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Claire
Student
Coal City, Illinois
1
Question
Updated
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What's the best way to get through college without racking up a ton of debt?
I can get scholarships from sports, but I do have a 3.7 GPA. Also I go to a private university
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2 answers
Jason White
Lead Product Manager- Network Security
150
Answers
Dallas, Texas
Updated
Jason’s Answer
Hey Claire,
Great question and one of my favorites. For me I looked for every opportunity to win scholarships and get stipends. I did a few speech contests and received money for them. I applied for a variety of different privately funded scholarships while on campus. I learned to write really well while in high school and that was one of the biggest skills as it helped a lot when it came to writing scholarship essays. There were also opportunities like being a food critic for dining services on campus which came with a stipend I used for book money each semester. The biggest one for me though was becoming a resident assistant on campus. It paid for room and board (biggest expense after tuition), allowed me to have study hours while working, and paid an additional stipend as well.
Great question and one of my favorites. For me I looked for every opportunity to win scholarships and get stipends. I did a few speech contests and received money for them. I applied for a variety of different privately funded scholarships while on campus. I learned to write really well while in high school and that was one of the biggest skills as it helped a lot when it came to writing scholarship essays. There were also opportunities like being a food critic for dining services on campus which came with a stipend I used for book money each semester. The biggest one for me though was becoming a resident assistant on campus. It paid for room and board (biggest expense after tuition), allowed me to have study hours while working, and paid an additional stipend as well.
Sneha Deb
Tech Consultant
194
Answers
Edison, New Jersey
Updated
Sneha’s Answer
Hey Claire! The best way to get through college without racking up a ton of debt is to layer multiple strategies. It's smart to maximize scholarships, not just from sports, but also academic ones (a 3.7 GPA is strong) and smaller outside scholarships that can really add up. Attending a private university makes it important to stay in close contact with financial aid to make sure no grants or work-study opportunities are missed. Being intentional about budgeting, finding on-campus jobs, and even taking summer or community college classes can help save money. You should remember to stay proactive and treat finances as an essential part of the college plan, just like your classes and clubs, not an afterthought. If you have a clear plan and pay off bills on a monthly basis, you will not rack up a lot of debt to pay post graduation. Good luck!