Save for a lucky few who are well off, most students need loans to get through college. The cost of getting a degree has gone up considerably and with additional expenses like accommodation and food, it is very easy for a student to get themselves in financial trouble after clearing college due to debts accrued over the years. There are a ways to avoid these post college debts. Some are highlighted below.
Advanced Placement Classes
Credit transfer is a provision of the education system that many students do not take advantage of. Credit transfer involves taking some of the courses offered in college in high school then transferring the grades to your college transcript. This ensures that you do not have to do this units in college. The advantage of doing them in high school is that once in college,the student is under less pressure and most importantly, enables them to save on costs as high schools offer less rates per unit taken as well as free learning materials. If you manage to do some units before you get in to college, you will reduce the tuition costs of college thus avoid some post college debts.
Skip the Loans
If you can do without the student loans, there is no need to apply for them in the first place. Even if you need them,there are various ways that can ensure that you borrow a smaller amount or completely avoid them.The most effective way is to do your course part time while working. Though this means the degree will take longer, once you clear, you will not have any post college debts.
Save and Economize
what gets most students in financial trouble in campus is the peer pressure and intense competition that ironically, is not in academic matters. The course years in campus is the time when everyone is trying to look cool and outdo each other. This war takes place in the form of the latest fashion items and gadgets. For those who cannot afford these things from their own money, they turn to piling debts on their credit cards to look cool. to avoid falling into this trap,try to pass on the latest car, fashion, electronics and expensive housing. It will save you lots of money. It makes more sense to know that after the four years of college, you can afford all you want with the money you would have used to clear the post college debt.
Pay Off Debts Fast
After college, there is usually a given grace period that is awarded to students whereby they can pay off their student loans without any interest. This post college grace period is usually between 6 to 9 months after graduation. This is the best time to pay off your loan as the amounts you deposit goes straight to offsetting the principal amount. This period is also the prime point to enjoy tax deductibles. Take advantage of this by setting up a loan repayment strategy then stick strictly to it. Though this may hurt for a while you will soon feel better when you are debt-less and stress free.
The above methods will go a long way in reducing the amount of post college debt. An additional one is to shop around for cheaper colleges to pursue your course. Not everyone has to attend Ivy League colleges to get quality education. There are a number of cheap colleges that offer quality courses at a very low cost. All you have to do is make sure that the college is registered and recognized by the relevant regional education office.
No comments:
Post a Comment