Even as a commuter student, there are a lot of practical things I learned my freshman year of college. Now I'm about to begin my sophomore year, and I'd like to impart some of my findings upon those of you who are about to be where I was a year ago. If I sound like your dad, I sincerely apologize. But these things are important if you're anything like me-- a hot mess of a college student.
1. Rent your textbooks ahead of time and return them on time.
Unless you're a person who has the need to mark every page in pen, renting is the best way to go. You'll find the books you need at half the price and you have them for as long as you need them. Just make sure you know when your return date is (which can usually be extended) because just like everything else you rent, there will be late fees.
I rented all my textbooks through Amazon and Chegg last year and it worked out great!
2. Apply for a credit card
This is something that isn't completely necessary as an 18 or 19 year old, but if you hope to do do anything that requires a credit check (which is like a billion things as an adult), then you should be establishing good credit. For some reason, lots of kids my age are scared of them. They're not scary! All you have to do is make little purchases here and there (gas, food, etc.), and pay the minimum payment every month, which is usually under $50. As long as you make those minimum payments, you'll have a good credit score in no time and that's literally money in the bank for when you need a loan for something!
3. Consider studying abroad
I'm sure you've heard it a million times, but the cheapest and easiest way to travel is when you're in college-- so do it! No matter what your major is, there's most likely going to be a program in a country that you'd like to visit-- for a summer, a spring break, or even a whole semester. I'm meeting with someone at my university to discuss my options for spending a semester abroad in Europe in the spring. I was hesitant to even entertain the idea until I found out how affordable it is. If you're not interested in traveling, then I have nothing more to say to you except that you're out of your mind.
4. Buy a passport
Whether you're traveling to a foreign country in the near future or not, buy a passport! I've applied for mine and hopefully won't have to wait too long for it. From what I've heard, it can be a long process to get yours, so why miss your chance to go on an impromptu trip to Cancun for spring break or an escapade to Iceland (I don't know why I thought of Iceland) because you didn't have a passport? Do it now and thank me later.
5. Open a savings account
If you don't have a savings account already, you definitely should. If you're anything like me, saving money is one of the most difficult tasks in the world because there are just so many shiny new things to buy! And you're constantly getting emails from retail stores telling you that everything is 50 percent off. Anyways, saving money is important! Train yourself to put a certain portion of every paycheck into your savings. Or if you work in a restaurant like me, use your tips as spending money and have your paychecks deposited directly into your savings. Before you know it, you've got a ton of extra cash sitting in your savings and now you've got airfare to study abroad or something cool like that. Maybe you want a human sized hamster ball. I don't know your life.
6. COFFEE
If you don't like coffee now, you better go buy a Keurig or sign up for a Starbucks reward card or something. Luckily I became an addict the summer before freshman year. Start liking it now so that once the harsh reality of your first round of college finals roll around, you won't be crying because you're too tired to study (aka me all four years of high school). Trust me, you're better off adjusting to the bitter taste of coffee beans than trying to buy Adderall from the sketchy guy down the hall.
If you found any of these tips helpful, or if you have any questions, let me know! I love talking with people who are as lazy and disorganized as I am!
