by Zayd Hamid

Moving into a new dorm or apartment for college can feel liberating. Compared to high school students, college undergraduates have a high degree of freedom regarding course scheduling, living spaces, extracurriculars, meal plans, etc. All of these choices are empowering, but come with responsibility. 

Zayd Hamid did a few things as an undergraduate to ensure he still had enough time to sleep – most days – while also still having enough money in his pocket to buy that next slice of pizza.

Schedule your classes with purpose. Everyone learns best at different times and in different ways. Course modality is another area of the college experience that you have flexibility in. 

If you’re trying to balance a part-time job with school, then asynchronous remote classes can be helpful. Classes that meet online, either asynchronously or synchronously, can save you time and money that you otherwise would have spent walking/driving to class. A downside of virtual classes is that you can miss out on the interpersonal value of classes, including opportunities to make new friends and network with your professors. Choose course modalities and times that work best for you and your goals – and feel free to experiment semester-by-semester!

If you rely on public transportation to get back home from campus, make sure that you have enough time after class to catch the bus. Sprinting across campus to reach the bus stop in time doesn’t always end well! But, as long as you manage your schedules well, public transportation will save you money that you’d otherwise use for gas and parking passes. It also comes with the added benefit of giving you time on the ride to read your textbooks before going to class.  

Manage your commitments to support your self-care. “My Outlook calendar looked like someone spilled M&M’s on it; I often had a rainbow on my desk full of color-coded commitments,” Hamid recalled. “There came a point where I realized not everything needed to be on there.” 

Clubs are great spaces for you to develop your leadership skills in, but only if you have the time for that commitment. Mindfully selecting a few clubs relevant to your interests that you can dedicate time to will holistically benefit you more than showing up to miscellaneous events. 

Clubs aside, there’s so much to do on campus! Enjoy that tailgate, take that trip. College is as much about memories as it is about preparation. That can be a hard concept for some students to act on, especially if those students are funding their education through work or in rigorous programs like cybersecurity and nursing. 

Even small moments of release and joy can have a dramatic impact in disrupting downward cycles of stress. Having coffee with a friend or taking a stroll around campus can yield a dramatic return on investment for well-being. Surrounding yourself with people who, like Hamid’s freshman year Resident Assistant Sean did, will hold you accountable to your well-being needs is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. 

Raise and spend money efficiently. First-generation college students are less likely than their peers to have a college fund or parents able to fully fund their education out-of-pocket. This often makes finding work imperative to avoid overdue tuition bills and other expenses.

“My parents invested in a Virginia 529 plan, but there was never a time in college when I didn’t have at least one job. I had midnight shifts as a gym manager a few times a week as a senior,” Hamid said. 

His work at Mason Recreation, in addition to providing biweekly income, also made him eligible for the Federal Work-Study Program (FWS). This applied directly to his semester bill, saving him $2,500 total each academic year. Programs like the FWS can be a lifesaver for expenses directly billed by the university. 

That, coupled with grants and scholarships like George Mason University’s unpaid internship scholarship, can give you the disposable funds necessary to afford relevant opportunities. Zayd was able to study abroad in Switzerland thanks to scholarships provided by his university’s Global Education Office. 

Financial savings don’t just come from university offices though! Company subscription and reward programs, buying grocery items in bulk at wholesale locations like Restaurant Depot and Costco, taking advantage of student discounts such as the deal for Spotify Premium, and university-specific student discounts such as Patriot Perks can also save you hundreds of dollars a year. 

Hamid’s use of Panera Bread’s Unlimited Sip Club subscription program shows how impactful those savings can be. Through this program, Hamid could get one hot or iced coffee among other select beverages for free every two hours at any Panera location. Thankfully for him, there is a Panera location at George Mason University. According to an email Hamid received from Panera near the anniversary of his subscription, he had saved over $300 through the program. That’s worth more than 100 cups of Panera large hot coffees!

Time and money are related expenditures for college students. You can save some time on food by using a delivery robot or GrubHub instead of cooking, but those fees can add up. Learning to navigate that relationship in a way that prioritizes your human needs is hard, harder than any class you’ll take. But, to get the most out of your college experience, you have to try. Even if you fail at that one semester, you can always try again in the future. 

((Zayd Hamid is the 2023 Student Advocate of the Year, member of the National Institute of Lobbying and Ethics, member of the National Society for Leadership and Success, and a current Master of Public Policy student at George Mason University. Find out more about his resume services by visiting his LinkedIn page.)