Pros and Cons of Student Loan Consolidation

Student loan consolidation is something students are beginning to consider because of the potential benefits that it can have on a long term basis. Like with most financial matters, student loan consolidation isn't all about positives, though. There are quite a few negatives to consider before pulling the trigger on consolidation. By considering all of the potential pros and cons, students and their parents can be sure to make an informed, responsible decision with their loan.

The pros of student loan consolidation are many. The most glaringly obvious positive to consolidating your student loans is the fact that consolidation can lead to reduced payments and interest rates. For students that have years of loans under their belt, this can be an important money saver and a way to jumpstart a financial future. Obviously, the resulting interest rate must be lower for the consolidation that in the prior loans.

As with most loan consolidations, there is the positive of having the loan more organized. Though a loan is something that college graduates should be able to keep up with, it never hurts to have only one payment instead of having to remember to make three or four different payments. With student loan consolidation, this is made possible. With only one payment being due, there's also the hope that your credit rating could be improved over the course of time.

Though the positives of student loan consolidation certain make it seem like something that all students should look into, there are also a few potential negatives for students and their parents to consider. Student loan consolidation is quite final, meaning that a decision to consolidate your student loans can not be reversed or changed. Once the consolidation is agreed upon, the student loans are paid off in full by the consolidating company and your payment responsibilities are shifted.

In addition to being final, student loan consolidation can be quite tricky. In order to gain this consolidation, one must work hard to find a reputable bank that is willing to lend the money. In addition to that, there's the problem of finding an acceptable interest rate as compared to the old rates. Because student loans can be both private and government funded, borrowers must weigh the risk of taking the government backing off of their loans.

Student loan consolidation must be done on two different fronts, which makes it especially troubling. The refinancing of federal student loans can be done at a very low interest rate and coupled with government backing, makes for a very easy transaction. Private student loans must be refinanced and consolidated separately, creating another hassle. Potential borrowers will find it especially difficult to find suitors in today's market. Lenders have tightened up their credit requirements, making it difficult for students to finance such loans with their lack of credit history.

There are many positives and negatives that come with the school loan consolidation process. Though it can be a way to stay organized and lower the payments, student loan consolidation is a little bit of a risk. Having such a large, unsecured loan in one place can have an ill impact on a person's credit and can be quite a responsibility for young adults.

by Glen Orenstein

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Community College Disadvantages

While there are many distinct advantages that can be associated with attending a community college there are a few disadvantages that I would be remiss in not mentioning. We all like to look at the positive side of things and the good in my opinion of community colleges, at least as a springboard for university learning far outweigh the bad. However, if you are considering community college as an option whether for your associate's degree alone or have plans to move along to the university level upon completion you should see the big picture and not just the sunshine and flowers.

The first thing you should be aware of, and this applies primarily to those students with plans to transfer, is that you should always consult the college you intend to attend next in order to make sure that the courses you are taking on the community college level are compatible with the core requirements for the university. In many cases they are similar enough to be considered compatible but there are exceptions and it is better to find this out sooner rather than later. If you plan to attend a University that is located near the community college you are attending you should check and see if they have some sort of articulation agreement that will allow associate's degree graduates to transfer seamlessly.

Many states are stepping in and passing laws that require colleges in their specific states to accept community college credits as transfer credits in an effort to keep qualified workers in the state. Some universities are even offering distance learning programs to associates degree graduates in order to allow access to students who live a greater distance from campus to have access to educational opportunities that would have been denied to them in the past. Of course if you live in one of these states, a former disadvantage may now work in your favor.

Many community colleges do not offer housing opportunities and most of those that do are still largely commuter campuses rather than residence campuses. Rather than spending funds on housing these colleges tend to reserve their spending to assist in academic pursuits. Community colleges in rural areas are much more likely than those in larger cities to offer housing on campus. The lack of on-campus housing makes participation in sports and other activities a little more difficult than colleges that are largely residential in nature.

If you decide to make a community college your last stop when it comes to your personal educational experience you will be denying yourself a great deal of earning potential over the course of your lifetime. For this reason you should seriously consider the benefits that transferring to a university will present for your educational goals.

My largest complaint when it comes to community colleges when compared to larger universities was the fact that there are such limited opportunities to take specific classes than when compared to those classes on a university level. You will find that you must remain within your sequence of courses on the community college level or you risk needing an extra semester or year in order to complete the requirements for your associate's degree. Universities tend to offer greater flexibility, especially in lower level courses that are required by all in order to graduate.

My other major complaint when it comes to community college is the fact that they often have much smaller libraries than universities. This seriously limits the ability that students have to do extensive research with the exception of rare cases. Universities simply have deeper pockets than the average community college. For this reason they will have bigger libraries and far more bells and whistles than the average community college. Hopefully we'll see this change over time as well. Despite the disadvantages that can be associated with community college educations, I feel that they are very much outweighed by the benefits that the community college learning environment offers.

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Financial Motivation for Two-Year Education

When coming to school, you will consider the proposition that expensive any way you see it. But there is, ways in which you can really reduce the overall costs to come to campus when you get your degree. The first method, which in many cases is the most preferred, is to attend a community school for your first two years of college education experience. Believe it or not, you can literally save thousands of dollars for two years on campus at the community level.

You'll hear all kinds of arguments about how better to attend all four years at a university. Universities almost always make the arguments. Unfortunately, their opinions are less biased in this case. Most universities offer a course that is equivalent to the public schools, which means that the first two years of study must be transferred without any problems or snags in the rocks along the road to degrees.

The universities make money each semester you begin class as a student. It is in their best interest financially to have you from the beginning rather than as a transfer. In fact, many universities offer lower level classes as auditorium classes. They pack more students into classes and have fewer professors or graduate students teaching the courses and maximize their money off the first and second year students rather than those in upper level courses. Yet another reason to consider a community college for the first two years of you education.

Getting back to the expenses of a community college, most community colleges are largely commuter campuses. This means you won't face the high housing costs that are associated with universities, particularly if you are attending college close to home. Community colleges also offer far less distractions that cost additional money than most major universities. This doesn't mean that there aren't ample social opportunities; it simply means that there are fewer of them. This also leaves fewer distractions than universities present when it comes to studying.

Community colleges simply cost less all around. While it would be nice if you could receive a full four year education at this level, they are able, for the most part, to keep expenses down by not requiring the level of qualification that universities require of their professors for upper level courses. You will have excellent, if not superior quality of education at lower levels than you would have on the university level, but you will also eventually need to move on to the university level in order to complete your education.

For this reason, you would do well to save half of your savings over university costs for each of the two years you are attending community college and apply it to your university education. This will ease the burden of the additional costs of the university and feel as though you are paying the same amount for tuition throughout your education regardless of the fact that you are literally saving thousands of dollars on your educational expenses.

Some states have educational savings plans that allow parents to save for tuition at current costs by enrolling. These plans cover two years of community college education and two years of university education. By locking in today's prices you are eliminating the inflation. When you consider the fact that college tuition is increasing at an alarming rate this is by far an excellent way to go. You should check with your state and see if they offer a similar plan to parents of younger children and what the requirements are in order to enroll your child today.

If you are looking for a real value in education whether or not you only go for your two year degree of move on to a university in order to finish your four-year degree you should find that a community college education offers a significant value for the money. Most people find that every penny they spent in a community college was a penny well spent.

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