While everyone at NYU dresses like they are homeless hipsters, it turns out that they can’t be,

1) Because NYU costs $50,000 a year to attend, and
2) Because NYU hates poor people.

And by “poor people,” I mean anyone who may need a little financial aid.

The New York Post reports that admissions counselors at NYU recently gave a big “Eff You” to 1,700 potential students whose financial aid packages may not have been enough to cover their yearly tuition. Why did they call? Well,  NYU claims the calls were to help those students out, but the real message: find another school.

Even more upsetting? Students who would be the first in their families to go to college were more likely to make it onto this phone tree.

So much for being open, diverse and a school of liberal thought. NYU cares more about the ching ching than the molding of young, brilliant minds.

Oh, NYU; have we learned nothing from Pretty Woman?
Big mistake. Huge.

You could be turning away the next Steve Jobs, Sergey Brin, or CollegeCandy editor!

If I were on that call list, I’d take my money and go elsewhere.
I’m not spending 4 years where I’m not wanted!

[College kids are notorious for being poor. And why shouldn't we be? We take out student loans to pay for private universities, can barely balance a part-time job with our full-time courseload, and the only "balance" we're familiar with refers to the number of points left on our dining hall cards. Oh, did I mention many of us tend to splurge every extra penny on PBR's at the campus bar?

Ok, before everyone gets up in arms about every generalization I just made, let me clarify: if you disagree with everything I just said, you probably don't need this column. But if you're nodding along because you're officially an adult and still don't know how to manage your money, then you might want to pay attention every week, because I'm going to (try to) get you through this, and make you a successful saver and a wise spender. Starving college students of the world, I bring you Money Matters: a Guide to Handling Your Income (or Lack Thereof).]

This week, I’d like to introduce you to a splendid gem called Free Student Checking. Now, normally, banks will hold your money for you, but they like to find sneaky ways to make a few bucks back themselves. Some checking accounts, for example, have a minimum balance that you always have to have in your account. If your balance goes below that minimum, you get a fine.

Yeah, that’s right. You have to PAY your BANK for being too poor to have any money in the account that consists entirely of your own money that you started out with in the first place. I understand credit card late fees– with credit, you’re spending money you don’t necessarily have– but a fine on your own money? That’s bullsh*t. Read More »

Who couldn’t use a quick buck these days? Especially college students who can barely scrape together a couple of quarters for 50-cent beer night at the pub. Sure, we have financial aid, work study, and minimum-wage paying part-time jobs, but sometimes we just need a little extra cash, stat. Thanks to Craigslist, that cash isn’t so hard to come by.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Craigslist, there is an individual site for most major cities across the US (and around the world, for that matter), e.g. losangeles.craigslist.org, boston.craigslist.org, and so on. Craigslist is basically a bunch of classified ads, and there’s a huge section of both “jobs” and “gigs” just waiting for you to stumble upon. So whether you want to splurge on a shopping spree, get your grandmother a birthday present, or actually buy your books this semester, look on Craigslist. I recommend browsing the categories “ETC” and “Event,” though if you have a particular talent or skill, you may want to look under “Creative,” “Labor,” or “Writing.”

Here are some of my favorite past Craigslist gigs:

1. Mock Juror

Listed under: Event

Paid: $60 for less than 4 hours Read More »

Everyone thinks living in a small New England town — especially a small New England town by the water — would be the best thing ever. It would be so safe and homey, everyone thinks, so quiet and rustic, no stress! Just miles and miles of cute little houses and a cute little pier to launch cute little boats from.

Let me tell you something – that thought process is sh*t.

Everyone is up in arms about these Gloucester girls who made a pregnancy pact, and no one can understand why anyone would just throw their life away by having a baby before they can even legally buy cigarettes. But I understand. I totally understand. It makes sense. You know why? Because not every small New England town is picturesque and middle class. Some of them are cramped, poor, lonley, and boring as f*ck.

How am I such an expert? I grew up in one. Not the kind that’s stitched onto potholders and immortalized in cute Cape Cod beach shops — the kind where front lawns are strewn with old car parts, you can hear your neighbor’s drunken fist fights from your living room, and schools barely manage to give out textbooks printed before 1983. A town kind of like Gloucester, Massachusetts. Read More »

This article really made me think.

In the article, we learn that some cities are better for individuals to work in than others (cost of living, housing, relation to career, etc.). New York City, where I have lived since the tender age of 17, gets slammed.

Yes, it’s an expensive city to live in, but what I think this article completely leaves out is lifestyle. New York, for instance, offers a way of living that no other city can offer. And I’m sure any defender of any place they love would say the same. It’s important to be in a place that makes you happy, that keeps you fulfilled, if you want to do well at work. A fulfilled worker is a happy worker. Right?

Or wrong? I don’t know.

Today (at least in our society), job often comes before all else. It’s what we ask each other first at parties–”What do you do?” is supposed to tell us all we need to know.

And yet, most of the functioning 20-something set I know are unhappy in their jobs. Most of them don’t consider their current job to be their ultimate career. Read More »

I don’t know about you, but when I earn some cold hard cash, the word “budget” is definitely not the first thing on my mind.

In fact, that money is spent on clothes, nights out, and my astronomical rent (woo, New York City!) so fast that a budget is almost a laughable concept.

I’m willing to bet (I spend my money on gambling too, apparently) that you just may be in the same financial boat, which is why College Candy is here to help your broke ass out.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that budgeting your money isn’t so bad because–gasp!–it is now possible to manage your finances the same way we all manage our friends! How, you ask?

Social networking! It seems to be the only way we know how to do anything anymore. But, it’s so obvious! You gotta love it.

Financial social networking sites like Wesabe.com and Geezeo.com are here to save the day…and your pocketbook!

It works like traditional money managing software like Quicken or Money, but here’s the catch…your peers can offer feedback on just how well you are spending your paycheck. They can offer tips and tricks that may increase your savings or slash your debt. (Can they leave drunken wall posts too?) Read More »