Are Student Loans Better Than Credit Cards?

Vanessa McHooley

When applying for student loans, it's so important for
prospective college students to calculate their finances as best
they can to receive the appropriate funding. From tuition and
books to room and board, living expenses and food, students
should make sure to secure the funds they actually will need to
get them through each semester at college.

By applying for the correct amount, students won't find
themselves in a bind or get themselves into a credit card
nightmare.

 Way too many college students these days get into big trouble
with credit cards. It's unfortunate that students too
inexperienced to know better receive enticing credit card offers
in the mail. Usually when a credit card offer looms over a
student, it's like dangling a carrot in front of a rabbit. The
student grabs the credit card offer without thinking ahead.
Credit cards oftentimes appear to be a quick fix or a type of
"free money," and they then become the remedy students think
they need.

 <b>Student Loans versus Credit Cards</b>

 If anything, it's the opposite. Like student loans, credit card
debt must be paid back. There's a huge difference though.
Student loans usually are taken out with fixed interest rates,
depending on the type of loan and a students' credit rating,
amount of loan, repayment terms, etc.

 However, there's usually a catch when students receive those
"amazing" credit card offers. The catch is sky-high finance
charges, some as high as 22 percent! However, oftentimes
students don't think about the finance charges when they accept
the credit card offers. It's kind of like, "I'll think about
that later."

 Some students who haven't taken out enough student loans to
cover their college expenses resort to credit cards to pay for
necessities, books and even rent! They'll use their credit cards
to take out cash advances, which usually have even higher
finance charges than by simply charging.

 <b>Never-ending Cycle of Debt</b>

 There are students who accept more than one credit card offer.
After hitting the limit on one credit card, it's easy to accept
another and then another, and so on. With the high interest
rates and finance charges attached to these credit card offers,
students easily can rake up more than they bargain for. When
students pay off credit cards by only paying minimum monthly
payments, they are making their financial situation worse.
Finance charges accrue month after month. It could take almost a
lifetime to pay off the credit card bills.

About the author:
This article is distributed by NextStudent. At NextStudent, we
believe that getting an education is the best investment you can
make, and we're dedicated to helping you pursue your education
dreams by making college funding as easy as possible. We invite
you to learn more about student loans at http://www.NextStudent.com.