Just for fun, I thought I’d throw out what I learned (and wish I had learned) either before starting college or during college.
Learn how to cook
This is the time of your life where you’re old enough to be let near a hot stove, and you have the free time to actually LEARN how to cook. Not to mention all the freeloading friends you’ve got who are totally willing to be your guinea pigs.
In this time, I learned basics of cooking meat, veggies, rice, sushi, and slowly started experimenting with sauces and techniques.
I’m by no means a chef, but given some potatoes, chicken, spices, and a pan, I can whip up a pretty tasty dish if I do say so myself in a half hour or less.
Plus, it teaches you organization and how to manage your time (like leaving the potatoes to roast slowly while you prepare the chicken, because it takes a shorter amount of time to cook chicken).
It’ll also save you a ton of money and you can entertain at home, impress friends, girlfriends, boyfriends and weasel them into doing dirty things like cleaning in exchange for nosh.
This advice goes for sewing/mending clothes, doing your laundry and all those little life skills you should be learning and not making your poor mother still do for you every weekend you come back to visit.
Get a job
A part-time job won’t kill you, and it’ll not only give you some spending cash, but you’ll get to meet new friends/co-workers, it keeps you out of trouble, keeps you busy, and makes your organize your time better.
I had a couple of part-time and full-time jobs during school, and I found that I became incredibly efficient when I knew I had to get work done, and I had other obligations to meet.
It was a great life lesson/skill to learn, and I’m glad I went through the challenges of juggling school/work. Plus, you can start building your network early, who knows if you’ll need to be in contact with them in the future for a job or an opportunity?
You never know.
Learn how to manage your money
Go out. Have fun. Drink. Shop. Party.
Just remember that if you’re on student loans (the way I was), you’ll have to pay them back eventually, and when you do, 2 of things are bound to happen
1. You’re going to feel like you don’t make enough money (net) with your new job to cover bills AND student debt.
2. You’re going to regret having blown $200/weekend on partying because you could’ve saved more and been ahead of the game when you started working.
I experienced both, which is kind of effed up because I do make good money ($67,000), but when you take away taxes, bills, and whatever else, it amounts to not-very-much at the end of the month IF, IF, IF, IF you continue that lifestyle of eating out and drinking every weekend and blowing money like it’s water.
That’s when I began that kind of monk-like regime to really kill my debt, but it hasn’t been fun depriving myself for the past 2.5 years, let me tell ya…
The end is in sight, but only after I really, REALLY cut back on everything I was used to.
Which brings me to my next point..
Get used to living frugally on a student budget and stick to it
Everyone says this little nugget of wisdom, but it is SO TRUE.
Generally speaking once people make more money, they begin spending more as a result. The key is to make more money but keep your current lifestyle.
I’m not talking about eating only ramen every day, or refusing to pay for TV or a telephone just so you can buy the newest Vogue magazine — I’m talking about being careful with your purchases.
Example: Buying a car?
Do you really need that souped up Honda? Or can you live with something less expensive and more manageable?
Or no car at all if you can swing it? How about public transportation for the first 2 years until you are in a good financial position to pay cash and not lease it or have to make monthly payments?
Don’t stress out about grades so much
Life isn’t about school, grades, percentages and making it on the Dean’s List. Who cares if you got an 85 instead of a 90 on a paper? WHO CARES?
What matters is that you get the degree in the end, you learned something useful during school and you can get a job out of it.
No employer is EVER going to ask you what your marks were in a certain course, and use that to judge taking you over someone else.
And as you gain more experience in the industry and make contacts, THAT is more important than what you got in school.
What you learn and what you get in school is only good enough to get you that interview and through that door.
That’s it. Then it’s done; all 4 years of hard work, all hinging on the first 3 months of trying to get into the right industry/business.
After that, it’s just hard work and elbow grease.
Case in point, because I’m not just talking out of my ass:
I graduated with average marks from a good business school with honours, and out of sheer luck (and hard work I daresay), I could be making as much, if not double or triple the amount as someone who stressed themselves out during business school to get that extra 5% over me.
So just chill (frugally). Learn how to cook. Enjoy being a freeloading student with your friends, and make them your friends for life.
Work hard, but only hard enough to do average-to-well, get the degree and get out into the real world. (Naturally, VERY good grades if you can hack it without killing yourself is ideal because it makes getting that first job easier, but not necessary).
(Don’t tell your parents I said that. 😛 Let’s keep it between us.)
Don’t keep up with the Joneses
So what if Betty got an iPhone 3G? You’re not the one who blew $300 she didn’t have in the bank account just to have the hottest phone on campus, PLUS upped her cellphone and data plan bill to $70 when you were doin’ juuuust fine with a landline phone at $20/month.
There’s no need to prove who’s Marc Jacob’s clutch is bigger than the other, because when Betty graduates, she’s going to just keep upping her lifestyle with every small gross salary increase, and you’re just going to be chillin’ like a villain because you made some smart financial decisions during your college years.
This advice also goes for anything like shoes, bags, blowouts at the salon, manicures, pedicures, spa trips, clothing binges, shopping sprees and trips during Spring Break to try and outdo one another.
I’m not saying deprive yourself and NEVER EVER buy a Marc Jacob’s bag, but if you are going to do it, make sure you can afford it without having to scrounge for rent money and turn some tricks to make ends meet.
Don’t buy textbooks if you can help it
I found that I could always borrow one (maybe split the cost with someone?) and generally speaking my textbooks stayed in their shrinkwrap, untouched, unused because everything I needed to learn or understand was taught in class. And I took very good notes.
You’ll know within the first half of the semester if you really need a textbook. There’ll still be time to buy it, so don’t rush to buy it right away.
And if you do buy it, look for used textbooks because the newest editions probably just changed a comma or the foreword and now they’re gonna charge you 50% more just because it’s in a new, shiny wrapper. Don’t be a sucker.
Invest in a laptop if you can afford it
It’s nice to have something you can bring around campus, or to a friend’s house, or to just use in a coffee shop to do work while you’re waiting for your girls to show up.
Well worth the cash, and is much more portable than a desktop. Because what happens if you want to do a bit of studying in between class, but you don’t have time to run back to your desktop in the dorm?
Just pull out your laptop and get cracking.
I can’t live without a laptop now if I’m to keep working. LOL. Desktops are only worth it as a secondary computer (backup), but I find I rarely need it.
Don’t get suckered into getting Free Stuff
I’m talking about those shady credit card application booths that show up during orientation week and ask you to sign up for a credit card to win a free bag/shirt/waterbottle/whatever.
It’s just junk anyway, that free stuff. It’ll clutter your life and make you sick.
Avoid signing up for a credit card at those booths, and apply for one through a bank that has reward points (like President’s Choice Mastercard that gives me grocery/pharmacy points), and it’ll save you cash in the long run.
And keep to only ONE credit card. Don’t ruin your credit rating just for a free beer bong, and because you want to floss for your friends with a Platinum University-specific Card.
That’s pretty much all the tips I had off the top of my head. Any others from the readers?
Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver.
I cleared $60,000 in 18 months earning $65,000 gross/year.
Now I am self-employed, and you can read more about 
Excellent tips! I (mildly) obsess over my GPA (3.5 minimum)because I love, love, love scholarship money, enjoy my classes and don’t need to work overly hard to get A’s. That being said, I am a recovering perfectionist and chronic overachiever, so it is always nice to hear that getting a B is not a catastrophe.
Your blog always gives me some badly needed perspective. Thanks! 🙂
C’s get degrees. lol.
I have heard that some majors are required to send their transcripts to employers and that a GPA might count on the first job such as for teachers, accountants, and engineers. But I’ve heard for the most part your GPA doesn’t matter. Just the degree.
I’m not going to kill myself to get a perfect 4.0. I had a 4.0 at some point but now I’d rather focus on other things. I’m not that person who is going to be obsessed with straight As and a perfect GPA. I’ve had to take some classes like intro to communication that didn’t interest me but it was required so I had to take it. I managed to skate by with a B because I wasn’t interested in that course. I got a C in anthropology. Another boring class.
Oh well. I’m trying to keep my GPA at a 3.4 minimum in case employers want to check for the first job. If it goes higher that is great, but if not, I’m not going to be a basket case about it.
Some people are nuts for maintaining a 4.0 I couldn’t care less. I just wanted the degree, and DECENT marks. My degree was an Honours degree, so I couldn’t drop below a certain point or I’d be kicked out.
love the advice and I adore your blog thanks!!
You all make really good points about the grades. I’m not saying to flunk out or get 70s if you can make it to 80s with a bit of hard work, but I’m just saying that the difference of 7-10% of a mark is not that big of a deal 🙂
Getting awesome grades is always a good idea, but if you know what you’re going to go into later, just be smart and assess that maybe grades aren’t everything, but networking at dance class could land you a great job later.
Good luck to the commenters starting University or already in it 🙂
your blog is awesome . i don’t know if you’re going to even see this, seeing as this is a few days old. i REALLY wish someone had given me this advice when i went to college. most of your “dont’s” are things I DID, with the exception of getting a job. I had one of those 🙂 in any case, i wanted to say that if you plan to go to grad school or law school, you do need that sweet 3.9 GPA- most top schools toss your app if you have anything under a 3.7. and we can’t have that! so people that want to go to harvard law or whatever are going to need to obsess about – you know, “women in burmese history 301” or whatever. i did and I’m glad i did. It depends on what you want to do. but you are one smart lady.
i agree with the grades thing- so far no potential employee has asked me about my grades. only a copy of your degree. it’s how you get thru the interview!
This could be the best advice I’m going to get befor going to college. thanks for it! (:
Defintely thought this was a great article FB! I remember my college days (sometimes I wish I could bring them back), and lived by these same rules (with some modification). But they’re all true. I had 2 part time jobs (RA and I worked off-campus). I love to shop, so I saved my money from work to go shopping and go out. The money my parents sent me I used for groceries. And the funds I got from the school for being an RA, I applied to tuition, since I didn’t eat on campus that much (really, there’s but so many chicken tenders a girl can eat and retain her shape).
Glad to see you gave some great advice. I’m gonna subscribe to your page, cuz we’re in the same boat!!
FB,
I am so trying to master the ways of a broke college student right now since I’m going back this fall. I especially like the part of not keeping up with everybody else. Awesome post!!!
XOXO
Athena
This is a very good list. The only thing I would add about the marks is a caveat: if you are capable of getting very high marks with minimal effort, DO IT.
I went to (a Canadian) school for free for years due to automatic scholarships. My high school marks were terrible, but my university marks were Dean’s List and because my school was medical-doctoral this meant a lot of scholarships awarded without even applying. We’re talking free tuition and books. I also got a massive entrance scholarship when I went to do a second degree and access to cushy on campus jobs (at my school, the secret to on campus jobs was a good transcript), which worked well with my academic schedule and paid well (and let us have time off around exams).
I had a ton of fun in the meantime, though, and was active in student life and sports and… let’s just say I get free cover to more than one local bar due to high attendance records. My first degree was debt free (and self funded), my second was only have student-loan supported.
However, I realize that this doesn’t apply to everyone and I would keep my extracurricular life over my impressive transcript if I had to go back and choose, any day.
OH. And the last advice I would add: use university to learn how to network. Developing social skills is more linked to economic success than you would think, and it will increase your odds of getting hooked up with a good job upon graduation or even way off in the future. That includes peers, but also professors and support staff. Don’t be sleazy, but learn how to leave impressions on people. It’s a lot easier when they’re not paying your salary yet.
I agree with everything except the point about your grades. I went to a very good university and finished with a B average (B+ in my major, finance). I thought that with my part time job and all my extraciriculars (sp?) no one would question why I didn’t have straight As. I had an interviewer say that it looked like I was too busy to take my classes seriously and I wasn’t given interviews to many jobs based on GPA. In the end I really enjoy my current job, but don’t neglect your GPA, because it might close doors.
In reference to today’s posting, I know you are generally all over this, but make sure that you are investing in health insurance (which will be about $200 a month). Or is that all covered in Canada?
hey fabulous post! I read your blog all the time but don’t have a blogger account. I love most of your posts, and this one definitely speaks to me…I leave sunday for university, for the first time. I’m all sorts of nervous and excited! But the textbook thing I’m figuring out. the library has copies I can borrow until I determine which ones I need myself. I started cooking for myself when I became vegetarian 5 years ago, I can do my laundry and such. I’ve never had a job though and I’m taking on a full course load first semester, but hopefully I’ll ease up on classes and get a job in the future. Thanks FB!
While in school, take a personal finance class. I think it should be mandatory, but it’s not.
Regarding a car, my PF teach said to buy your second car first. Meaning, a lot of people when buying their first car will buy something really flashy and not so practical. Then they trade it in for something more useful later. This is not good for your finances, as it gets really expensive to switch cars when it’s not even paid off or just after it’s paid off.
Same goes with moving. While some college students cannot avoid it during school, afterwards, try to stay in one place for a while, because every time you move you have to spend money, and it adds up. So choose wisely on where to live so you don’t have to keep moving.
Nice one! I don’t think I have anything new, but I wanted to expand on your “learn to cook” one…learn to do as much as you can!
If you’ve always wanted to try out dancing, take dance classes! Chances are they are offered cheaper at your school. Take an art class, try the pottery wheel…in other words, don’t be afraid to try new things, because you never know where you’ll find your new passion! (And you never know if you’ll have the opportunity to try something like that again in the future) During college you have a lot more time than you will when you’re working full time. They don’t call it “the real world” for no reason!
Great post FB! I really liked some of the advice. I know I need to work on the cooking/life skills section. I am hopefully going to get a job this semester, although I feel like managing my money is a goal that will never be accomplished! If anyone has inspired me to try though it has been you!!
Can’t agree strongly enough about the working while studying thing. I worked all the way through university (in my final year I was almost working full time). When you leave uni and are looking for your first real job, employers love it when you can show that you didn’t party the last 4 years away. It shows proven time-management skills and maturity.
Awesome list, FB, I like it. 🙂 I’m rather attached to my low end student budget/lifestyle with the few expensive things mixed in… Keeps me focused.
I definitely agree with the textbook thing, it’s making me wonder about my one zoology book, I might hold off on that one… Maybe chemistry too, I’m not sure. The ones I bought (business course with necessary computer software and calculus) are more likely than not going to be needed. I avoided $300 worth of books last semester by just not buying them, and aced the class anyhow. (And ended up with one other that I didn’t need, but sold other books to pay for it so it kinda evened out a bit and wasn’t a waste of money. Sort of.) Textbooks suck.
And yes, I need my souped up Honda. 😉 She’s my hubby’s car anyways, but I can steal her every now and then. 😛 Other than that, I daily drive my 11 year old Miata and am just as happy with her as when I get to drive the S2k, they’re just fun in different ways.
But I’m afraid I’ll continue to freak about grades… And continue the elusive pursuit of a 4.0. (I was one A away last semester. Ugh.) Unfortunately, grades matter when it comes to medical school. (I think law school too, yes?) And they matter a LOT. Not to mention the five million other things (Or so it feels…) that I have to do just to make myself an attractive candidate for the med schools. (Working, volunteering, joining clubs, holding leadership positions, etc.) It’s CRAZY sometimes.
I totally agree with you about the blowing 200 bucks a weekend… I wish i could have all my booze money back. I’d be rich!