No kidding. That is what a lot of people seem to believe, and that is precisely why your credit
score matters. While you are in school it is important to begin establishing a positive
credit history. The good news is that every student begins with a blank slate, which
means that your credit rating is yours to build or destroy.
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Your Credit Score Is
A Character Witness
You begin establishing credit as soon as you use a credit card, take out a loan,
pay utilities, or buy a car. Throughout this process, lenders, in good faith, give
you funding in anticipation of seeing a return with interest on their loan. When
you accept money from a lender, you become a business partner and your contract
is composed of monthly payments. By not making payments, you breech the established
contract and lose the trust of your business partner.
A Measure of Responsibility
A good credit rating says a lot about you. In addition to showing that you pay your
bills in a consistent and timely manner, it says that you care enough to do so.
A person with a good credit score is concerned about their future and attempting
to make decisions that will attest to their level of responsibility.
An Indication of Self-Control
Managing your credit is not easy. College students, for the most part, are big spenders.
Advertising companies market their products directly at college age students, and
the credit card companies put up the cash so that they can make purchases. Building
and maintaining a healthy credit score is especially difficult during these years,
but if you are able to do so it indicates that you are a young adult with incredible
self-control and that you can be trusted in the future.
A Peek Into the Future
Your credit rating is a number that weighs in on your habits. Typically, one late
bill or missed payment will not leave an irreparable dent in your credit score.
Several late payments, on the other hand, will. In turn, a poor credit score shows
that you have established a history of late or missed payments. A lender looking
at such a report will expect that these habits will continue into the future.
Test-optional admissions defined the college application season for 2021, and lead to many competitive schools seeing record application numbers. A few colleges and universities that adopted the policy during the pandemic have decided to continue test-optional admissions for the foreseeable future. Other institutions are waiting for hard data to make a decision on whether to keep test-optional admissions or return to requiring SAT and ACT scores as was standard for college admissions before COVID-19. A new study reveals some positive trends for schools that went test-optional prior to pandemic. [...]
Traditionally taken the first two weeks of May, the AP Exams test students’ knowledge from their Advanced Placement classes, with the possibility of being awarded college credit for a high score. Last year, the College Board made significant chances to the AP Exams in order to accommodate the coronavirus pandemic’s effect on students, schools and curriculums. This year, the exams will look more like they have in the past, but with some notable changes. [...]
Let’s say you’ve made it. You are enrolled in college, or have been for a year or two. You’re receiving some financial aid, or even a scholarship, but something’s missing. It’s money. No matter how generous the package you’re receiving is, there’s always one more book to buy, one more activity fee, one more dining hall bill… [...]
