Personal Finance News

I can remember being 17, sitting in our Michigan farmhouse, across the kitchen table from my mother. "You don't have to go there just because you got a scholarship," she said. "You can go to any other college you want. We'll make it work."

A feeling of utter practicality took over my brain. Paying thousands of dollars or going to school for free?

I chose free.

Thinking back, I'm still surprised by my decision. Even though I came from a podunk town in rural Michigan, and my advanced-placement classmates chose prestigious universities like Brandeis, University of Michigan, MIT, Yale, and Northwestern, I chose a mid-sized, not-particularly-academic state school because it offered me four years tuition and room and board. I never looked back.

You know how your teachers always say that the "stupid question" you want to ask is probably the same one on everyone else's mind? Well, here's one:

What's the difference between credit cards and debit cards?

Maybe you thought you were the only one who didn't actually know, but that's where you're wrong. Credit cards and debit cards have real differences, and not knowing what they are can create major problems for college students.

It's sophomore year, and suddenly you're finding that your jeans don't fit like they used to? You're not alone. Although so-called "freshman 15" is an exaggeration, most students gain weight in college. Stress, a less-active life style, and those buffet-style cafeterias lead many students to pack on pounds. A Rutgers University study showed that if students keep up their freshman weight gain, they would gain 27 pounds by graduation.