Student Loans Should be Last Resort

Student loans are both a blessing and a curse to college students all across the country. On one hand, student loans allow you to have the money you need in many cases to attend college at all. On the other hand, most college students, particularly those entering college for the first time have inflated opinions of their starting salaries upon graduation and the bills they will face while living in the real world. In fact, most freshmen college students have no real concept of the limits of money in which to base their decisions as to whether or not they can realistically expect to repay those funds once they've graduated college.

The sad truth is that many college graduates find that for the first 10-15 years after they have graduated college, they are essentially indentured servants to their student loan debts. There are many reasons for this and different college graduates will find different things about their student loans when the appropriate time comes. First of all, those taking out student loans need to understand that a college degree does not guarantee a high starting salary. Beyond that, a college degree is no guarantee that there will be employers lining up to take your name and number upon graduation. The truth is that most college grads take anywhere from 6 months to a year to find a job in their fields and even then the starting salaries are often far less than anticipated.

Part of the blame for over-inflated expectations is the fault of universities attempting to validate their high tuition rates by displaying average starting salaries of only those that have successful offers in the field of study immediately upon graduation (which usually indicates a history of working with the company or another company as an intern prior to being hired) and not those students who have no prior work experience in their chosen fields. Part of the expectations is students reading job advertisements for experienced workers in a field and assuming that an education will provide the experience that employers require. Regardless of the reason, most starting salary expectations are not realistic in light of the current market.

The problem is that for many students a student loan is the difference in receiving a college education or not receiving one. For these students, there is no option. The price they will pay (with interest) for having student loans in order to get through the educational process will repay itself over the course of a lifetime if they are wise about making the necessary payments and stay on top of things such as consolidation loans and making payments on time.

Student loans are a great tool for those who have no other options when it comes to attending and affording to attend a university. On the other hand, for those who do not have an absolute need for the funds a student loan can provide they can prove to be problematic when trying to establish your career and your lifestyle upon graduation. This is a tool for education that should be used sparingly at best.

Whether or not you choose to take out student loans in order to fund your college education it is a good idea if you exhaust all other available resources first. Check out your options for grants, scholarships, and work-study programs before leaping into student loans to pay for your education.

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Fuel your Higher Education needs through Loan Consolidation

It has always been believed, a person with the power of knowledge can go on to achieve a lot more than those without it. In this age as well, it is a thought which is true and holds a lot of weight. In fact, due to this notion, a number of financial institutions and banks have started providing loan assistance to those students who are looking to further enhance their educational qualifications.

Students are also being equipped with right kind of knowledge and financial information with regard to loan packages available by such banks and financial institutions. Information on loan consolidation is being provided to those students who find it tough to finance their own education. In a country like the US, the government has been very proactive and it has started giving students a federal government student consolidation loan – nothing but a mix of various loans taken by a student. With the interest rate also very nominal, it is meant for a students’ community where guardians and parents can’t afford spending a huge amount on their education.

Easily repayable in instalments on completion of education, loan consolidation saves a student the hassle of paying different lenders with different interest rates. Over here, the period required for repayment of loan can vary anywhere from 10 to 30 years. However, the longer the period, the greater is the amount one pays.

Features of Loan Consolidation
• Flexible schedules, fixed interest rate and no hefty loan processing fee means a student is not under an immense burden while taking a loan.

• With no minimum loan amount limit, anyone, even with a bad loan history, is still eligible for the consolidated federal loan.

• Endorsed by the Federal government itself, the student loan consolidation program is in every sense a student-friendly gesture.

The Internet provides a great deal
of information and starting tips on how to look for the best banks and financial institutions specialising in loan consolidation. A premier financial services
provider like the Australian Lending Centre specialises in loan consolidation activities. As a student, you can avail a great deal of benefits by consolidating your existing loans into one.

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The True Value of a Two-Year College

There was a time when the people who have a high school education still have the opportunity to build a better world for themselves and their families. It will quickly become another dead heat in the past. If you wish to have the potential for a significant period you almost entirely limited by your potential to learn and level of education that have been received.

The good news is that you do not need to have or not have all approach when it comes to education. You can start with baby steps when it comes to higher education. If you have a community school in your area, this is one of the major resources for the beginning of your college education at any stage in your life. Most public schools offer classes at various times throughout the day and night, even a few hours Saturday to accommodate the students of various ages and backgrounds.

Community colleges also offer an excellent opportunity to begin your learning quest in a manner that is much more easily affordable to the average citizen than a full-blown university. These colleges are largely commuter colleges though there are several that allow students the experience of living on a college campus at a much lower price than most major universities charge for the same or very similar privileges.

Community colleges also allow you to explore your options if you aren't really sure what direction you wish for your education to take without paying such a high price for the process. If you know the career path you wish to take you might find a two-year degree program that can have you out of school and in a career much sooner than a four-year program will allow. If that isn't good enough news for you, many of the two-year programs of study that are offered at the community college level may very well transfer quite easily into bachelor degree programs at the university level.

Community colleges offer an excellent start for many people who are seeking higher education whether to further their careers or just to find fulfillment on a personal level in life. There are many wonderful programs in vocational fields as well as academic fields that can be explored and studies on the community college level.

For graduating high school students community colleges help students ease into the adjustment from high school to college without going through the culture shock that some universities can put students through. You will find that there are often many opportunities to meet educational as well as social needs on the community college level for students that are interested in pursuing a community college education.

You should also discover that community colleges are much easier to budget when it comes to setting aside funds and savings for either your personal college education or the educational expenses of your children. Having them attend a community college for two years then transferring to a University can save a great deal of money and provide you a little piece of mind that your children are still receiving an excellent level of education.

Seriously, if you are looking for an excellent value when it comes to education you would be doing yourself or your children a disservice if you do not check out the community college options in your area before taking the plunge and diving into the university lifestyle. You will find that community colleges often offer an equal level of education for the introductory classes that first and second year college students often take, they are a much better value for the money, and they are an outstanding values for those who are trying to juggle their education with family and work responsibilities.

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