William Penn Life, 2014 (49. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2014-08-01 / 8. szám
fg*íj Tibor's Take with Tibor Check Jr. More advice for the LAST MONTH, I shared some tips on making the college experience as worry free as possible. As August begins, many WPA members are making final preparations for the next scholastic term, so here are some additional suggestions to aid them in the coming months. 1 have mentioned this before (twice) but will repeat it again: Be prepared to study and achieve the highest grades as possible. If you are not ready to make this commitment, to be dedicated to academics, then don't attend college. If you want to travel and celebrate getting your high school diploma, by all means skip a semester or two. Then, come to the college ready to study. Be aware that if you are covered by your parents' medical, automobile, or other forms of insurance, your extended delay from enrolling at a post secondary education facility may alter your eligibility for such coverage. Many insurance underwriters require documented proof that you are attending school on a full time basis. Other than for summer recess, you must be going to school. You should learn the details of the various insurances that your parents provide for you. Illustration © Can Stock Phi ioto Inc./almoond #2 Work while in school. Most students get some sort of financial help from their parents. Nothing says "thanks" to them more than you holding down a job. But, instead of working at the local Kalman's Kolbász Kitchen flipping sausages, get a job on campus. Such jobs are better for several reasons. Most college jobs limit you to 20 hours a week. You are usually off from work during semester breaks and holidays, allowing you to visit home during those times. If you have to take off from your assigned job, the school is very understanding and sympathetic. Most campus employment is easy and not stressful. Plus, many times, students holding jobs on campus are considered public employees. In that case, you can pay a small amount out of your paycheck into a state funded retirement system. Should your career path eventually lead to a job with the government, you would become a member of the public employee retirement system. Thus, the time you accrued at your campus job while going to college may be applied to your years of service and add to your retirement benefits. For example, I worked as a student for about four years under the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. Although the money I earned during that time was not very much, I earned five years of service credit. Be aware that campus jobs are sometimes difficult to come by. Make friends with students who already hold jobs on campus. Eventually, they will let you in on the inner workings of how to get those jobs. Once you are in the loop and have that campus job, you will find that other opportunities will surface, as well. #3 When acquiring textbooks and supplemental materials for class, be aware of prices. Campus bookstores love to sell you new books, and they may be reluctant to buy back your used textbooks. There are several online sellers that offer great deals on the same textbooks at a fraction of the price you'd pay at the campus bookstore. Most of those booksellers ship the text for free and will buy back your book once you're done with it. Many freshman required courses change textbook editions often. In reality, the newest edition is virtually the same as the previous one. The material is almost identical. I recall 6 ° August 2014 0 William Penn Life
