index.html and find over 4 dozen more from Minnesota State University, Mankato, at http://www.mnsu.edu/shs/healtheducation/bmc/ ((NEFE), 2009)

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