The Beauty Of Used Books

When your buying things to prepare yourself for that first year of college, the tendency is to buy new stuff. Most kids don't already have their own ironing boards and laundry baskets. These things you can find at Dollar General. There is one item however that if you can buy used you absolutley should. BUY USED TEXTBOOKS!!! This may be the biggest money saver of all. Depending on your major and how many classes that you plan to take, your books can run anywhere from $200 to $1500 per semester! You have to have the book to do the class assignments so there really are not a lot of options to cut corners here. Used books however, are typically less money and may already have notes in the margins and highlighted passages. Here are some tips about buying used:



-Buy early-there is a limited supply of these and they go fast

-Look online-if you know what book you need, you may be able to find it on Amazon or Half.com

-Check your campus bookstore too-some stores have a buyback program



Good luck and happy hunting!

Some loan opportunities from Sallie Mae:

According to Sallie Mae here are some of your alternative loan sources. These loans should be supplemental to aid already received from federally guaranteed sources. Almost any bank will have loans available; they just might be called something different, but you should shop around for rates and make sure you understand the repayment structure and how it works. In this area(repayment) it is buyer beware. Many companies have loop holes that allow them to really penalize anyone that would miss or even be late on a payment!

Private loans are designed to bridge the gap between available funds and school costs. Considered alternative loans, private loans should be used to supplement federal loan programs. If you don't qualify for a federal loan or if what you were awarded won't cover expenses, a private loan might work for you.

Sallie Mae offers a comprehensive, affordable source of funds that could meet all your education financing needs.

Loans for Undergraduate Students

* Signature Student Loan®
* Tuition Answer®Loan
* Signature Student Loan® for Community Colleges
* Continuing Education LoanSM
* Career Training LoanSM

Loans for Parents

* Signature Student Loan®
* Tuition Answer® Loan
* K-12 Family Education LoanSM
* Tutorial Financing Loan

The Chances Of Getting Into Your 1st Choice

When you apply for college its always a good idea to apply to several. You set your sights high with a school that you would love to go to but you also hedge your bets and apply to others. Most often the magic number is three, top school, second choice, and "safety" school.

In order to make the most of your decisions I've found a website that can help. At www.go4ivy.com they have a series of questions that can help you more accuratley find out what the chances are of getting into your schools of choice. There may be a fee involved but I would make the argument that you may save more money in the long run on application fees.

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A Job With The US Government

I've been asked many times about internships and jobs with the United States government. Many people opt to take the civil service examination and then are pointed in a direction that may determine the rest of their lives. I've found a site called StudentJobs.gov that helps students in high school or college to research jobs and apply for internships. This puts the public sector in your control. Check it out if you ever thought about a future in government work. Maybe the next President of the United States could be reading this!

Credit Card Mistakes

Okay, so you've gotten to college, taken my advice and gotten a credit card to use for emergency purposes. I'm sure having access to all that "free" cash on your card is tempting. After all, you bust your hump in school so that you can have a better life later, why take a little break and go spend some money. Maybe you want to go to a bar, a bookstore, or Target (I swear I spend more money at that place). In any case think about the consequences of your actions and read this article I found about the ten worst credit card mistakes that college students make. It could save your financial life!