"I wish I understood how impossible it is to pay loans back. I wish I knew how little I'd actually make out of college and therefore how hard it would be to start a life with the loan debt."
"I wish I'd known that just because you're being offered student loans as part of a financial aid package, it doesn't mean you have to take them."
"I wish I had known that the office of financial aid at my university offered personalized loan counseling, especially near graduation. Talking to someone trained (and excited) to help students finance their debt is way easier and just an overall nicer experience than calling a hotline, usually during work hours, and waiting 30 minutes to talk to an anonymous voice.
"University counselors can also often help you package your debt into one or two lump payments, which makes paying the bills that much easier later."
"I wish I'd applied for more scholarships."
"I had pretty bad grades my senior year of high school, but kicked it into gear freshman year of college, and started getting a 3.75 or higher GPA.
"It wasn't until my junior year of college that I went to a counselor, who took one look at my transcript and said I was eligible for a scholarship. So scholarships aren't just rewards for high school grades; they can come from the work you put into college, too!"
"I wish I knew my university would decrease my financial aid every time I got a scholarship. Their financial aid covered 'full need,' but getting a scholarship meant my 'need' was reduced."
"I wish I'd saved money from my work-study jobs instead of spending it on takeout and booze."
"Learning to keep a budget, and actually sticking to it, is something important that many people initially deal with most heavily when they enter college — and is something that will be useful for the rest of their life.
"It's something that doesn't take too much time or keep-up if you stay on it, but if you don't do it at all than it can really end up hurting you (and potentially keep you from having money to spend where/when you want!)."
"I wish I had known there are a lot of expenses you don't think to account for, even after tuition/housing/meal plan/etc. Even if you take full advantage of your meal plan, there's still going to be late-night pizza orders or off-campus birthday dinners.
"A lot of clubs have dues as well; I remember being surprised at the $60 fee for swim team, but it makes sense we'd need a budget to pay for pool time, meet fees, and t-shirts.
"My school also had a great concert board, so there were always shows and events going on that required tickets.
"These are by no means huge expenses and can easily be budgeted/managed, but I remember slipping into a mindset that once all these major costs were out of the way (tuition, books, dorm) that college was taken care of. Life lesson: There are always hidden costs."
"A semester's worth of textbooks could equate a month of rent (well, in the Midwest)."
"You are going to want to go out to eat more because it's social, you don't have the space in your living situation, and/or you simply don't have the time.
"And even if you think about being more conscious of cooking at home, it won't happen. Maybe your senior year ... maybe.
"Additionally, meal plans and dining halls, at least in my situation, sucked.
"Especially as a freshman, you go in counting on the meal plan/dining hall (which you had to pay for as a freshman), then you not only end up spending money on the meal plan but on eating out/groceries because you can't eat the dining hall food."
— Sam Rega
"I wish I had looked at the prices of off-campus apartments before choosing to live on campus."
"I wish I'd looked harder for a good school that wasn't in a high-rent neighborhood/city."
"I wish I'd known that time is money. If I had planned properly, I could have graduated in three years instead of four, saved myself thousands of dollars, and had an extra year of on-the-job experience."
"I wish I'd known I'd go to an expensive graduate school, so I would have chosen a cheaper college."
A centenarian who starts her day with gentle exercise and loves walks shares 5 longevity tips, including staying single 
A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
Colon cancer rates are rising in young people. If you have two symptoms you should get a colonoscopy, a GI oncologist says.
Having an regional accent can be bad for your interviews, especially an Indian one: study
Dirty laundry? Major clothing companies like Zara and H&M under scrutiny for allegedly fuelling deforestation in Brazil
5 Best places to visit near Darjeeling
Next Story