How can you save money at the end of the semester?

A reader writes:

"I'm on financial aid and scholarship at my school, but that still means I spend thousands on textbooks, housing, and food. Could you do a post on how to save money at the end of the semester?" 

I got this question before my eye surgeries toward the end of last spring semester. I'm answering it now because the time frame does not actually change my answer....

Based on your question, I suspect that you were looking for some ways to make "easy money" at the end of the semester. Unfortunately, money certainly doesn't work that way for low income college students. Honestly, saving money at the end of the semester starts with saving money at the beginning of the semester!

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The two most important things you can do to help yourself financially toward the end of a semester is to stick to a budget all semester long and pay yourself first as soon as your get a paycheck, scholarship or loan disbursement, or financial aid refund by putting some money into savings. These two things will help you avoid being cash poor at the end of the semester.

To help you save along the way, you can always save on your entertainment costs, save on buying gifts, and make sure you look for deals when getting textbooks. You can also make money by selling your textbooks at the end of the semester. Some students even go as far as to sell their furniture, clothes, electronics, and other stuff when money is tight.

Really, though, there are no tips to make easy money at the end of the semester. Like I said, planning ahead at the start of each semester will help you survive financially toward the end of the semester.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Should high school stuff come off your resume? Part III

I've answered questions about when should high school stuff come off your resume before. This seems to be quite the popular topic among first generation and low income college students (and I suspect all college students). Another reader commented:

"Im in my second year,in a four year degree.Ive done nothing in college....il be applyng for some petroleum company most probably,which does mean leading/working abroad mixing etc. So this is all from school- A 20 day student exchange trip to germany for learning educational and culture differences (government sponsored) and being Selected by my state for learning in an under-18 National tennis camp (also government sponsored) and won junior state titles and was capatain of football/cricket teams and best athlete in final year.Also very good chess player..... can i include these things or they will all be rather called 'sucesses' than 'learning experiences'"

So your first problem is that you've "done nothing in college." By the time you graduate from college, you should have at least three relevant experiences related (at least somewhat) to your career goals. Definitely take advantage of what your college has to offer and get involved on campus, take on leadership role or position, get an internship, and do some volunteer work.

Generally speaking, employers look much more favorably on students with related experience rather than just good grades, so go out there and get yourself that related experience. Start now.

As for the experience you are currently listing, some of it can stay and some of it should go. You can put the student exchange experience under education. It might look something like this:

Education
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
University of ABC
Expected 05/2013 

Cultural Exchange Program
XYZ High School, Berlin, Germany
05/2009

• Learned educational and culture differences during 20-day student exchange trip

For the sports activities, stick with the leadership aspects. In other words, if you are going to list being captain of a sports team, make sure you focus on the leadership skills and concrete things you did to lead your teams rather than the sport-related stuff.

For example, if you led team meetings, coordinated fundraisers to buy equipment, or assisted the coaches to develop game strategies, concentrate on that sort of thing rather than on-the-field activities. Think broadly about your experiences and pull out the aspects about them that matter to employers or are related to the position you are applying for.

You can add an Achievements section to list your sports awards, but these awards should come off by the end of the year as you gain more college experience. Also, only include these awards if you think they will be seen as valuable by the person reading your resume. The Achievements section might look like this:

Achievements
Best Athlete in Final Year award, XYZ High School Football Team, June 2010
Junior State Title, XYZ High School Cricket Team, June 2009

No matter what you're applying for, it always boils down to tailoring your resume for the positions you are applying for. Remember, it's not what's important to you, your resume should be tailored to what is important to the person reading your resume.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.