Headline: Making the most of your summer financially

As the winter semester starts to wind down, now is the perfect time for students to start thinking about how to make the most of their summers financially. From August through April, students deal with the huge financial strain of paying for tuition, room and board, and textbooks, so the four-month-long summer vacation that Grand Valley State University students enjoy is an opportunity to save up money working a summer job and take advantage of other financial opportunities.

First things first, if you don’t have a summer job secured yet, check out the Student Employment Office, which houses the LakerJobs database and provides information about job fairs, work study and other resources. On LakerJobs, you can look for different on-campus job opportunities and tailor your search to receive email alerts any time a new job that fits your criteria is available. Local off-campus employers can also provide information about position openings on this site, so you can search beyond the Allendale and Pew campuses as well. 

The Career Center is another great resource for students who are conducting a job search. The website includes information about how to construct a compelling resume and cover letter, how to go about looking for a job or internship, how to prepare for an interview and more. In addition, students can also make one-on-one appointments with Career Center advisers to review resumes and cover letters or conduct mock interviews to practice for the real deal. Students can also visit the Career Center for its walk-in 10-minute consultations to review a resume and ask questions. 

If you’re worried you might have to stay at school for an extra semester or two to fulfill missing credit requirements, consider taking summer classes so you can avoid paying for tuition for another full-blown fall or winter semester. You can also apply for summer financial aid through the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to make paying for summer classes easier.

If you’re going to continue living in the area over the summer for work and/or school and need a place to stay, consider subleasing from another student in one of the local apartment complexes. As the semester nears its end, it becomes more urgent for students who plan to leave for the summer to find someone to sublease their space so they aren’t paying for an empty apartment. As a result, you can often negotiate the cost of rent, utilities and even the security deposit to get the most bang for your buck.

Finally, to get a little extra pocket cash as the summer starts, consider selling any textbooks you have that you likely won’t ever open again. You can sell back books at the Laker Store and Brian’s Books, or you can try selling them independently through Amazon.com or one of the many social media pages run by GVSU students designed specifically for students looking to buy and sell books.