Poverty and college seem to go hand in hand, at least that appears to be the case for many college students, but not for the school itself.

You may have scraped together just enough money to pay for tuition, room and board, books, supplies, and other expenses, but have little to show when the weekend arrives. Unless you enjoy studying in the media center on Saturdays and Sundays, you’d probably enjoy the occasional pizza and night out with your friends.

As cash poor as you may be, most colleges offer a wealth of free or heavily discounted events to students throughout the year. Even beyond the campus, there are some events you can take in that won’t set you back financially. Please read on for some tips on how you can enjoy college while living on a shoestring budget:

Sporting Events — Large universities have big stadiums and coliseums where fans, alumnae, and students gather together to root for their favorite team.  Ticket prices can get pricey to attend some of the more popular events, but schools routinely set aside some seats for their student body. Oftentimes these seats are free or made available to students for a nominal charge.

Theater — Is the Central American Child’s Choir planning to visit your campus? How about an off-Broadway production of a popular Broadway hit? Much like sporting events, students are typically allowed to sit in on these shows, on a first come, first served basis. To ensure that you get to view a popular play, consider volunteering with the ticket handling or serving as an usher.

Free Food – Short of dumpster diving for leftover desserts or other culinary prizes, why not join a club or fraternity and take in their frequent food bashes? Some clubs open their foodie events to everyone, so joining in is optional. Find free food at other campus events including open houses, fundraisers, you name it.

Check Bulletin Boards — Although so much stuff is now online (thanks, Craigslist!) campus bulletin boards remain a favorite place for students to post their stuff. Find free or cheap furniture, clothing, bicycles, and more posted. If your roommate or dorm buddy is getting ready to drop out of college, they’ll probably want to leave some of their stuff behind and may be willing to let you have some things for next to nothing.

Hitch A Ride — Need to go somewhere? Why not hitch a ride with another student? Of course, you’ll want to make sure that the person who you are riding with is isn’t some pervert or the Boston Strangler reincarnated, so stay away from people whose creep factor is evident. Be prepared to offer some gas money to the driver especially if that person can drop you off at home.

Of course, some of the low cost or freebie events may not suit your style or could be well, um, be beneath your sensibilities. Yet, when cash is tight and the opportunities are few and far between, thinking outside of the box can yield some fine savings and keep you from text messaging mom and dad to ask them to wire you some money.

Adv. — If you have already found the college you want to attend, get prepared to apply to that school in November. Otherwise do an online college search to find the schools of interest to you and print out a Summary Aid Map to help you plan your financial aid strategy.

Tags: college budget, college club, finances, food, fraternity, free, money, sorority, sports, theater

There are two words in our language that are simply never spoken of enough and those words are thank you. Together, they show people that you appreciate something that they did for you, a personal gesture that can go a long way to demonstrating your thoughtfulness.

College students who are the recipient of one or more scholarships have much to be thankful for too. Billions of dollars of money is awarded annually, but not every applicant is accepted. Your hard work and attention to detail has paid off, but their support of you should be recognized by you.

To that end, sending a thank you letter can serve to express your appreciation while underscoring your professionalism. Not just any thank you letter will do – don’t even think of sending an email message – rather, typing up a well thought out letter and sending it out on resume quality bond paper with a matching envelope is the best approach. Besides, when it comes to applying for work in a few years, you’ll be sending out plenty of hard copy resumes in addition to electronic copies, so now is the time to polish your writing and typing skills.

What To Say In Your Thank You Note

You don’t need to be particularly formal in your thank you letter, but you should remember the following:

Name, address, and title of person who sent the scholarship award to you. Likely, one person has been the point person for the scholarship donation all along and it is to that person your thank you letter should be addressed. Carefully confirm the spelling of this person’s name, his/her title, and the mailing address.

Keep it simple. In you letter, you’ll want to thank the donor for their award, specifically referencing it by name. This means that if you have been awarded the John Doe Memorial Engineering College Scholarship that you mention that in your letter. Some donors award a variety of scholarships during any academic cycle, so make sure that you identify which one you received. You could mention how the scholarship will present an opportunity for you to learn, your education will help you meet your dreams, and that you’ll use your degree to contribute to society, or something to that effect.

Sign it and mail it. Two or three brief paragraphs should do, then sign your letter and send it off via regular mail as soon as possible. Do not be surprised if your letter is acknowledged by the donor in some way including being republished in the company newsletter or excerpts included with testimonials published on their website.

Finally, if there is more than one name mentioned with the scholarship, you’ll want to send individual thank you letters to these people too.

Sending a thank you letter is a small token of the wonderful financing support you are receiving from thoughtful donors. Show your appreciation by sending off your letter as soon as a reward has been made known, a task that can be easy to forget as you busy yourself preparing to finish high school and leave for college.

Adv. — Does your college student need a credit card? Shop around to find and compare the best offers, deals that can benefit your student and help them as needed. Please visit SayStudent.com for the information you need to find the credit card that is right for you adult child.

Tags: college scholarship, thank you letters