January 28, 2022 marked my one year anniversary of paying off my student loans . Reflecting back on choosing to pay off my student loans leaves me with several take a ways that I want to share with you! In September 2020 I decided to become debt free by utilizing the debt snowball method to pay off all my debt. Before this I had struggled to save and really understand basic financial principles. As a first-generation college student, I received a scholarship to attend undergrad for free, but the scholarship did not cover summers. During the summers I took out student loans to cover costs without paying interest rates or how much I was taking out. By the end of undergrad I had amassed a little under $17K. Fast forward to graduate school I received another scholarship that covered my education. At the time I was a teacher in a new very expensive city and I had missed the cutoff to have my paycheck last me throughout the summer. So, I decided to take out a loan for two summers to keep
Alright guys we are half way through the summer semester and
I thought I would do a simple check-in to see how things were going! If you are
a student then you know the summer semester goes by quick due to the courses
typically lasting about 6-8 weeks. This means there is most likely an assignment
and test or quiz due every week! Check out the tips below to ensure that you
aren’t getting left behind this summer.
Figure 1: This a thumbnail for my YouTube video on “Summer Check-In” where I am smiling while sitting in my office.
Check your grades AND
email daily. I check my grades every morning to ensure that nothing is
missing and everything that I completed has been accounted for. I also check my
email multiple times a day which recently helped a lot when my professor
emailed me to tell me that I missed a question on an assignment and needed to
re-upload it ASAP. Imagine if I had missed that!
Failed an Assignment?
Reach out ASAP! If you have failed an assignment, exam, or quiz reach out
to your professor ASAP to inquire if you can still pass the course. If you will
not be able to pass the course contact your Academic Advisor to ask about your
next steps. For example, you will need to ask if you should drop the course so
that your GPA does not take a nose dive. If you choose to drop a course you may
need to pay back any accepted financial aid so be sure to ask about this as
well.
I Can’t Pay for
Courses! What Do I Do? Check out my blog titled “Summer
Aid Won’t Cover My Courses! What Do I Do?”
How Are You Staying Organized? Do
you use a planner or some sort of organizer that you keep track of assignments
in? Do you actually use it on a daily basis? Many students get lost during the
summer because they do not have a system to keep track of assignments. If this
is you and you want to be successful during the summer get a planner and QUICK! I would also recommend an accountability partner or someone who makes sure that you are staying on top of things. This should be someone who is already organized and meeting their goals. This could be a close friend or classmate!
Are you enrolled in summer courses? If so, how are things going
for you? Drop down in the comments and let me know! Be sure to check out my
latest YouTube video and tell me what you think!
SUBSCRIBE: Summer
Semester Check-In!
Coupon Code: Ms. Duggan
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