2. After you have spent months meeting with guidance
counselors, filling out college applications, visiting
campuses, and going on interviews, no one can question
the thrill you feel when you finally receive that
acceptance letter from your first choice college. But that
excitement can quickly turn to anxiety when you begin
to think about all the expenses associated with student
living: housing, illustrated anatomy textbooks, and
everything else. There are lots of ways you can save on
those costs, if you think ahead and use your resources.
Ask around and find out how other students are coping
with the same costs. Here are a couple of areas where
you can save, and ideas for doing so.
3. Textbooks: As all students and former students
know, this is one of the hugest expenses of attending
college. Do not wait until the last minute, when you will
have no choice but to purchase all of your books new
from the school bookstore. Consider these possibilities:
4. 1. Online sites. Many internet retailers sell textbooks for
a fraction of the cover price. If you can find used
books, you can save money, even when you consider the
shipping and handling costs.
5. 2.Ask around to other students in your program. They
may be able to sell or lend you their books, or may have
electronic copies.
6. 3. Rent or buy used from the bookstore. Although the
cost of buying books new from the campus bookstore
may be high, they m, ay also off rental or used options.
Renting is a great idea if you are not going to use the
book again!
7. Living arrangements: Housing is another huge cost for
many students. You do not want to find yourself in the
midst of finals, suddenly wondering how you are going
to cover your rent for the month because it is beyond
your means. Here are some ways you can save on
housing:
8. 1. Live on campus. This can prove to be the most
inexpensive option, especially if you are not paying your
own college costs. Parents are often more likely to pay
for your housing if it is lumped in with your tuition, the
way it is with dorm living. Even if you are financing your
own costs, your financial aid may help to cover oncampus living.
9. 2. Live with other people. Having roommates, especially
ones who are strangers, can be aggravating. However, it
may be worth the aggravation if it will cut your living
expenses down to a half or a third of what they would
be otherwise. Perhaps you can even find friends to live
with.
10. 3. Stay with your parents. More and more people are
choosing to stay at home and attend college in their
hometown. You may be anxious to get out on your
own, but remember: if you can save some money by
living with your parents now, you will have a better
chance of achieving security once you DO get out on
your own.
11. Starting college means that you have a thousand
decisions to make in a short period of time. Planning
ahead about the areas where you can save money will
help to make these decisions easier. If you know that
you have a budget and a plan, it will be much less
painful to part with the money for those illustrated
anatomy textbooks, student service fees, and all the
other costs of being in college.
