Spring Break
Managing debt is developed by using the resources available to you
Tim Vitagliano
Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: Campus News
Nate Stilgoe is working at a blood lab processing samples for researchers to buy. Stilgoe graduated from Bridgewater State College in December 2007 with a BA in English. "Working in a blood lab is not exactly what I expected to be doing by any stretch of the imagination," Stilgoe said. "It's not about what you'd like to do, it's what you have to do."
According to a 2007 College Board Report a student attending a public four-year college in New England will pay $8,116 in tuition and fees a year. The estimated cost of textbooks and supplies range from $809 to $1,229 a year.
The growing expenses of college have put an increased focus on student's personal financial responsibility. While most students expect to get into a career of their choice, some are forced to shoulder the burden of the debt of education.
Debt is very important part of the college experience since many students would not be able to attend school unless they got some form of financial aid.
The College Board Report stated that even eight years ago, about 47 percent of financial aid was coming from grants, but that number is up to 53 percent.
Also 40 percent of this aid is coming in the form of federal loans. That number is up six percent from eight years ago. The average amount borrowed by an undergraduate from any Stafford loan is $4,922.
So if students are incurring more and more financial debt is the college doing anything to help prepare them?
Well for those who did not know Bridgewater State College has a Career Services office, meant to help students prepare for the next step. They offer a wide variety of services: résumé critiques, mock interviews, BSC Career Link, and the Senior Year Experience to name just a few.
Top among these programs is the Senior Year Experience which offers different workshops just for graduating seniors to attend. They range from evaluating a job offer, and how to work a job fair, to interviewing workshops, and to top it off how to manage your finances. It would seem the SYE service encompasses all the skills needed for graduating seniors.
According to a 2007 College Board Report a student attending a public four-year college in New England will pay $8,116 in tuition and fees a year. The estimated cost of textbooks and supplies range from $809 to $1,229 a year.
The growing expenses of college have put an increased focus on student's personal financial responsibility. While most students expect to get into a career of their choice, some are forced to shoulder the burden of the debt of education.
Debt is very important part of the college experience since many students would not be able to attend school unless they got some form of financial aid.
The College Board Report stated that even eight years ago, about 47 percent of financial aid was coming from grants, but that number is up to 53 percent.
Also 40 percent of this aid is coming in the form of federal loans. That number is up six percent from eight years ago. The average amount borrowed by an undergraduate from any Stafford loan is $4,922.
So if students are incurring more and more financial debt is the college doing anything to help prepare them?
Well for those who did not know Bridgewater State College has a Career Services office, meant to help students prepare for the next step. They offer a wide variety of services: résumé critiques, mock interviews, BSC Career Link, and the Senior Year Experience to name just a few.
Top among these programs is the Senior Year Experience which offers different workshops just for graduating seniors to attend. They range from evaluating a job offer, and how to work a job fair, to interviewing workshops, and to top it off how to manage your finances. It would seem the SYE service encompasses all the skills needed for graduating seniors.
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