SoFi Blog

It’s that time of year. Summer is coming to a close and that moment you have been waiting (or dreading) all season has arrived. Your baby is finally headed off to college. And while this new chapter in life is exciting for everyone, you might be asking yourself, “What is a reasonable allowance for a college student?”

Okay, maybe it’s not the first question you are asking yourself, but it’s a fair question that can run through parents’ minds. How will your child financially survive their first year of college? Will they have enough to enjoy the college experience?

The College Board reports tuition and fees for undergraduates attending an in-state, four-year college is a staggering $10,230 per year . And that’s not including room and board. Once you and your child get the cost of tuition taken care of, is there room for a college allowance?

With your college acceptance letter in hand, you might feel like you’ve scored a free ride for the rest of the year. After a stressful fall of applying to schools and considering majors, the burnout is real. At this point, you might be tempted to let commitments slide and ride out the remainder of your senior year. Why do grades matter when you’re already on your way to your dream school?

Your child’s transition to college can be a time of great excitement. From the moment that he or she begins to apply to colleges, new horizons are opening up. Next come the acceptance letters, and then there’s choosing the right college for your child’s goals, moving him or her to college housing, and so forth.

Your child will likely make new friends, perhaps join clubs or other organizations, discover new interests, and so much more. But, what happens when you discover that your child’s grades are slipping?

How to deal with bad grades, of course, depends upon numerous factors, including how your child performed academically in high school, your child’s personality, reasons why grades are falling, and much more.

Fortunately, no matter why the grades are slipping (reasons may be immediately clear or they may take some investigating), this post will share helpful tips and strategies about what to do when your child gets bad grades in college.

One of the biggest investments a student can make is pursuing a graduate degree. Today, more than ever before, more people are taking on a larger amount of debt for master’s programs. We at SoFi believe you should be able to focus on your degree, not your debt. With our newly launched SoFiPrivate Student Loans for graduate school, we want to help you get low-rate loans that you can pay back on your own terms.

Just like our undergraduate student loans, launched earlier this year, our graduate school loans have no fees, competitive rates, flexible repayment options (deferred, interest-only, partial, and immediate), and a mobile-first experience. In addition to this, those pursuing their MBA or law degree will have access to specialty graduate pricing.

If you’re a college student, you’ll almost certainly need to take plenty of tests, especially during the midterm and final exam periods each semester. This can be a stressful time, as it’s likely these tests will have a big impact on your grades.

Strategies for how to handle exam stress most effectively will vary from student to student, but it’s important to get the emotional support you need from friends, family members, and classmates. For example, you could think about the good friend who makes you laugh and puts life into perspective—then call, text, or visit them.

Being prepared can also help you deal with stress. We’ve pulled together six strategies that might make test-taking season easier by ensuring that you’re well prepared.