Let’s say that you’re ready to start up college.  You’re getting all excited, but like many college students out there, you’re not going to have the thousands of dollars that it takes to get your college education rolling!

Now, there are a few options that you can take.  You can ask your family, friends, or even the neighbor, but you know that’s not going to get you anywhere.  Sure, you can look for grants, but you have exhausted all of those options.  The last option that you think that’s going to work is a student loan.

The bad thing about a student loan is that many of them are going to require a cosigner.  If you have no credit, or your credit is already lousy, many banks are going to require that you get a cosigner.

Where can I find that student loan without a cosigner?

Start looking into federal loans: Instead of going the private loan route with banks, see if there are some federal loans that you can tap into.  Many of these loans aren’t going to require a co-signer for you.

Some of the federal loans that you can look into are the Stafford loans, as well as the Perkins loans.  Do more homework on these loans and see if it’s an option that you would like to choose.

Look into financial aid: If you qualify for financial aid, I would apply for it.  What you can do is head to the FAFSA website and apply.  The worst thing that’s going to happen is that you’re going to get denied!

Search for more scholarships: Sure, there are plenty of scholarships and grants out there.  The question is if you’re trying hard enough?  You’re going to want to treat a grant search for a job.  There is something for everyone out there.  I wouldn’t give up until you find something.  A great place to start is FastWeb.

Keep trying with private loans: If you’re searching manually with student loans, you may want to try comparison search engines that may work for you.  Try sites such as SimpleTuition that do the dirty work for you.  It doesn’t hurt to see if they have something available for you.

Try out these options when you’re looking to find a student loan without a cosigner.   Try some of the tips above and see if they can work out for you.

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Whether you’re in college, or maybe you’re living in your own home, it’s essential that you start to create a budget.  I can tell you this much that if you don’t create a budget, you’re going to feel as if you’re lost and have no idea where your money is going.  There’s nothing worse than that feeling!

Why should I create a budget in college?

I know, you’re not going to have loads of cash in college and that’s understood.  If you’re looking to be organized, it’s great to form habits at a young age.  You’re going to find that if you start organizing your financial habits at a young age, you’re going to notice that you will be a lot better off with your money.

How can I use these spreadsheets?

Even as a poor college student, you can still download the following files and use them in free software packages such as OpenOffice and Google Docs.  Both of these software platforms are going to get the job done and what you’re going to find is that you skip out on purchasing the expensive Microsoft Office package that’s easily going to run you $100+.

Where can I find these spreadsheets?

You’re going to find that there are a ton of them out there.  What I have found is that each one suits certain people.  Some are going to be complex, while others are going to suit you best.  It’s up to you to decide on what’s going to fit your student budget.

As a college student, you will find that your budget is going to be relatively small compared to those that live in their 30s with a family.  If you think about it, you’re most likely not going to have all of those big expenses such as a home mortgage and more.

Here are the top 4 spreadsheets that I recommend when you’re looking to download one for your computer in general.

• #1 Suite101 Budget Planning
• #2 Vertex42 Spreadsheet
• #3 Debt Reduction Helper
• #4 Detailed Budgeting Sheet

There are obviously more than just these 4.  I also found a great top 10 list over at ChristianPF highlighting some that you may want to check out as well.

Budgeting isn’t that hard.  It’s just going to take action and some discipline.  When you’re organized with your money, it’s going to cause a lot less stress and it’s going to enable you to know where your money is flowing each and every month!

When you’re at your best in college, it’s going to show.  Not only are you going to get good grades, the teachers and students around you are going to like you as well.

So, you want to become a better student, but you don’t know what steps that you should take?  Well, it’s not that hard.  Let me give you 8 great, yet simple pointers that you can use to become a better student.

You’re going to want to be prepared

Every class is going to vary but when you’re prepared for the class, you’re going to be able to have everything you need.  We all hate those that don’t bring in books, homework, or even a pencil.

Just be organized

Schedules are important in college and whether you like them or not, you should create one.  You will want to know when you should study, when you should eat, and when your classes are.

Know how to keep track of things

You may have to come back to older assignments, or you may have to reference something.  It’s crucial that you keep everything that you have done in class.  Get a folder, binder, or whatever else you may need.

Study that syllabus

A syllabus is given to you for a reason.  You’re going to be able to know what’s going on ahead of schedule.  You’re going to know when tests are coming up, as well as when you’re going to have lectures, etc.

Notes are your friend

Don’t show up to class, complain, and tell your classmates how much you hate life.  They don’t care!  They are there to learn and you should be there for the same reason as well.  Make use of your time in class and take notes.

Ask questions if you don’t understand

We are all human beings.  If there is something that you don’t understand, you can’t just sit back, hide, and think you’re going to learn it down the road.  When you have a question, you’re going to want to raise your hand or ask the teacher after class.

Study with your classmates

Try to form a study group with your classmates.  In this technological era, you can connect with Facebook or e-mail.  Meet up every week or so and try to study the class.  This helps out a lot.

Just be positive

It sounds simple, but as long as you stay positive, you’re going to want to learn.  Just think about this for a second.  If you don’t want to be there, are you going to want to learn?

Yes, graduation is around the corner for some lucky graduates!   Whether you’re a friend in college, or an Aunt that’s 1,000 miles away, I wanted to give you some cool ideas that you can use, when you’re looking to give a gift that counts.  Instead of giving $50 to the local Walmart, why not be creative?

Here are 22 ideas that you can use, when you’re looking to purchase a graduation gift this upcoming season…

#1 Book on the career - What career choice is he/she choosing?  You could find a really good guide.  Amazon is a great place to start here.

#2 Make a photo album – Grab some pictures over the years.  It doesn’t have to be just college.  A simple little book can create a lot of memories.

#3  Getting a job book / resume tips - Since they are no longer going to be in college, you might as well give them some tips on how to write the perfect resume.

#4 Picture frame - Just like the album, you can put a great picture of you and the graduate in it.

#5 Organizer – Life gets a little hectic once you get out of college.  There’s no better way than giving out an organizer to make life a little easier.

#6 Gift card - Sure, you can get a gift card, but make it count.  Think of something that they will truly need.

#7 Personalized items - Find something in a personalized store that you can personalize.  There are a lot of items to choose from here.

#8 Jewelry – Get something special that he/she can wear.  Complete it with the year that they are graduating.

#9 Money Tree - These are great.  What you can do is clip some money to the tree and even put a little saying on it!

#10 Stuffed animal - It may sound like something for a little kid, but if you put a personalized message on it, it can really mean something special!

#11 Frame - Since graduation is here, you can get a great frame that is customized to fit their degree.

#12 Pen set - Nothing says professional than a pen set.  Carry around one of these when on a job interview, etc.

#13 Mug – If you know someone is a coffee drinker, get something that means something to them.

Nothing says gift more than customization.  As long as you make it unique and something that they are going to care about, you’re going to find that your gift is going to mean something.  Just make it stand out and you shouldn’t have a problem at all!

College students always need energy and since many students out there really don’t like drinking coffee, I wanted to show you some of the side effects that you may come across, if you do decide to drink an energy drink.

Now, keep in mind that I’m not trying to sway you away from this, but rather know the dangers of energy drinks if you drink too many of them.  Now, 1 or 2 a day really isn’t going to kill you, but if you expand it past that during the day, then you have to worry!

Now, I’m going to list each big ingredient that is in most energy drinks.  Each one of these ingredients are going to have some sort of side effect that you may notice.

B Vitamins: Yes, most vitamins are good, but like anything, if you take too much, you may do some damage.  Many energy drinks have an overload of B vitamins.  B vitamins can potentially cause liver toxicity, as well as nerver problems.

Caffeine: This is the most obvious one.  It’s the name that many students know by heart.  Caffeine can cause dizziness, nausea, jitters.  Some people may also find that they are allergic to it causing rashes, tightness in the chest, and more.  Caffeine may also give you a hard time when you’re trying to sleep.

L-Carnitine: Like many of the other ingredients listed, this one also may cause headaches, diarrhea, or even restlessness.

Ginkgo Biloba: This particular ingredient may not mix well, if you’re taking any other type of medication.  It may also cause vomiting, dizziness, or heart problems, if you tend to overdose on it.

Ginseng: This ingredient can cause sleeplessness nights, as well as nausea, headaches, and more.  The side effects for Ginseng is fairly similar to caffeine.

From what I have seen, many energy drinks generally give you a hard time when you try to sleep at night.  While it’s like anything, if you have too much, this is going to spell danger for you.

You should know if an energy drink isn’t meant for you because you may feel problems.  There are many other alternatives for energy boosts such as exercise, hot teas, coffee, and more!