The Broke College Students' Guide to Holiday Gift Giving

Your college years will perhaps be the greatest and most expensive years of your life. After pushing out so much money to pay for school, you may find it hard to come up with extra money to spend on holiday gifts for friends and family. This guide on JoblessNCollege.com is filled with gift ideas that mean a lot but don't cost a lot. Check them out!

Happy Holidays!

College Students and the Billion-dollar Bailout

As one of millions of college students watching helplessly as our economy weakens and our leaders scramble to keep it afloat, I wondered how all of this mess would affect us. This article on JoblessNCollege.com provides a synopsis of what I discovered. It points out the good and the bad effects that this bill will likely have on students absent of timelines. No one really knows how soon we'll start seeing the bailout's impact or how long it's effects last.

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Vote to Save Money on Education

Next year, this country will have new leadership. The presidential elections are right around the corner and the choice you make this November can greatly impact your financial aid future and the accessibility of higher education for those who come behind you.

According to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (USPIRG), Congress passed the College Cost Reduction and Access Act last year which lowered interest rates on subsidized Federal Stafford loans from 6.8% to 6.0% as of July 1st, 2008. A study by USPIRG estimates that this move will save the average four-year college student starting school in 2008 with subsidized Stafford loans about $2,570 over the life of his or her loans.

This Act had many other benefits for college students, most of which are well summarized here.

Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, was a part of the Conference Committee that helped push this bill through. In fact, the first bill he introduced as a Senator was aimed at making college more affordable.

Interestingly, Republican nominee, John McCain voted against the College Cost Reduction and Access Act and has in the past opposed other such legislative efforts that support public and higher education.

This is not a political blog so we're not telling you who to vote for. Just be aware that Congress and the President have the power to enact legislation that impact federal financial aid policies which in turn can either help us or hurt us when it's time to repay student loans. The outcome of this election will directly affect what legislation will succeed in the next four years since ultimately, the president must approve it.

College School Year Planning Checklists

FastWeb has published four helpful chronological checklists to help college students stay organized and plan out major things to do as the school year progresses. Each list highlights items that a student should be doing or planning to do at each part of each year leading up to graduation. These are great to print out and hang on your wall or post in your notebook to help you keep track of important things to do as the year progresses. Here's a preview of the items they suggested for each year of college:

Freshmen

• Familiarize yourself with campus resources: health center, student center, libraries, gym, cafeterias, financial aid office, academic department offices, etc.
• Research local banking options and open a checking account. If you're planning to get a credit card, read the fine print on all offers.
• Meet with your faculty advisor to discuss courses, extracurricular activities and career building options.
• Gather financial records and materials you need for the FAFSA. The form is available January 1st.
• Start applying for scholarships from private organizations. Check your FastWeb search results for new scholarships.

Sophomores

• Declare a major (and minor) if ready. Some schools require students to declare their major by the end of the fall term.
• Select a volunteer organization you'd like to get involved with. Community service can help you gain practical experience while building up your resume.
• Put together your resume, including academic record, extracurricular activities, honors and volunteer work.
• Explore alternative career planning options such as: assisting a professor with research, international internships, mentoring programs and independent study.

Juniors

• Map out the classes you'll need to take for the next two years in order to finish on time.
• Start taking leadership roles in clubs, activities and volunteer organizations. Employers are impressed by students who take initiative and demonstrate leadership skills.
• Begin identifying possible career paths. Create a target list of industries and companies you'd like to work for and research them.
• Meet with your faculty adviser to discuss plans for summer and next fall.
• Senior
• If you're planning to go to graduate school, begin studying for the required standardized test - typically the MCAT, LSAT, GRE or GMAT.

Seniors

• Sign up for on-campus interviews. Check your career center for workshops on interviewing, networking and negotiating.
• Conduct informational interviews with professionals in your career field. Ask to shadow a professional for a day to find out about the daily routine of that career.
• Join professional organizations in your field. They can be a good source for contacts and job leads.
• Use free job-search Web sites like Monster.com. Their job boards have comprehensive and up-to-date job listings.
• Review job offers. Make sure to look at the whole package - benefits, opportunities for advancement, location, corporate culture.
• Create a loan repayment plan. Use online loan calculators to help set up your plan.

Fastweb has done a great job of breaking down the major steps that are important in each phase of a college career. Many of the items they listed are pretty common sense but what's most helpful is the time range they give for when to begin and when to be done with those common sense items. For example, everyone knows they have to get a resume together eventually but how many students really begin piecing it together in their sophomore or even their freshman year so that when the time comes to use it, they're well prepared.

Full lists: Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior

Bookstore Spotlight - Getting from College to Career

Do you ever find yourself thinking ahead to your post-graduation future? What will it be like? How will you get there? Check out the book "Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World" by Lindsey Pollak.

Lindsey offers college students and recent grads the essential, action-oriented guidance you need to get a foot in the door of the real world.

Personally, I love it. My copy is full of post-its. It's an easy read yet it's filled with great advice and career preparation strategies. It's one of those books that you can just pick up once a day, read for 2 minutes, and get something meaningful and useful out of.

Check out the book and reviews from others who bought it here: http://www.joblessncollege.com/r/collegetocareer.php