You probably thought that earning a bachelor’s degree meant making more money. But with the current challenging job market, recent graduates aren’t receiving the starting salaries that they probably expected.

But there’s still hope on the horizon. Although starting salaries had been on a downhill slope, they are starting to stabilize.

2010 graduates’ average starting salary is $48,288, according to a survey organized by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, also known as NACE. While that’s 0.7 percent down from last year’s average starting salary, Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director, said that the decline appears to be leveling off. Read the rest of this entry »

College students are known for two things: being bogged down with homework and being broke. College teaches students how to live on very little and still survive, because between tuition costs, books and school supplies, students often have nothing left. This is partly the reason why so many students fall into the trap of taking out multiple student loans to supplement for the things they cannot afford. For some, it’s as serious as not having enough to eat, while others want money for the occasional luxury of going out to eat or buying clothes.

One thing students hate to do when it comes to money is ask mom and dad. When you leave home for college, it’s usually the first step of being out on your own, and many students don’t want to admit to their parents that they need help. But most parents would rather their child take a loan from them than have them take out student loans that charge interest and often give students more cash than they need. Read the rest of this entry »

Some people say that earning an education is a student’s main job. I have always had a problem with this saying because of one simple fact: earning good grades does not pay your electric bill, put food on your table, or help offset your student loans…unless, of course, you have a GradeFund account.

GradeFund is a revolutionary new social media site that allows family, friends, corporations, philanthropists, or anyone else who wants to sponsor a student to reward hard-working students with financial contributions.

How does it work? Basically, you create an account and invite sponsors to support you. At the end of each semester, you send your transcript to GradeFund, and then if you meet the qualifications set by your sponsors, you receive either a check in the mail or a credit to your school towards your tuition. Sounds pretty easy, right? Read the rest of this entry »

College students are notorious for being broke. I cannot count the number of times each week I hear someone say, “Sorry, I can’t go out to eat/go to the movies/go to the clubs. I’m broke.”

However, maybe we college kids aren’t as broke as we think we are. Something that I find pretty interesting is that 66 percent of students receive funds from home each month, and the average amount of money received is $312. Another 49 percent of students have a part-time job and report an average monthly earning of more than $450.

So what do we spend our money on? Surprisingly, 40 percent of the average student’s money goes to discretionary spending, including 6.5 percent for entertainment, 6.7 for apparel and services, and 4.7 percent for travel and vacation. Another 26 percent of the budget goes toward room and board, two very important things if you don’t want to share a bridge with a few random rodents. Read the rest of this entry »