How To Keep Your Student Debt Under Control While Still In College

The last thing that many current college students are thinking about is still being in debt from their college days well into their 30’s. This is a reality for many people as college costs are astronomical in some cases along with certain careers not paying well. The best thing that can be done is to think about college loan debt now instead of dealing with it once you have graduated. A proactive approach can help save thousands of dollars in interest as well as total debt accrued. The following are tips that will help reduce your debt after you have graduated while you are in college.

Summer School At Community College

The first thing that you have to do is find a community college where certain credits will transfer to your current university. A community college is going to be much more affordable than a 4 year state university especially if you attend out of state. Saving money on credits for basic courses does not mean the courses will not teach you anything, in fact many people can learn more due to smaller classes sizes in some cases. This is perfect for those people that want the college experience but realize that taking intro to economics for thousands of dollars less at home during summer is a better option. Most people do not have to take an economics course to understand this.

Get A Job At Night

Getting a job while in college is not as daunting as most students make it out to be. You can arrange your work schedule or course schedule to be complementary to one another. Bartenders in college towns can make quite a few dollars in just a few nights a week which is perfect for those with a heavier course load. TheMoneyalert.com recommends a good balance between saving and actively paying off student debts with the income from this job. Those people taking summer courses can get jobs with longer hours as summer courses can be much less difficult for certain courses.

Opt For Used Textbooks

Textbooks are incredibly expensive if you opt to purchase them new semester after semester. The worst thing that you can do is go to the university bookstore as these prices are incredibly high even for the used textbooks. Take a look online or post an ad on a student platform to find a specific book at a much lower price. You can save hundreds of dollars per semester on books by doing so which adds up during your years in college.

Take Advantage Of Events With Free Food

College is full of events that offer free food or beverages whether it is promoting a club or it is a university hosted event. This does not mean that you should eat exclusively at this types of free food events but they can help out a few days a week. Most college towns understand that a student’s budget is quite small so they host nights where food is offered at incredible discounts. If you HAVE to go to dinner once a week opt for a taco Tuesday or something similar.

If you take a positive and proactive approach to your student debt you can have it paid off years in advance. Do this while in college and you might be able to avoid debt altogether!