Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Best Rated Colleges and Saving Tips

As a college student, I've had my fair share of time searching for the best option for me of which University I should go to. I've compiled some of my research to help people that might be in the same position as I have been!  Also, in addition, I'll list out some helpful college saving tips to get you prepared for the penny-pinching times of college life.

US News and World Report’s annual college ranking survey breaks schools into several academic divisions – National Schools, which are schools with doctoral and research programs, medical schools, and law schools; schools that offer up to a masters’ degree; and schools that offer only baccalaureates. To further complicate things, a couple of these categories are subdivided further by geographic region. Here is a sampling of schools that grant masters’ degrees and beyond.

Top National Universities
1.Harvard
2.Princeton
3.Yale
4.Caltech
5.MIT
6.Stanford
7.University of Pennsylvania
8.Columbia
9.University of Chicago
10.Duke

College Savings Tips
These tips provide great information for getting started and ensuring you continue to build your college fund successfully.
  1. Start as soon as you can. Whether you are expecting your first child or you are a high school student just looking at college options, start investing as soon as you can to give yourself time to build as much money as possible.
  2. Save often. Put money back as frequently as you can to help build your college fund.
  3. Get your finances in order. Make sure you have a good handle on your personal finances and spending habits to ensure your success with your investment and saving goals.
  4. Understand the risks and benefits of your investments. Every investment has risks and benefits. Make sure you clearly understand each before you invest any of your money.
  5. Diversify. Split your investments into a few different types of accounts. Putting money into separate types of accounts not only adds a layer of security so that you don’t lose everything in one bad investment, it also allows you to invest some money into safer accounts with lower returns while investing other money into riskier accounts with higher returns.
  6. Go automatic. Making automatic payments each payday removes the money before you even miss it and ensures you are contributing regularly to your investment.
  7. Ask for gifts. Ask friends and family to consider contributing to college funds for birthday and holiday gifts they would normally give anyway.
  8. Invest unexpected income. If you receive a large gift, get a large income tax refund, or get a bonus at work, invest that money so that it will work for you in the long run.
  9. Increase your savings. Build an increase into your savings goals. If you receive a raise, bump your savings by that same percentage. Even if you don’t receive a raise, make sure you are increasing your savings rate at least once a year to keep up with tuition inflation.
  10. Redirect money. When you finish paying something off such as a car or child care when your child enters school, then redirect that money to your savings.
  11. Examine spending habits. Track your spending for a few months, then take a close look at where your money is going and determine if you can cut back on certain areas and invest that money instead of spending it.

18 comments:

  1. lotsa good tips here. wish I followed them in the past

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  2. Yeah, this would have helped about 15 years ago...

    Good info, the guidance counselors should hand this shit out.

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  3. I'm in Canada so I don't really need to worry about these universities but those tips sure are welcome! Used to spend too much and one month I got screwed and ate nothing but bread, nutella spread and water for three days!

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  4. The best thing to do is just save your money. A lot of my friends just spend their money like it's their job. Saving a lot has helped me so much.

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  5. I'm in high school, and i put one dollar of my weekly ten dollars to my savings ever since i was 12

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  6. Good tips there, it's a shame I will never be able to use them, I'm living in mexico and universities here don't cost that much

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  7. Good tips. I wish someone told me this when I was in colege.

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  8. Those are really good tips. I'm in a CC right now but I have plans to transfer as soon as I meet the requirements.

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  9. Hi, I came across your site and wasn’t able to get an email address to contact you. Would you please consider adding a link to my website on your page. Please email me back and we'll talk about it.

    Thanks!

    Joel Houston
    JHouston791@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete