I’ve had more friends feel crushed by student loans than anything. Before and during college, I worked hard to not have to take out any student loans. I just refused to do it. I had a lot of my school paid for with grants, some on a ministry scholarship, and most of the rest my parents took care of. I also worked a full time job AND a part time job when I was in school. BUSY!
Here’s my practical advice on student loans:
If you want to avoid student loans, go after grants and scholarships! This means your GPA needs to be better than average, so you’ll have to work hard at your grades too. Good grades are the best college investment you can make. Students in the top 10% of their classes have many more options.
You could also try attending an affordable local college to get your first few years of required classes done. Then transfer to the school of your dreams if you can pay cash. Going to a community college my first two semesters was one of the best financial decisions I ever made.
Summer plays into student loan debt a lot too. Instead of wasting your summers away, work your tail off! One summer when I was in college I literally worked 80 hours a week. I was a day manager and a night guard at a waterpark. I pretty much ate, slept, and lived there.
But how do you find these grants and scholarships? Google is a good thing. Or, even better, there are some awesome books out there to resource you:
- The Scholarship Book by Daniel Cassidy
- Free Money from Colleges and Universities by Laurie Blum
- Winning Scholarships for College by Marianne Ragins
And last, when it comes to student loans, FOR THE LOVE…DO NOT LIVE ON THEM. It will ruin your life later on. I know it feels good to have money to spend now, but later you will be wishing you didn’t blow that money away on random junk.
Or maybe, college just isn’t for you…but that’s another post for another day. 
