As a college student, it can be pretty difficult to not constantly think about money.
Let’s be honest, a large part of college revolves around money. It is stressful and taxing to continuously worry about finances — borrowing money, spending money, making money.
For college students, finances involve paying for tuition, rent and groceries, but it also means filling out a FAFSA, applying for scholarships and planning ahead.
As a second-year college student who relies on my parents for certain things, my financial planning is still a work in progress, and probably always will be.
I do not know what sort of job I will have in two months, let alone two years. I do not yet know where I will live after college, or if I will want to stick around and pursue more schooling. For a college student, there can be so many things up in the air.
When any aspect of life becomes overly stressful or pressured, it is important to talk to someone — maybe a professional. So, when it comes to stress-inducing money questions and plans, I wonder why we do not always think to seek help from professionals in the realm of finances. They exist. So, why do we not immediately think to ask for help or direction?
The University of Idaho Student Financial Aid Services office is like a safe-haven for the most inexperienced of financial planners, like myself. It is a daunting task to take on financial aid forms and scholarship applications alone, so seeking extra guidance in the process is one of the greatest options for deterring financial stress.
Every student at UI — whether they know it or not — has a designated financial aid counselor, someone to answer questions, find the right forms and generally put students’ minds at ease.
It was not until recently that I scheduled a meeting with my financial aid counselor by making a quick phone call. Finding time among classes, extracurricular, work and some form of sleep to fit even the quickest of meetings can be a bit troublesome for a busy college student, but making that time is more than worth it.
The meeting I had with my financial aid adviser was like a therapy session and an informational awakening rolled into one 30-minute sit-down. I was definitely not expecting to feel a weight lifted off my shoulders after leaving the office, mainly because I did not know that I actually had quite a bit of stress about my own finances.
It can be easy to chalk up money worries to simply stressors that everyone carries. But, everyone is different.
For me, deep down, I wanted some sort of reassurance that my next two years in school would
be somewhat financially similar. Other students might need the opposite of what I was given. But, one thing is for sure: it can’t hurt to talk so someone knowledgeable about the topic of college monetary needs.
My session consisted of learning about available scholarships, ways to better streamline my future FAFSA applications, questions to ask my parents and ways to plan for my financial future at the university.
My little adventure down to the financial aid office helped me realize just how many hidden resources there are on campus in all aspects of the college experience. By utilizing those resources from time to time, students learn more about the university, their classes and even themselves.
Without searching around for some guidance and stumbling upon an incredibly helpful financial aid adviser, I might still be confused about certain scholarships and next fall’s tuition.
It is OK to worry about one’s finances — in fact it is probably good to always be a little concerned and frugal, but it should not impede on one’s college experience.
With a bit of organization and some direction, getting on top of financial planning before life gets too busy can be one of the easier parts of being a college student.
Hailey Stewart can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at Hailey_ann97