Affordable Things College Students Should Take Advantage Of

By Alyssa Laffitte on March 2, 2019

As college students, we need to be careful about saving money. It’s too easy to spend lots of money on things we don’t need, and it ends up hurting us when we need to pay our bills at the end of the month. However, the good news is that your school likely offers many resources for their students free of charge, or at a greatly reduced cost. Taking advantage of these free affordable resources will help you save lots of money. Unfortunately, many students don’t know about this, so they end up spending money on things their school can offer them for a cheaper price. In this article, we will discuss affordable things college students should take advantage of.

Image via Isorepublic.com

Events that happen right on campus

There is always something happening on a college campus, whether it is an important visitor coming to give a guest lecture, a movie showing, or the theater students putting on a show. Events like these happen all the time on college campuses, and they are likely inexpensive or free of charge for students. It’s much cheaper than a night out away from campus, but you will still have fun. You never know, you might find a new favorite band or discover an interest in a completely different subject.

Food and clothing discounts

Many stores and restaurants offer student discounts, especially if they are located near a college campus. Figure out which places these are, and be sure to eat or shop there. It’s especially fun when your favorite places offer these discounts, and it’s possible they do. (Getting these discounts will make you feel less guilty about eating and shopping at places you already love to eat and shop at!)

Free food

Similarly, as you hang out around your college’s campus, you might find free food. It’s likely your campus is hosting an event, and sometimes they might have food. They might even give you some free food in exchange for something small (like following them on a social media platform). For example, at an activities fair, an organization on my campus gave me a free cupcake when I followed them on Twitter. Also, if you belong to a student organization, make an effort to go to your organization’s meeting, since they will probably have food.

Technology discounts

As with food, your student ID could also get you discounts on technology. For example, you could get 10% on a new computer or software if you show them your student ID. (A couple of years ago, I got a small percentage off a new laptop and word processing software because I showed the salesperson my student ID.)

Your school likely also pays for certain software, so you can get it for free through them! Many schools pay for Microsoft Office; you can get it through them and not pay a cent.

Discounts for online services

Many online services, including some that you likely already use, offer substantial student discounts. For example, Spotify has a fantastic student discount where you have access to Spotify Premium, Hulu, and Showtime all for half of the price of a normal Spotify subscription. You can also get Amazon Prime for free as a student! You’re probably using these services already anyway, why not bundle them together and save money? You should definitely take advantage of the student discounts provided by these online services.

Infographic by Alyssa Lafitte

Academic services offered on campus

College students are often unaware of the huge amount of academic resources their school has available for them for free. If you are struggling in a class, there is likely a resource to help you. For example, if you are struggling in a math class, there is probably a math lab staffed with math graduate students who are ready to help you succeed in your classes. Similarly, there is probably a writing center on your campus to help you write essays. There is also a general tutoring center you can go to for help in any of your classes. When you have access to all these academic resources, there is no excuse for doing poorly in your classes. If you need help, visit one of these resources and ask for it!

Library

The library is likely the most popular resource your school offers. Your school’s library has a huge collection of books, not only for academic purposes, but for fun, too. You’ll surely find a book you enjoy in your library, and you can borrow it for a couple of months for free. Your library also likely offers printing, not only for standard sized papers, but also posters and other large papers. The staff at your library will also be able to help you find academic articles or resources you need. Even online, you should get access to academic resources through your library. If they don’t have access to something, they can borrow it for you from another library through an interlibrary loan.

If you’re doing a group project, you can also reserve group study rooms in the library so you can meet with your group in a quiet place that’s conducive to work. In other words, your library is much more than just a place to borrow books, even though that’s pretty awesome. Take advantage of the resources your library offers you as a student! (Depending on the school, you might still get some library privileges as an alumnus!)

Campus gym

It’s important for us to stay healthy and active so that our bodies can keep up with our busy college student schedules. One important way to do that is to work out at the gym. Your campus gym is probably available to students at a low price (or if you’re lucky, for free!). Going to your campus gym is not only good for your body, but good for your wallet, too.

Health center

Along the theme of taking care of your body, you should take advantage of your school’s health center. If you live on campus or are an out of state student, you likely have health insurance provided to you by your school. This means you can visit the health center for a low cost. If you ever feel sick, you should go to your school’s health center. Even if you are not feeling sick, you should go to your school’s health center for your yearly checkups. Additionally, if you are struggling with mental health (or even if you aren’t), you can go to your school’s counseling center. There is absolutely no shame in doing that!

You can also see if your health center provides dental and visual insurance, because if they do, they likely provide it at a reasonable cost. For that reason, you should take advantage of your school’s health center. As college students, we need to take care of our bodies. Going to your school’s health center is good for your body and your bank account.

Career services

Many young college students don’t pay attention to their school’s career service center because they think it’s only for older students. Even if you are not even close to graduating soon, you should still visit your campus’s career service center. They can help you make the right decisions during your college career to help you end up in a job you love.

Of course, as you get closer to graduation, you will probably visit them more often. They will help you create an attractive resume, write an outstanding letter, and practice for job interviews. At my school, the career services center will even allow you to borrow professional clothes for job interviews.

The campus career services center can be useful even if you aren’t looking for a job right after graduation. If you are like me and want to pursue postgraduate studies, the career service center can still help you! Ask if they offer and standardized test preparation courses or organizational tools to help you as you apply for graduate school.

Safety escorts

It’s not safe to be out by yourself in the middle of the night. I would recommend avoiding this at all costs by going with a friend or by waiting until the next morning. But sometimes, you can’t avoid it. If you find yourself in a situation where you have to go out late at night alone, call your campus safety escorts. Your school’s security office will send a security officer to walk with you wherever you need to go. Also, check if your school offers shuttle rides at night. Mine does, and it has been very convenient and safe for me! Nighttime safety escorts and shuttles are definitely a free resource you should take advantage of as a college student.

Image via Isorepublic.com

Academic advisors

Most college students do not take enough advantage of their academic advisors. Advisors are there to help you graduate on time with all your credits. They are an excellent resource when you have questions about your degree progress and requirements. Meeting with your advisor will ensure that you finish all the classes you need to finish in order to graduate. The last thing you want is to be a second semester senior and find out you still need to take more classes to fulfill your requirements.

Financial aid advisors

A short visit to your campus financial aid office could save you a lot of money. Even if they have already awarded you a scholarship, it’s worth popping in occasionally just to make sure you truly are getting the most financial assistance you can get. When you visit, you can ask them if there are any new scholarships you would be eligible for. There might not be any, but it’s still worth the visit, because you never know if there are! Your financial aid advisor could also point you in the right direction and give you some tips to earn more scholarships.

Extracurricular activities

After you graduate college, there will be no other time in your life where you can gather together with a group of people around your age who share your interests. For that reason, you should join as many extracurricular activities as you can while you are still a college student. These activities are great ways to meet other students who share your interests. You never know, you might meet your next best friend at one of these events. These activities are also great to pursue interests outside of your major. Although some extracurricular clubs will charge dues, which shouldn’t be too expensive, most of them are free to participate in. They are also great things to tack onto your resume, as employers can see that you are a well-rounded person with various interests. Be sure to take advantage of extracurricular activities while you are still a student, you won’t get those opportunities once you graduate. (Plus, going back to an earlier point, these meetings often have free food!)

On-campus attractions

Some college campuses have attractions right on site! If yours does, take advantage of it and visit it, because they often charge very little (or nothing at all) for their students. For example, the school where I completed my undergraduate studies has an art museum. The school where I am currently attending graduate school has multiple art museums and historical sites as well. A school that I visited over the summer has beautiful natural scenery, and I hiked through the campus with some of my friends a couple of times. (It was a fun way to spend time, and it didn’t cost us anything!) These would be fun places to visit on the weekend when you don’t have much homework, and they won’t break your wallet.

We college students need to save money. Your college campus likely offers many resources and items at an affordable price, or even free of charge. You will find many free things as you walk around campus, anything from free food to free academic tutoring to a free theater show. Figure out what resources your school offers for its students, and take advantage of it! You will be thankful that you saved some money.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format