Saving Money in College
Destiny Green
F. Daniel Rzicznek
GSW 1110
20 September 2017
Saving Money While Attending BGSU
Paying for college is hard enough, but saving money while attending can be even harder. If a student happens to be a commuter, gas is expensive. Going out with friends every couple of days is expensive. Even dropping an unfavorable class is expensive. Every aspect of college requires money, but there are several ways students can save money while still having fun at school, specifically BGSU. By using the BGSU shuttle service, students will save a significant amount of money on gas. Another way to save money is by using a meal plan, and eating at the dining halls. These solutions are efficient, easy, and will save students a lot of money.
Without money, some may even feel like college isn’t for them. They may feel excluded from the other students. Dropout rates could increase, which would be an enormous waste of money. Students may feel like they’re not living up to their full potential by not being able to go out and have fun. These are problems that could arise if students are deprived of money in college. Utilizing the BGSU shuttle service, the meal plans/dining halls, working on an efficient schedule, and buying used textbooks are ways to decrease these problems.
One of the main and best ways students can save money is by not using a car every day. If students utilized BGSU’s shuttle service, they would be spending less money on gas day to day. The same thing would happen if students were to walk or bike to classes. Driving a vehicle to class seems unnecessary when there is so much free transportation around. There are also commuter students who have no choice but to drive their car. High gas prices make it a challenge for commuter students to attend school, but there is a way to drive less and save money. Scheduling several classes onto two or three days of the week will save students gas money and time. A meeting with an advisor is critical in this process. An advisor can help commuter students or regular students, work through a schedule that is convenient for the student and their driving time. Students would only be driving to campus a couple of days a week, rather than every day. In this way, students can save money by not driving their vehicle to campus every day.
Many students will not want to schedule their classes this way because it is deemed as too much. Students may not want to meet with an advisor, and they may not want to switch their schedule around. It’s simply a matter of if the student wants to save money, they will sacrifice a couple of days of hard work for it. A student must want to save money for it to actually happen. Also, some may say that the shuttle service is unreliable because it’s either too slow or stops frequently. While this can be true, there is a free app called TransLoc Rider that can be used to track the bus’s location and time. If the bus stops for any reason, you are able to see it happening on the app and prepare accordingly. This is very convenient for students who are trying to get to class on time.
Money can also be saved by going out to eat less and using a meal plan. College brings out the laziness in every student. When hours are spent going back and forth between classes, appetites are worked up. After studying for countless quizzes and exams, students want a fast and easy meal. Stopping at a McDonald’s or Wendy’s seems like the quickest option, or even the cheapest. According to the Journal of American Health, “Studies specific to college students, many of whom are in the 20 to 29 age group, show that most consume at least one fast food meal a week, and some consume as many as 6 to 8” (Dingman 1). Students should be utilizing their meal plans and eating at the dining halls. Dining halls are easy, and convenient places to eat. The food is already prepared, so long lines aren’t a problem. They’re great places to go when eating with friends. They also have a wide variety of food to choose from. Dining halls and meal plans are reliable and cost efficient.
There are many reasons that students may not want to use a meal plan. They could think that meal plans cost too much money, and decide to spend money on their own groceries. They could find the dining halls to be cramped, dirty, and loud. Or they may not favor the food that they serve there. Meal plans are part of room and board costs, so it’s already included in tuition. There are three plans to choose from: bronze, silver, and gold; bronze being the least expensive to gold being the most. Choosing the right plan is how you save money. The dining halls are very clean and are relatively calm, besides times like breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s a nice atmosphere that students should be enjoying more.