After you’ve determined how you’re going to pay for college and then you actually start your college education, it’s time to turn your attention to getting the biggest bang for your buck from the time that you spend there.
Unfortunately, too many college students allow a lot of their college money to go to waste.
Here’s how to get your money’s worth from the time you spend in college…
How To Get Your Money’s Worth From College
It’s important to keep these 4 things in mind at all times:
- Dropping classes can be waste of money.
Missing classes deprives you of your time with the instructor and is, therefore, a waste of money.
Even worse, withdrawing from classes too late is a huge waste of money! If you want to withdraw from a class, just know that there is always a date that you can withdraw from a class and still get a 100% of your money back. So make a point to determine early in the course whether you plan to hang in there or not. Then, stick with your decision.
Of course, if you fail a class, you also waste your money.
Check this out: Students Save Money By Earning Degree In 3 Years
- Try not to waste services that you’ve paid for.
For example, colleges provide health care services as part of your tuition. Failure to use it is a waste of your money. So it’s in your best interest to take advantage of these services when you don’t feel well. Doing so will keep you going and enable you to get the most out of your tuition payments.
Likewise, you pay for student services in your tuition. So, failure to participate in activities and events is like throwing money down the drain.
Many students waste money by not using the meal plans they’ve already paid for, or by choosing too big of a meal plan for college. Personally, I ended up sharing a meal plan with a roommate who didn’t have one — because I had purchased a bigger plan than I was capable of consuming. Check out the Department of Student Services to find out what exactly is provided for you.
Here are some things that count as student expenses.
- Always keep grants and financial aid in mind.
Failure to apply for college scholarships and grants every year is just like burning your money. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors are just as eligible for scholarships and grants as freshman are.
Don’t let your grades fall so low that you lose whatever scholarships and loans you might already have.
In order to get financial aid, you need to maintain a minimum GPA the entire time that you’re enrolled in college. So, don’t slack off even for a moment. If your grades fall, that means more money will have to come out of your own pocket to pay for college.
Stay in touch with your financial aid counselor at college and explore the U.S. Department of Education‘s offerings regularly in order to keep your college goals funded.
Need more college money? Start here.
- Stay focused on your degree.
Don’t take classes that have nothing to do with your degree. While it may be fun to take an art class, if it does not fulfill any of your course requirements, then you are just wasting money.
Of course this means that you need to choose a college major early — and stick to it, instead of changing your mind every quarter.
Finally, if you drop out of college before receiving your degree, then you will have wasted a good deal of time, effort, and money.
Other Great Tips
For other ways to save money and stop wasting your college dollars read these tips:
- 5 Ways To Avoid Going Broke In College
- Degrees Of Debt And Regret: Is The College Degree Worth The Cost?
- 8 Things You Can Do To Lower College Expenses
- Money Saving Tips For College Students
I have been a certified tightwad striving for financial freedom since I became pregnant with my first child — and I decided to find a way to stay home with him full-time. I enjoy sharing my personal experiences in my journey back to financial health and planning for a future — which will include sending 2 kids to college and early retirement.
