Account Balances?

Summer offers lots of options for students. Few of them, other than summer school have anything to do with school. Mostly it is either kick back or work like crazy or both. With this in mind it might be a good idea, in fact, a very good idea, to check your account balances.
If you don’t know you have an account at your school then you probably don’t know that you have a balance. In this case some basic Planet College orientation is due.

When a student is admitted most colleges create an account for the new student. This account is administered through an office usually in the administration building. This often is called the Bursar’s office but it might be titled Student Accounts. Whatever. But either way you as a student have an account.

This account works somewhat similarly to other accounts you may have. Checking accounts or savings accounts at your bank or credit union or bank are common examples. In your schools system charges such as tuition, housing, fees, library fines etc are applied to your account. When payments are received they are applied to your account. When the payments applied to the account equal or exceed the charges the account is usually said to be balanced.

Payments are often made through the financial aid office. When Financial Aid funds are received they are applied, also known as 'credited' to your account. Payments are also made by students with a check or a credit card. Some times payments are made by parents directly to the school which means they are applied 'to the students account.

However the payments are made the simple fact is you do have an account and the school wants it balanced. More simply they want the money.

When charges to your account exceed payments you have a negative balance. If this condition continues for a period of time you may receive a notice from your school concerning payments past due. This condition can seriously affect your ability to register for your next term or even continue at your school it bears careful attention.

Since summer for many students means no thought of school this situation can arise unnoticed only to become troubling when fall arrives.

Right now as always vigilance is your friend. If your student account is available on line or by phone before you got to the beach check it. You don't want any surprises come this fall.

Sure, It Sounds OK.

But how am I supposed to pay for it? As you well know by now nothing about Planet College is free. So even if you are now thinking,"Hey, I'd like to try that." You realize it will cost you. But maybe not as much as you think. If you take the time to do a little calculating about your school costs per term you may learn that studying overseas isn't really much more costly than studying in the U. S. Still most students welcome any additional financial help. This site has details about programs available for college students who wish to study abroad: http://www.iie.org/programs/gilman/overview/overview.html. You will notice that to be eligible for this program you need to be receiving a Pell Grant. If you don't know what a Pell Grant is you need to visit your school's financial aid office and have this term explained to you. If you don't know if you are receiving a Pell Grant you, too, need to pay a visit to the financial aid office.

As emphasized in the post below you actually don't often need to be any more than average, a C student, to study abroad. Give it a try.

Planet College additional reminder. Internet searches. Yes, Planet College understands that you can Google "Pell Grant" and get dozens of definitions of its meaning. By now you probably understand that this type of information is limited. What students really benefit from is experience. This is why Planet College urges you to visit your school's financial aid office for a complete explanation of "Pell Grant" and how it applies to your financial aid.

More About Money

On Planet College Average Students are almost constantly seeking money. Grants, loans, work, borrowing, the sources can be numerous but the quest is always the same. Money, more money. Here is a source you may not have explored. The Human Resources office of any of your employers. Most students with more than one employer never think that each of these concerns is organized as a business. Part of the organization is almost certainly a department which administers hiring and benefits. That department, probably referred to as HR, Human Resources, may be a resource for money for school. Many companies, even modest-sized companies, have educational assistance programs for their employees. Ask your supervisor at work, check the employee handbook, find the HR 800 number and ask. Call and ask. "Hey, I'm a student,do you have any money for me?" See if they can help. Make the call, fill out the form, do the follow up. Do the follow through and maybe, get some money. There's more. You may be eligible for help through one of your parent's employers. Same deal. One large national pharmacy chain with thousands of employees administers a scholarship program for the children of their employees. Even if you are a full grown adult who hasn't lived at home for some time you may still be eligible of such a program. Ask either one or both of your parents if you can check out their employee handbook. As stated above call the company. Ask about any programs they may have for education. There may be more money in it for you. Good luck.
Labels: earned money, human resources, Right School. Wrong school

Too Cool For School

Eric was a student in an upper division major class. He almost always arrived late and slouched against the wall alongside the last row of desks. When homework was assigned he would bellow loudly, ’Homework. I didn’t know there was going to be homework.” He spent much of his class time on his cell phone or IMing buddies. Although he did attend most class sessions and even turned in the final project no one saw Eric the following semester or any time since. Makes one wonder. Why was Eric here? He always seemed to want to be someplace else. Was he too cool for school?
Is this you? Do you arrive late, leave early, skip assignments and even class.
OK.Here's a pop quiz about your life.
Where do you really want to be?
What do you really want to do?
It is your life.

You may be too cool for school.