MONEY!!!!!!!!!

As you prepare for college this fall, DO NOT forget about financing your education. Going through college in America, and coming out debt-free is just about impossible in today's world. There are a few different ways you can finance your college education-grants, scholarships, unsubsidized and subsidized loans.

Grants do not need to be paid back. It's free money. You do not have to put in any work for grants besides the application. You have such things such as your Pell grant, Map Grant, and SEOG Grant, that you can get just by doing your FAFSA. You may also receive grants from grant writing to an organization. Grants do not need to be paid back. It's free money.

Scholarships are another source of financial aid. You have to earn this money. Sometimes it's by classification, age, talent, grades, ect.  You do not have to pay scholarships back. This  form of financial aid is another source of aid that you want to have.

Unsubsidized loans are loans that adds interest to your balance even when you are still in school. That means what you owe originally will multiply. For example, a student borrowing $10,000 per year at 8%, would owe $48,666 dollars after four years of college (approximately $8,666 more than they initially borrowed).YOU DO NOT WANT OR NEED this form of "financial hurt", oh I mean "aid." You have to pay this back and then more.

Subsidized loans allows the government to pay your interest off until you get out of school. However, after you graduate, you have interest to pay on those loans. This is another type of financial aid that you do not want. You have to pay these back plus your interest. So if over the course of 4 years you took out $60,000 worth of loans, while you are in school the government would pay them off, but let's say when you graduated you had a 7% interest. Then you would end up paying what you borrowed plus the interest rate. You do the math! You are paying back more than what you borrowed.

If you aren't using scholarships and grants to pay for school, then I would suggest paying out of pocket, or finding sponsors to help assist you. I would NEVER recommend loans of any sort to anyone. It is a horrible business deal. Yes, it may help you graduate with a degree, but it will also insist in you graduating with debt. With you having to pay people back more than what you borrowed. It's not an aid, it's a hinder, a lie. When you owe someone a significant amount of money, you're freedom is compromised.

Everyone's situation is different, but one thing I will say is DO NOT GO INTO DEBT trying to pay for college. If you can't afford 15 credit hours take 12 or 10 credit hours. It may take you an extra semester or year to graduate, but I guarantee that you will benefit greatly by not being in debt.

We live in a country that wants everyone to have college degrees and puts emphasis on going to school, yet they make the dream of college so unattainable that many of the 99% never realizes they can do it. While at the same time the 1% and 5% are pretty much predestined for college, and they are out getting the degrees and qualifying for the good paying degree jobs. This is resulting in a bigger gap between the rich and the poor. 

More degrees would lead to more good paying jobs, which would lead to better tax paying jobs which would benefit everyone. Now please don't get discouraged about school reading this, but please be encouraged. Be encouraged to try your hardest, your best, and go get scholarships and grants.

In your spare time look up the percentage of colleges graduates graduating debt free vs. the college graduates who are graduating with debt. Do the research for yourself. Make wise investments and reach for the top. Now is your time.