Financial Stress recap

For Michigan State University students worrying about paying for school, Val Meyers, an Associate Director for MSU’s Office of Financial Aid, said that students who spend a good amount of time on their résumé and keep track of their accomplishments for when they apply to scholarships generally have the most success. She said those who "make a business out of it" are often the most successful. Meyers suggested that students keep a log of their accomplishments and other honors and that they apply for several scholarships at once every day for a few days, so they can raise their chances of obtaining one of the scholarships they apply for. Meyers also suggested students utilize websites like Fastweb where they can access more scholarships than they would be able to through MSU's website alone.

Financial Stress preview

According to a 2015 CollegeBoard report, in-state tuition and fees at four-year public institutions increased at an annual rate of 3.4 percent per year, beyond inflation, between 2005-06 and 2015-16. Michigan State University students pay for school in a variety of ways, some use loans, others get help from their parents, and some students even have scholarships that cover a lot of costs associated with being a student at MSU. Keondanaya Sturdivant is a freshman at MSU, and she has a scholarship that pays for her entire tuition, but still feels stressed when it comes to paying for room and board. MSU Freshman Audrianna Gibson said that paying for school is “the biggest stressor” on her as a student. Gibson said she relies on loans and scholarships primarily to pay for school, and said she wants to get a job soon to help lighten the burden of paying for school.