Living Like a Student
While attending school, you should be aware that you are a student. There is no reason to be living a luxurious life you cannot afford just to fit in society. There is no reason to be driving a BMW or buying a brand new car. There is no reason to be spending tons of money in new clothes or expensive trips. Instead have a used car that you do not have to worry about making payments every month, find cheap and affordable ways to travel if that can be in your budget, if not, it’s okay to wait until you graduate, it will all be worth it at the end.
Also don’t waste money trying to keep up with fashion, only buy what is necessary and try to take care of all your things. Use Facebook pages from your school, such as Craigslist and other for sale pages to get items that can be expensive. These include iPhones, watches, cameras, and other items. You can even buy used clothes for specific occasions such as dresses for ceremonies or galas, or simply ask friends to let you borrow that way you can save money.
Be Resourceful
Just because everybody lives in an apartment during their college years, doesn’t mean you can’t have a different experience. I lived in a scholarship house in an organization called Southern Scholarship Foundation my entire undergraduate years and I currently live in a graduate scholarship house. I live with another 10 girls in a beautiful home and they are like my family. Instead of having to get a lease and pay about $500 a month plus worrying about getting groceries and other bills, I only spend $900 for my food and services bill per semester in my scholarship. This includes everything in my living expenses such as rent, food, electricity, WiFi, cable and a family away from home. I love living here because I can save tons of money and it’s such a homey environment. We have work jobs, cleaning duties, and responsibilities we must comply with, but it only helps you become a better person. It has helped me balance my time better, it has made me a team player, become an organized person, and I learned to understand other’s differences and cultures.
Apply for scholarships
The reality is that there is always free money for students who want to continue their education. Just because you are a graduate student does not mean you cannot get scholarship. You might not get as many but you can still get some. Before starting PA schools, I desperately looked for local scholarships in my hometown, Naples FL, and I also searched for national scholarships such as the Service Corps Scholarship, and Veterans Affair Scholarship. I only applied to a few local scholarships and I ended up getting one from the Naples Seminole Club that was $500. This helped me cover some of my tuition since I only wanted to take out just what I needed to cover my classes. I was also accepted to receive the service corps scholarships, but unfortunately they ran out of funds and they gave all of the money to the second year PA students. I will be reapplying this year and hoping I can get it. If you are a regular college student or a pre PA student I will create another blog on how I attended college for free, received more than 13 scholarships, and graduated with $17,000 in the bank.
Creating a budget
It’s easy to get caught up spending money, but the reality is that when you are so busy in PA school you don’t even have time to go anywhere and spend money. However it’s important to know exactly where your money is going. Wether it’s rent, utilities, phone bill, car bill, what you should spend going out, eating out, and saving money in every way possible.
Avoid eating out as much as possible, you will be spending tons of unnecessary money and eating unhealthy. Try to meal prep and buy groceries to make sure you are still having a balanced nutrition and not wasting time cooking everyday. When going out, try to limit yourself to visiting luxurious clubs and expensive restaurants, stay within your budget but also treat yourself once in a while to something you enjoy.
You can easily create an excel document and see what all your monthly expenses are in order to know how much money you need and what loans you need to take out. If not necessary do not take unnecessary loans because the interest accumulates and you will working twice as hard to pay that once you graduate.
HELPFUL LINKS
Southern Scholarship Foundation is located in 3 different university campuses in Florida. Those include: Florida State University, University of Florida, and Florida Gulf Coast University. All of these universities currently have a PA school, so if you want to live here during your PA school time, visit https://www.southernscholarship.org/