With millions of students graduating high school over these next couple of months, there will be many people continuing on to higher education, whether that be a community college, trade school, or university. Of those people, many will receive financial aid or loans to help fund their studies. For most, however, that will not be enough to cover the total cost of attending school. In this blog, we will go over 5 ways that college students can make a couple bucks in their downtime.
Apply For Scholarships
There are thousands of scholarships that are out there for the taking. They are literally free money and they don’t need to be paid back. Scholarships are offered by schools, employers, individuals, private companies, nonprofits, religious groups, and professional or social organizations. To find them, try contacting the school’s financial aid department. They will guide you to their website or to a catalog of forms to apply. In addition, there are private websites that students can create to apply for scholarships online. Some that I have used are scholarships.com and fastweb.com.
Become A Brand Ambassador
Throughout my time in college, many of my friends became brand ambassadors for some of the most well-known companies such as Amazon, Spotify, and Snapchat. For a couple hours a week, ambassadors would set up booths and tables around campus, sporting events, or Greek life to drive the company’s presence and sales on campus. Some of the benefits are, of course, not only compensation, but also, free merch.
Participate/Volunteer In Research
More likely than not, the college or university will have students conducting all different types of research. For research to be done, there typically needs to be test subjects. That’s where students come in. Research students host studies throughout the year and need healthy volunteers to test their hypotheses. Some may require subjects to be monitored while they sleep, while some may be asked to answer questions about their lifestyle, habits, routines and preferences. Regardless, it’s a good (and interesting) way to earn some extra cash.
Deliver Groceries/Food
Delivering groceries or food with companies such as Instacart or Grubhub is an easy side hustle to fit in between classes or when there is some free time on the weekends. The amount a full-service shopper earns for each order depends on the quantity and types of items, driving distance, and the amount of effort involved in delivery. You can also earn bonuses for referring your friends with these companies.
Working on or off campus
This might be the most obvious of them all, but speaking from experience, working on or off campus gets the job done. There are plenty of opportunities out there. On campus, students can apply for work-study, work at a dining hall, or teach fitness classes. Off campus, there are likely restaurants or cafés around the campus that are packed with students. Wouldn’t it be great to work and socialize with other students at the same time? Some of my experiences with this are working part-time in student government and managing a poke restaurant full-time. I highly recommend thinking outside the box to find all sorts of work.
These are just a few ways that I know how to make some extra cash to fund college tuition and extra curriculars during college. If you are an incoming college student, current college student, or know of one, please share these ideas and maybe it can help make a difference in their college career.