School Archives - Making Sense Of Cents

I Thought I Was Too Good For Community College

April 16, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 56 Comments

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4 reasons you should go to community college first Whether you are about to head to college (no matter what your age may be), if you have a child who is about to attend college, or if you know someone who is about to experience this, then this article is for you.

When I was around 17, I applied to several different colleges, but one mistake I made was that I didn't even give community college a thought.

Unfortunately, there is a stigma attached to going to community college, like thinking it is for those that can’t get into a “regular” college, for those that don’t have enough money, or for those that have no other options. When, in fact, these are all far from the truth.

And, sadly, I bought into these myths and thought I was too good for community college.

The stigma about going to community college is absolutely ridiculous. [Read more…]

Credible Review – Refinance Your Student Loans And Save An Average of $18,668

August 23, 2017 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 11 Comments

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This Credible review will show you how you may be able to refinance your student loans and save an average of $18,668! Credible student loans may be your next choice. Are you looking to refinance your student loans? Student loan debt can easily become overwhelming to think about, especially as it can loom in the tens of thousands of dollars, some well over $100,000.

On average, a graduate of the class of 2015 has slightly over $35,000 in student loan debt.

And, if you have a law or medical degree, you may find yourself with an average of around $150,000 or $200,000 in student loan debt, respectively.

That’s a lot of money!

One thing I haven’t talked about much here on Making Sense of Cents is that there are many options for paying off your debt. One of these options is refinancing your student loans, which I’m going to explain further in this Credible review. [Read more…]

Ways To Save Money On College Costs

August 10, 2017 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 4 Comments

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Making Sense of Cents and College Ave Student Loans have partnered on a series of blog posts on what to expect when it comes to planning for college…especially when it comes to time to pay. Through the series, we hope families gain a little more insight on how to tackle the next four or more years ahead with a stronger financial footing. All opinions are 100% my own. To learn more, please visit: https://www.collegeavestudentloans.com.

College costs are one of the largest “purchases” a person will ever make. The other big purchase would most likely be a house that a person buys. However, sometimes a house may cost LESS than a college degree!

The cost of college can vary significantly, as you can see. Tuition for an in-state public college averages around $28,000 and a more expensive private college tuition is double that amount at an average of $59,000. For a four year elite university, the cost jumps to $68,000. Lastly, if your child (or you) is enrolled in higher education for something like medicine or law, college costs may reach hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years. [Read more…]

Should you get an MBA if you want to start your own business?

July 24, 2017 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 34 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

The path to owning my own business started around 10 years ago. I graduated from high school and went on to college for business. I graduated, got a job as a financial analyst, and then around five years ago, completed my MBA with an emphasis in Finance.

Should you get an MBA if you want to start your own business? Is it a need? Or, can a person start a business without a college degree? It seemed like a logical path – graduate from high school, go to college, get a job in that field, and then get my MBA to further my career opportunities.

It was the path I fell into, and I never really gave it a second thought. For my MBA, I figured I needed it in order to be successful in the corporate finance world.

However, I'm now a full-time blogger.

One of the questions I'm often asked is if I regret going to school for so many college degrees (3). After all, it took a lot of time and led to a significant amount of debt.

I definitely did not learn a thing about blogging back in college, and an MBA isn’t 100% focused on the topic of starting your own specific business, especially a niche one. Plus, I did not get my MBA thinking that I would be starting my own business. I went for it to better my career opportunities. [Read more…]

How I Paid Off $40,000 In Student Loans in 7 Months

January 18, 2017 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 38 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Want to learn how to pay off student loans? With my student loan repayment plan, I was able to pay off $40,000 in student loan debt in 7 months! Want to learn how to pay off student loans? With my student loan repayment plan, I was able to pay off $40,000 in student loan debt in 7 months! One of the best ways to save money is to finally get rid of those pesky loans that are hurting your financial situation.

Learning how to pay off student loans can lead to many positives, such as:

You may finally feel less financial stress.
You may be able to use that money towards something more important, such as saving for retirement.
Getting rid of your student loans may allow you to pursue other goals in life, such as traveling more or looking for a better job.

I know these things are true because learning how to pay off my student loans is one of the best decisions that I've ever made. [Read more…]

How Blogging Paid Off My Student Loans

April 27, 2016 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 57 Comments

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In July of 2013, I finished paying off my student loans.

It was a fantastic feeling and something I still think about to this day. Even though I have a success story when it comes to paying off student loans, I know that many others struggle with their student loan debt every single day.

The average graduate of 2015 walked away with more than $35,000 in student loan debt, and not only is that number growing, the percentage of students expected to use students loans is on the rise. Plus, if you have a law or medical degree, your student loan debt may be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

This is a ton of money and can be quite stressful.

After earning three college degrees, I had approximately $40,000 in student loan debt. [Read more…]

How Much Can You Save by Refinancing Your Student Loans?

February 1, 2016 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - Leave a Comment

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rp_Laptop-40-Expert-Tips-And-Ways-To-Make-Money-On-The-Side-300x199.png If you’re reading this article, chances are you graduated at least a couple of years ago and you’ve been paying a high interest rate on your student loans. You are also probably looking at interest rates being at an all-time low and are wondering if your good job and credit score can get you something better. Well, it turns out that there are several private institutions out there that offer certain graduates very competitive interest rates and payment options through refinancing. In the long run, there is a very good chance that refinancing with one of these companies can save you hundreds, or even thousands of dollars. [Read more…]

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