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
Working at
a university I interact with professors on a daily basis. I am often in the
middle to help students communicate more effectively. As a student myself I
reach out to my own professors when I have questions and I have always had a
pleasurable experience for the most part. I’m currently taking a literature review
course with a professor who is a stickler for all things grammar and APA. One
of the course required books included purchasing an APA manual but being on a
debt free budget I figured I could just skim online to get the basics.
Figure 1: This is a thumbnail of my latest YouTube video “Did My Professor Get Me Together?!” where I am looking at the camera with a serious look. I have on a yellow shirt that says, “Black girl magic” and my hand is under my chin.
I typically use Owl Purdue anyway and do just fine with sticking to APA guidelines. Before spring break, I completed a dissertation review of four studies where I analyzed each one’s literature review. I figured my APA format was on point although it was two pages short. My professor graded it rather quickly and I ended up getting a 90! Since I had never made anything higher than a B in this course I was hype!
Figure 2: This is a photo of Kermit
the frog saying “Yaaayyy!” he is seated on the edge of a desk with his arms in
the air and his mouth open.
The professor asked me if I had any questions and how did I feel about
the course so far and I informed him that I felt good about the course but that
I probably should purchase an APA manual. His response was “Goodness Alexis; indeed,
you must purchase a new manual and then review it!” I responded with “Will do”
lol. After reading the email I paused and asked myself “Did my professor just
get me together?”
Figure 3: This is a photo of
Zendaya with an annoyed look.
I thought
it was rather funny and agreed that I needed to get one. I have seen less than
stellar communication between professors and students, so this was a good
laugh. The most important thing to remember is when communicating with your
professors always respond appropriately. If you feel that it is something that needs
to be looked into further, then reach out to an advisor or other staff member who
can assist you. What’s the funniest thing a professor has said to you? Drop
down in the comments and let me know! Be sure to head over to YouTube to check out my latest video. Don’t
forget to subscribe!
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