Top Five Tips for College Freshmen and Sophmores

1. Let Your Major Pick You 

A lot of college students ask me what majors will look best on paper when it comes time to apply for a job or to graduate school. At this point in your college education, you really have no business committing to a career yet. You should be exploring – different classes, different internships and part-time jobs, different activities, different professors. Take a wide variety of classes, even if variety is not mandated by your school’s graduation requirements, and you’ll figure out pretty quickly which ones you’re passionate about. 

2. Follow the Professors 

Find out who the best teachers are and load up on those classes. The best teachers could lecture every day on the history of Brazilian trade unions and you’d still be fascinated and learn how to think. A site like RateMyProfessors.com has its limitations, but it’s just one more resource to help you find the best ones. (And if you want to see that shoe on the other foot, check out RateYourStudents.Blogspot.com.) Start cultivating relationships with your professors – be engaged in class and talk to them during office hours. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Aside from the academic benefits, you’ll need them for graduate school recommendations in just a few years, and sometimes they have industry contacts as well. 

3. Do Your Own Career Research? 

Many professors and college administrators (including folks at the career center) haven’t spent much time outside of academia, so don’t treat them as your only resources as you explore careers and line up internships or other job opportunities. Make every summer in college a strategic part of your post-graduation career planning – many employers make permanent offers to their summer interns. 

Banking For Students And Graduates

If you are a student or have recently graduated, then there a large number of bank accounts and financial products designed specifically for you. Although students used to be much derided for the large government grants they received, those days are long gone and students today have to be financially astute in order to avoid large debts. If you are a student or recent graduate then here are some tips about the types of accounts to look for. 

Why so many student accounts? 

Student and graduate accounts are more and more common, and they usually have a wide range of features and good rates. Although students are generally fairly poor and cannot pay back money they borrow, banks want to offer these accounts to students in the hope that they will remain loyal to their company once they are earning good money. 

Student accounts 

When you go to university you might have a simple current account, but the best thing to do is to open a dedicated student account. Student accounts offer a wide range of benefits, including vouchers and discounts for clothing and record shops. However, the most important part of your student account is the interest-free overdraft 

Overdrafts 

When you are at university it is likely that at some point you are going to need an overdraft facility to handle the fees whilst not bringing in a lot of money. Therefore it is essential that you pick an account with a good interest-free overdraft limit. Try and find the bank that has the highest level of interest-free overdraft, because any unauthorised borrowing will cost you a lot of money.