Olivia Love

Staff Writer

Debt—one of the words that is constantly on the minds of college students pursuing their degree. It is nearly impossible to pursue a post-high school education without incurring some kind of debt whether it is in credit or student loans.

To help ease the flustered minds of students, the Central Academic Advising Office at ISU is putting on a series of seminars called Money Management for College Success. The talks began on Monday, Feb. 22, and will continue through Thursday, Feb. 25.

“When we look at the research of what makes students successful and what makes them drop out, surprisingly or not money is the number one cause of students not completing college,” said Nancy Goodman, academic adviser and series coordinator. 

A large part of the problem is that students come into college not knowing what all the money terminology means. For example, many do not know what goes into building a budget or how to fill out basic tax information.

With that in mind, the Money Management seminars are structured in order to be utilized by students so that they can become financially savvy. Each day focuses on a different skill or piece of information that is valuable for college students.

Monday and Tuesday covered the basics of financial responsibility and applying for financial aid. Wednesday will focus on jobs that are offered on campus and Thursday will educate students on how to avoid the pitfalls of financial aid.

Although students today are not necessarily as harassed by credit card companies as they used to be, many young adults fall victim to trends and buying unnecessary luxuries.

“There’s no such thing as a rich college student,” Goodman said. “Now’s not the time to be buying a new car.”

For many students this is the first time they have had to deal with managing money and thinking about how their current financial decision could affect their future.

“I’ve only ever had small jobs to pay for little things, I’ve never had to plan long term,” said Hannah Jacopian, a current ISU student.

That is where these seminars come in handy. Different speakers present every day and share their advice with students who have never had to deal with this kind of responsibility.

The biggest thing for students is learning to live within their means. This may mean taking advantage of opportunities on campus such as the Career Path Internship program, which will be one of the topics discussed in Wednesday’s seminar.

The CPI program provides students with paid internships that are in their field of study. This not only provides a student with a source of income but also serves as a résumé builder for life after college.

The presentations take place in the Heritage Room of the Pond Student Union Building.

Each day there are three chances to catch the presentations as they run from 10 to 10:50 a.m., 11 to 11:50 a.m., and 12 to 12:50 p.m. on their respective day. Students are encouraged to attend any part of a seminar that they can and ask questions.

“These presentations are very timely as financial aid applications are coming due, scholarship applications are coming due, and program applications are coming due,” Goodman said.

So now is the time to become financially aware and learn how to live within one’s means.