Financing your Christian education and managing your money are a lot easier when you have a good plan. To help you figure out how to handle these college costs, we asked students from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois, what they've learned so far. Don't be afraid to apply for the really big scholarships. I found a scholarship that would pay for my entire tuition, but I almost didn't apply for it because I figured there'd be too much competition and I'd never get it. But my mom really encouraged me, so I applied—and I got it! —Martha Morales, sophomore Remember that little expenses add up. I used to rent movies all the time—and I was broke all the time. Watch your money very carefully and take advantage of all the free activities on campus. —Jordan Hoekstra, junior Don't worry if you need to carefully borrow money. After filling out the Financial Aid Form, I qualified for a student loan. Student loans have such low interest rates and they have lots of different payment plans that make them easy to pay back. So I'm not worried about having loans, because my Christian education is totally worth it. —Brittany Storkel, freshman Remember to budget and save for books—something I failed to do my first semester. When I had to spend $580 on books, it was a total shock. I had to buy them with money I'd saved for things like entertainment. And keep in mind that used books are significantly less expensive than new ones. They also sell very quickly. Start shopping for books as soon as you know what you need. —Jonathan Laack, freshman Don't be afraid to ask for help. For me, the FAFSA was pretty hard to fill out. So I went to Trinity's financial aid office and they sat down with me and helped me fill out the form. They even directed me to scholarships and grants. They had a lot of information I needed to know about the financial aid process. Use your financial aid office even though it might be intimidating to ask for help. They know what they're doing. —Jenna Hania, sophomore Keep good, careful records. In order to receive a $4,800 scholarship I'd won, I needed people in Trinity's financial aid office to sign some forms. As the deadline neared, I discovered that I'd lost the forms! Fortunately, with some help from Trinity's financial aid office, everything got straightened out and I received the scholarship money. But I almost lost a ton of money because I was careless. Just be really careful so you don't lose free money. —Katie DeKoekkoek, senior If you need a job, start looking as soon as you're accepted. Talk to your school's financial aid office or your career development center. They'll walk you through the process for finding a job. Also, be creative and don't give up easily. To make ends meet during my freshman year, I needed to work 20 hours a week. When I couldn't find one job that would allow me to work 20 hours, I got the hours I needed by working three different on-campus jobs. —Hugo Gutierrez, senior Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.
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