The Scholars Toolkit is a resource I wish was available before I began my collegiate journey.
In high school, I was told after graduation to go straight to college. The influence to pursue higher education was marketed as an evident and stable step toward adulthood and independence. However, family and school counselors did not fully unfold the financial implications required to attain a degree. The significance of school names, network, career development and most importantly the price tag. Like many, the cost of attendance was a major determining factor of where I chose to begin my collegiate chapter.
What are the numbers?
- Nearly seven in 10 seniors (65%) who graduated from public and private non-profit colleges in 2018 had student loan debt. (Forbes)
- According to the Federal Reserve, U.S. student loan borrowers owed a collective $1.67 trillion in federal and private student loan debt as of June 2020 (Nerd Wallet).
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We will explore creative ways to get funding, application etiquette, and understand how financial literacy impacts (or lack thereof) impacts our choices before, during, and after our college days. Some may see higher education as an investment in oneself, but how much is the investment worth if you cannot steward the investment responsibly?
Content will be curated based on my personal journey toward graduating debt-free in addition to all the tools and research I’ve acquired along the way. There will be tips shared via my network of financial professionals, debt-free alumni and higher education professionals.
The Scholars Toolkit is here to provide the tools to fund your future on your terms. Together we are reimagining the standard.
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