Home    tuition

A Look At College’s Unexpected Costs

When parents contemplate a child’s move to college for the first time, the majority of them will concentrate hard on the big expenses like books and tuition. But how many actually consider the other factors involved in sending a child off to a new life, especially when that new college student is no longer living at home.

As with many things in life, there are expenses that may not be evident at first thought. However, these fees can certainly add up to a small fortune, especially when you are trying to be so vigilant about the costs of college.

Here are some tips to help you seek out  and deal with the seemingly hidden costs of higher education:

Orientation Expenses
Many colleges host initial orientations for students and even their parents to show them around campus and orient them to their new living situations. However, many colleges don’t always foot the bills so the family is responsible for travel expenses, hotel accommodations, food, gas, or airline tickets.

Promotional Items
Families will likely be very excited at the new environment and can tend to overspend on college merchandise, like clothing, decals, magnets, and other overpriced, school-related merchandise without concerning themselves much with budget limits. The bigger the family, the more the expense.

Dorm Room Accessories
Parents will likely feel some obligation to ensure their long-distance kid will feel at home while they are away and can go overboard with accessories for the dorm room. From microwaves to television sets,  there a lot of things that get put on a shopping list. Many kids will want what’s fashionable with bed linens, towels, and wardrobes.

Campus Costs
If your new college student plans to have a car on-site, expect to pay several hundred dollars in parking pass fees. There are also fees associated with campus activities, including Student Union events, football and other sporting events, as well as off-campus interests (movies, clubs, restaurants, etc.)

Transportation Concerns
If your child is driving a car to school, it may change the rate of your insurance premium. If the location of the car is changing, your premium could very well change with it and since your child is still at a young age, the premium will also likely be affected by their move from the home.  Also, if your child does not have a car to get them around, factor in the cost of a bus or subway pass when leaving campus and the cost of airline tickets or gas for visits home.

Not Your College Supply Closet
The times have changed and pencils and notebooks are no longer the norm. Now, the majority of colleges require students to have a laptop computer, expensive software, and technological accessories such as printers, scanners, and internet capabilities. In addition to the technology,  textbooks and other college lab-related supplies are required and not very cheap. Kids may also need to spend money on copying services or other project related expenses course work may require.

Utilities
Kids living on campus and off will also incur utility bills that are not inexpensive and come on a monthly basis. Television cable, internet cable, and cell phone bills are all common expenses that are usually relegated to the parents.

Food
Most colleges offer meal plans for dorm residence. While they may be cheaper and healthier than eating at fast food joints each night, they certainly are not free. Additionally the costs for supplying your kids with dorm food each month can also be high as snack foods and microwave-friendly meals are not cheap.

The Best Summer Jobs for College-Aged Students

Summer break is a great time for college students to brush up on their skills and make some tuition or extra spending money in the process. Whether you plan to return home for the summer or stay at your new location, a great summer job is within your grasp.

Here are some great summer job ideas for student who need practice in the real world and decent cash to survive the expense of college:

Business-Related Internships
One of the best ways to secure a job after graduation is to experiment with an internship in your related field. Internships can be paid positions and will give you excellent insight into the reality of your chose field. If you are able to prove yourself during the summer internship, you increase the likelihood you’ll have an in with a good company and a good network of people after graduation.

Food Service
Working as a waiter/waitress can bring is some great tip money as well as the opportunity to network with a ton of different kind of people. Choose a restaurant in a good location, like the beach, where tourists are likely to bring in consistent crowds and good tips. Fast food is not as lucrative but it may be  steady work throughout the summer months. Another good option in food service is to contract with a catering company that pays well. You’ll likely get to work a flexible schedule and get to mingle at exclusive parties.

Retail
During the summer months, you likely can snag a retail job where you can take advantage of discounts on merchandise. A clothing store, electronics store, or other relevant locations that sell things you can use for college and in your daily life. It also gives you experience in sales that you can use on a resume after college. It also helps you brush up on your people skills.

Adventure Work
If you are more into the adventure side of things, there are resorts and cruises across the country that actively seek out college students to work during their busy season. Resort work offers many opportunities, including food service, lifeguarding, sales and marketing, hosting, tour guides, adventure guides, cruise ships, and entertainment. Many students earn the opportunity to keep the same job each summer where they can learn, earn, and have fun during their break from school.

Camp Counselors
Like resorts, summer camps actively hire college kids to work at the various camps for kids. If you plan to work with children as a career, counselor jobs are good resume material. You likely get fa good pay rate, free room and board and get to spend your summer months outdoors, mentoring the young campers.

Amusement Parks
College kids can have a blast each summer by finding a job at an amusement park. From smaller, local places to the large-scale, nationally known companies, amusement parks draw crowds all summer and are perfect for a college student. There are a lot of job types available within a park that a student can learn from and add to their resume.

Entrepreneur Ideas
There are many successful entrepreneurs who are rich and famous due to their novel ideas during college. These entrepreneurs made a decision to start their own business during college and many have never looked back. Capitalize on your own skills and experience and turn it into a profitable business venture. College is the best time to experiment. Start a landscaping company, design websites, invent a cool new product, hire yourself out as a mover. There are endless ideas that can bring you a steady paycheck and plenty of opportunity to take it to the next level.

As a college student, you may be reliant on your parents to keep you in school and in food but earning money for yourself does not have to be boring or non-lucrative. Consider what it is you want to do in your career and brainstorm ideas that will benefit your resume later in life.