UNI Transfer Week and Scholarship Deadlines

Isaiah Banwart, Writer

Scholarship deadlines come and go at all times. Staying up to date requires almost constant contact with your advisors at Iowa Lakes. If a priority date does slip you by, do not panic. In the upcoming week alone, the University of Northern Iowa is hosting multiple virtual meetings throughout the week for the benefit of prospective students, particularly transfers. Declaring a major can be a difficult decision for many students, which is why the UNI Transfer Week gives students ample opportunity to observe nine different available majors.

At the end of the week, which lasts from the 7th to the 12th, student participants will become eligible for t-shirts and prizes from the UNI bookstore. Most importantly, the event gives students the chance to apply to Iowa’s sixth largest college free of charge.

TRIO’s primary purpose is assisting transfer students at Iowa Lakes. On the topic of filling out scholarship applications, Terry Luiken on the Emmetsburg campus had advice for all students to keep in mind. “Always make sure to choose references you know will complete them, and to monitor your scholarship accounts to make sure they complete them.” Indeed, quality references can be instrumental to being admitted into a new college. Professors are a great resource for these.

Paying for college can be a very tedious process for many students, especially with day to day finance management being so crucial. According to Michelle Rubel, math professor at Iowa Lakes, debit cards contribute to many students losing track of their spending. “I think that students today tend to use their debit card left and right and not pay attention to how much they are actually spending. This is probably better than using a credit card – because you would have difficulty over-spending with a debit card and you can do that with a credit card. The good news is that students can easily track what they are spending their money on with a debit card. Many students do online banking and can look at where they spend the money with their debit card. If you are using cash, it is much tougher to see how you are spending your cash.”

Rubel goes onto explain how much difference a simple spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel can make. “I really recommend putting your expenses into a spreadsheet (excel) and tracking your money. Make categories for things like gas, phone bill, and other specific bills and a final categories for extra necessary expenses and extras. Students (as well as many adults) don’t realize how much they are spending on little things like a cup of coffee or bottle of pop every day. If you buy a bottle of pop from a pop machine (or convenience store) daily, that is roughly $1.50 each day x 5 days a week and then 4 weeks per month. The result is approximately $30 each month or if you figure 16 weeks in the semester, $120 per semester. Tracking your expenses will help you determine where you could save money or cut expenses if you are struggling to make ends meet. AND when you realize just how much you are spending on some of those more frivolous items, then you may think twice the next time you spend that money and instead save it and maybe even invest it.”