Anyone else in their third year suddenly getting hit with the “wait, what am I actually doing after graduation?” feeling? I’m studying, working, applying for internships and doing all the things I’m supposed to be doing, but I still don’t feel like I have a clear picture of where it’s all going. Trying to remind myself that figuring it out while doing it is probably normal.

Having a part-time job during the semester has made me way more protective of my free time. I used to think I needed huge blocks of 3-4 hours to study, but now I’ll use a 40 minute gap between class and work and just get one thing done. It’s not glamorous, but those random small sessions add up surprisingly fast.

I’m still figuring out how much I should be setting aside for food, transportation, school supplies, and random expenses. It’s kind of weird having to keep track of all this for the first time. Any budgeting habits that made things easier?

I feel like I had way more free time in high school. Between classes, studying, errands, and trying to have an actual social life, my schedule fills up so fast. What’s one thing that actually helped you manage your time in college?

Random campus tip that has been weirdly useful for me: if I have something I really don’t want to study, I’ll go to a building where I normally don’t have classes and find an empty corner. Somehow changing the environment makes it easier to focus. Probably psychological nonsense, but I’ve gotten more work done there than in my actual study spot lol.

I’m comparing two transfer options right now. One university has a program that fits my goals much better, but I’d have to move and probably cut back my work hours. The other is closer, so I could keep working and commute, but the program isn’t quite as strong.
My stipend and savings are limited, so this isn’t really a simple “follow your dreams” decision. It’s basically: better academic opportunity vs. being able to afford groceries and rent without taking on more debt.
For people who transferred from community college, how much would you sacrifice financially for a significantly better program?

I’ve become the person who checks the community college library before spending money on almost anything
Free textbooks, research databases, study rooms, software access, printing credits... I keep finding resources I didn’t even know students could use. I wish these things were explained more clearly during orientation because I probably could have saved quite a bit during my first year.
It also makes me think about how much difference relatively small free services can make when you’re already working and trying to keep your education affordable.

Applying for internships is starting to feel like a part-time job of its own. I’ve been tweaking my resume for different positions and keeping track of applications in a spreadsheet because otherwise I completely lose track of who I contacted. One thing I wish I’d started doing earlier was saving the job descriptions, since some companies take forever to get back to you.

One of the weirdest parts of being a freshman is suddenly being expected to know how to manage money when nobody really taught you how

I’m trying to budget for food, school stuff, transportation and just having a life without constantly checking my bank account. It makes me understand why economic issues resonate so much with younger people. Things like wages, healthcare and education costs aren’t abstract political topics when you’re actually trying to pay for them.

Did anyone else have a huge reality check about money after starting college?

I had a class this semester where the required textbook was almost $150, and that honestly threw off my budget for the month.

I’ve started checking the library, used-book sites, and asking professors whether older editions are acceptable before buying anything. It feels ridiculous that one textbook can become a serious financial decision for a student.

What free or cheap resources have actually helped you in community college? I’m especially interested in things beyond the obvious “check the library” advice.

Third year has me realizing that my biggest problem isn’t really time management, it’s switching between too many different things. Class in the morning, work after, internship applications at night, then suddenly I’m trying to study at 11pm. I started keeping one simple list for the day instead of having separate plans for everything and it’s actually helped more than all the productivity systems I’ve tried.

I’m still pretty new to politics and honestly I’m trying to figure out which issues actually matter most to people my age. For me right now it’s probably college costs and just being able to afford basic things without constantly worrying about money.

I work part-time while taking classes, and right now I’m trying to finish my transfer applications on top of everything else. My work schedule changes every week, so it’s hard to find consistent time for essays, financial aid forms, and researching schools.

I know plenty of students do this, but sometimes I wonder how people are expected to compete for scholarships and transfer spots when they’re also spending 15–20 hours a week working just to cover basic expenses.

If you transferred while working, did you reduce your hours during application season or just push through it?

I've been stressing about maintaining a 3.5 while working part-time and doing extracurriculars, and I recently started wondering whether the stress is actually worth it long-term. I've heard from some people that GPA matters a lot for first jobs and grad school but becomes irrelevant after that, and from others that it never really mattered much in their field to begin with. I'm in business and I'm not planning on grad school — just trying to get into a good entry-level role after graduation. Is there a point where you're better off putting energy into experience and networking rather than chasing an extra 0.1 on your GPA? Would love to hear from people who are a few years out of school.

I’m considering getting a part-time job because I really don’t like asking my family for money every time I need something. At the same time, I’m already struggling to keep up with freshman classes and I’m worried a job will make studying even harder.

It’s kind of frustrating that so many students have to make this choice in the first place. We’re told college is supposed to be about getting an education, but a lot of us also have to work just to afford being there. I’d be interested to hear how other students balance work and school.

I’m seriously running out of time right now. I’ve got several assignments piling up, work has been eating up most of my week, and I’m at the point where staring at another blank Word document just makes me want to close my laptop

I’ve looked at a few essay writing services, but it’s hard to tell which ones are actually reliable. I’m not looking for some generic AI-written paper or something thrown together in a few hours. I’d rather pay for an actual writer who can understand the instructions, do proper research, and deliver something decent before the deadline.

If you’ve personally used a service and had a good experience, which one was it? I’d especially appreciate opinions on quality, communication, and whether they actually handle revisions without making you fight for them.

I’m in my second year at community college and starting to seriously look at transfer options. There are a couple of universities I’d love to attend, but when I add up tuition, transportation, books, and living expenses, the cheaper option is looking a lot more realistic.

I’m trying to avoid taking on a huge amount of debt just to get a bachelor’s degree. One reason I’ve always liked Sanders’ focus on making college more affordable is that this feels very real when you’re actually planning a transfer.

For anyone who transferred from a CC, how much did cost end up influencing where you went?

The gym on campus is free and almost empty before 8am — I started going at 7 and it completely changed my mornings. The campus tech loan program has laptops, calculators, and even HDMI cables you can borrow for free, which I only found out when a classmate mentioned it casually. Most departments have a student lounge with a microwave and sometimes free coffee that's not advertised anywhere — just walk in and ask. If your campus has a food pantry, it's usually open to any enrolled student regardless of income and most people are too proud or uninformed to use it.

I thought the hardest part of college would be the actual classes, but honestly managing everything at once has been harder. Classes, studying, trying to make friends, figuring out meals, keeping track of money... somehow there are always 10 things I need to do.

It’s made me think more about how much easier college could be if students had more financial security. I know that’s one of the reasons Sanders’ message about making education more accessible appeals to me. Anyone else feel like college is basically learning how to survive financially at the same time as learning your major?

I'm having a fundamental existential crisis, like all of the systems in place for United States are crumbling right in front of our eyes. Even getting a degree seems futile, I don't care for my degree, or money. I am a biology student and It feels like I'm just doing task after task without any true processing behind it. I'm forcing myself to go into biology because I think it will secure me a job after I graduate but I don't know what the future will be. Everyone else at the school I am at (a large party school) doesn't care, is going to frat parties, and partying. The environment at my school is odd. Everyone cares more about their appearance than their inner world. It concerns me and I kinda just want to drop out, work for a bit and travel the world. Overall, I'm worried for the future, and I am worried about myself.

I’m a freshman and I feel like I underestimated how expensive literally everything would be. Tuition is obviously the big one, but then there’s food, books, transportation, random class fees, laundry, etc. It adds up so fast.

One reason I’ve been interested in Bernie’s ideas is because I genuinely don’t understand why getting an education has to mean starting adult life already stressed about money. How are other students dealing with this? Working during school, scholarships, loans, living at home, something else?

I've been working at a campus dining hall since freshman year and I genuinely don't know how to frame it on my resume for internship applications. The job itself isn't flashy. I serve food and help close the kitchen but I've been promoted once, I manage a small section during dinner rush, and I've never missed a shift. I feel like there's something real there about reliability and time management but I don't know how to describe it in a way that doesn't sound like I'm overselling washing dishes. Do recruiters care about non-glamorous jobs when they're held for a long time, or should I just leave it off and focus on club involvement?

These people tried to scam me saying that they needed to buy a plugin so my institution doesn't know what is going on. They started with $900.00, then $2,000.00 and then $4000.00. This was clearly a money grab and a clear scam. Unfortunately i paid the $900.00 but i did not pay the rest. I have reported this account everywhere and blocked them as well. Please if you have stories about them speak out. they have another facebook account call Course Help Pro. Don't be fooled, they are clear scammers. I have more screenshots i will post later on.

I chose community college because it made financial sense and I'm not embarrassed about it, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't worry about how transfer students are perceived once they get to a four-year school. I've heard from some people that you integrate completely and nobody cares where you started, and from others that there's a subtle difference in how transfer students are treated socially or even academically. I'm also wondering about the practical side do professors assume transfer students are less prepared, or does it just depend on the department and the school?

I applied to probably 30 internships through job boards last year and heard back from maybe three. This year I completely changed my approach and the difference has been significant. I started going to every on-campus recruiting event even for companies I wasn't sure about, because a five-minute conversation with a recruiter puts your name in their head before your resume hits their inbox. I also emailed three alumni from my school who work in fields I'm interested in — just asked for a 15-minute informational call — and two of them said yes. One of those calls turned into a referral for a position that wasn't even posted publicly. The job market for students is genuinely brutal right now and applying cold through portals alone is probably not going to be enough.