NRCC News

Community College Awareness Month: 10 Costly Mistakes Students Make While in College

Apr 11 2017

This is an archived article!

This article was published on Apr 11 2017 and was archived on Apr 12 2018. The information below may be outdated or inaccurate.

The only thing worse than student debt is unnecessary student debt. I mean, really, why would you want to spend years of your life making payments on something you never needed?

While it's great to learn from your mistakes, it's so much easier to learn from someone else's. In that spirit, below are 10 costly, and avoidable, mistakes that students make while in college.

1. They have no idea what they want to do: Higher education is supposed to expand your horizons and introduce you to new things. It's not uncommon for students to change majors once they're enrolled. The vast majority of students enroll in college majoring in, "I don't know." What sense does it make to go thousands of dollars into debt for, "I don't know?" Use a free tool, like the Virginia Education Wizard (https://www.vawizard.org/wizard/home), to get a sense of what appeals to you and what fits your skills. That way you'll have at least a sense of direction before entering campus.

2. They wait until college to do college work: Why pass up a chance to earn some college credit at what's often a reduced price? New River Valley high schools hold Dual Enrollment agreements with NRCC. These agreements allow students to take college-level classes while still in high school. Ask your school counselor or Career Coach about it. Use these credits to jump-start your pursuit of a degree.

3. They never use their community college (Part I): Even if your goal is a bachelor's degree, your community college can save you time and money along the way. Thanks to an amazing collection of Guaranteed Transfer Agreements, you can take your first two years at a Virginia community college and graduate. That can earn you a guaranteed spot as a junior at one of more than 30 universities. Did I mention that community college class sizes are usually smaller?https://www.nr.edu/transfer/

4. They never use their community college (Part II): You can use your community college while you are enrolled in a university. Sometimes, it can mean scheduling a class that you really need, but it doesn't jive with your university schedule. Other times, it can mean taking a summer class to stay on schedule. Besides, tuition and fees are only about one-third what you'll pay at a public university. Why pay extra for the same composition class?

5. They take too long to finish: No matter where you go to college, take 15 credit hours every semester. The college experience can be a blast. We get that. But the meter's running. And memories of even the best college experience can be tainted by a long, unforgiving (and expensive) headache like unnecessary college debt.

6. Missing out on scholarships and financial aid: Oh, those pesky deadlines. Missing those means missing opportunities to finance your college education. Make it a point to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible. You can qualify for grants or federal loans. "Loans." There's that word again. But, student loans are not like regular bank loans - the interest rate is almost always lower. In some cases, much lower. Need more information? You can use this tool, https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/estimate, to determine your eligibility for financial aid.

7. Not planning ahead: Making new friends when you're in college is both fun and a great professional networking opportunity. Today's classmates may well be tomorrow's colleagues. And building relationships with your instructors can help you land internships, not to mention the free advice they're apt to offer when asked.

8. Not creating a budget: Budgeting your money is a full-time job when you go to college. Several ways to save money are to use your student ID for discounts and be sure to take advantage of free events. In addition to going easy on your wallet, the latter will afford you ample professional networking opportunities.

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