We’ve been hard at work on the new JumpOffCampus Learning Center. We built the Learning Center for you, oh, intrepid apartment hunter.
It’s a one-stop-shop to help you search for, inspect, move in to and live in your first apartment.
We’ll be creating lots more videos and checklists to help you along the way. So if there’s anything you’d like to learn about, just let us know.
Happy hunting!
While allergies symptoms can range from mild to severe, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, approximately 60 million Americans suffer from asthma and allergies. Approximately 40 million suffer from indoor/outdoor allergies as their primary allergy. The most common triggers being trees, grass and weed pollen, mold, dust mites, cockroaches, and cat, dog, and rodent dander. Food allergies account for approximately 6% of allergy suffers, and the most common triggers are milk, soy, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish.
If you have allergies, you may have experienced sniffling, sneezing, watery eyes, headaches, or worse. It can be a very unpleasant experience when you your allergies flare up. While there isn’t much you can do to rid yourself completely of your allergies, there are certainly some simple things you can do around your home that will help to reduce allergens.
Use an allergen impermeable cover to enclose your mattress, box spring, and pillows. In an article we read by Mikki Hogan at The Allergy Spot, the first area you want to consider is your bed and your bedroom. Dust and dust mites found on your bed can be a major trigger for your allergy symptoms. These covers will help trap any allergens that may be on your mattress, and will prevent them from being inhaled.
Wash sheets, pillowcases and blankets in hot water at least once per week. Hogan explains that hot water will kill all dust mites and removes allergens from the fabrics. By accompanying this with hypoallergenic fabrics, you can greatly reduce the potential for your symptoms to flare up.
Vacuum floors regularly. By vacuuming carpeting and other flooring, you can greatly reduce dust and other allergens that can accumulate. You can use dry carpet cleaners to further remove allergens. According to Hogan, shampooing carpets can leave residual moisture than can increase dust mite growth. You may also want to consider using a vacuum with a HEPA filter.
Dust regularly. Be sure to dust every area that could potentially collect dust. You may also want to consider clearing any clutter or messes regularly to prevent the collection of dust.
Wash curtains and blinds monthly. In another article we read by Clean Air Plus, when purchasing curtains, you will want to consider washable fabrics so that you can wash them safely without damaging them. You will also want to take a clean washcloth and wipe down window blinds. Both curtains and blinds are primary locations for dust collection.
Regularly vacuum and clean furniture. Ensuring that couches, tables, shelves, etc. are regularly cleaned will also help to greatly reduce dust and other allergens. Be sure to remove the appropriate cleaners for woods and fabrics. Vacuuming can be especially helpful on cloth-based furniture.
Regularly clean shower and tub areas. Because these areas are generally damp, they can become breading grounds for mold and mildew. To ensure that mold and mildew do not build up, regularly clean these areas with the appropriate cleaners.
Avoid opening windows when pollen is active. This is pretty self-explanatory, but this will help ensure that no pollen gets in and it will decrease the number of allergens inside your home.
When you’re moving off-campus for the school year, there are a lot of things to consider. If your living in an unfurnished pad, in particular, there are a lot of things you have to remember to pack. While it’s important, I’m sure many of you may forget the important essentials you’ll need to stock your pantry with when you move in. It’s not like at home where your mom always had some chicken noodle soup in stock. You’re on your own!
Knowing from our experience, we wanted to make sure you weren’t left out in the cold if you didn’t get to go grocery shopping one week. Thanks to a couple articles we read at MyFirstApartment.com, we’ve come up with a list of things that every college student living off-campus needs to keep themselves fed.
The articles we referenced:
http://www.myfirstapartment.com/2011/10/first-apartment-pantry-essentials/2/
http://www.myfirstapartment.com/2005/11/starter-pantry-and-staples-checklist/
Let’s be honest here: You and your roommate(s) are never going to see eye to eye on everything. Whether it is about doing dishes, who’s buying the paper towels, or whether they can have friends over at 12 am on a Tuesday night, things are going to come up that you just won’t agree on. However, you certainly don’t want to end up in a bickering match or giving each other the silent treatment for the rest of the year. This is why you need to be prepared before it comes time for you to have a talk. In an article we read at MSN.com, they gave some tips on how to talk with your roommate when problems arise:
For the third installment in our college planning series, we wanted to know what were some of the biggest issues encountered by students when applying for financial aid. Once again, we spoke with Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org and Fastweb.com and expert on paying for college, to give us his perspective on this issue and how students can maximize their federal student aid.
According to Kantrowitz one of the major problems he identifies is that students often do not fully understand the reality of the loans they receive. Kantrowitz explains that students will sign their name to a loan so long as it enables them to fulfill their dreams. Many believe that they will figure out how to pay back the loan when they graduate from college. However, this is a major problem, explains Kantrowitz, as it is much more difficult to figure out how to pay back the loan after you have incurred that cost, rather than before. He urges that “If you’re choosing a college and your dream is to study a field that doesn’t pay very well, you need to make sure you borrow less to match your expected income when you graduate.” While this could mean going to a cheaper school, it could also mean just limiting other costs while attending school. Kantrowitz suggests buying used textbooks, selling textbooks back to the bookstore, taking fewer trips home, and eating out less. He advises “You have to live like a student while you’re in school so that you don’t have to live like a student after you graduate.”
Another major problem Kantrowitz identifies is that student often will not file their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) early enough, and will consequently receive less financial aid. Instead he urges students not to wait until they have filed their income tax information, but rather file their FAFSA based on projected income information and their previous income tax information.
To maximize financial aid with FAFSA, Kantrowitz urges students to be aware that income is weighted much more heavily than assets, and assets in a child’s name count much more heavily (about 20% are counted against aid eligibility) than those in the parent’s name (5.64% or less is counted against aid eligibility). He explains that if you currently have a Uniform Gift to Minors Act (UGMA) or Uniform Transfer to Minors Act (UTMA) account to help save for college, you may want to consider moving the money to a custodial 529 college savings plan account. Kantrowitz advises that this is the most tax advantageous ways of saving for college, and that this will help students to maximize the financial aid they receive.
By saving, being frugal and being mindful, Kantrowitz explains that students can make the most of their experience, while still being able to afford college. It is important that students stay informed when it comes to paying for college so that they may make decisions that are right for them.
There’s a lot to consider when you decide to move off-campus, including remembering all the furniture you have to bring, all the supplies you’ll need, and all the food you’ll have to buy. However, before you move in, you may want to consider getting renters insurance.
In an article we read by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, what many students may not realize is that most landlords will not have insurance that protects their renters’ property. More and more landlords are, in fact, requiring that their tenants have renters insurance when they move in. For students, renters insurance is a great way to protect important things like computers, stereos and other important property. While you may be concerned that it’s an added expense, consider that the premiums are only about $15 to $30 a month. That will save you a lot if your laptop gets damaged or stolen!
Photo from myfirstplace.com
When you’re looking at purchasing renters insurance, there are two basic types of coverage you should be aware of. The first type is personal property coverage (the most common type), which will pay to repair or replace your property if it’s damaged, destroyed or stolen. The second type is liability coverage, which will protect you against any claim or lawsuit from any injury or damage while on the property that you’re renting.
However, there are many differences when it comes to the providers and the plans they offer. Be sure to talk to your landlord, your parents, and the insurance providers about the plans they offer and what they cover. Don’t take the first plan you see, but shop around before you make your decisions so that you get the coverage that works best for you.
Here’s a checklist we found at Leaky.com that will help make it easier for you to find renters insurance.
Bed bugs, up until a few years ago, seemed like a pest of the past, and the saying “Don’t let the bed bugs bite” just seemed like something your grandmother would tell you before you went to bed. However, infestations have become more and more common and it seems like the bed bug has made its comeback in the developed world. I don’t know about you, but bed bugs give me the heebie jeebies, and while it isn’t a pleasant subject it is certainly something to consider when you’re renting. This because bed bugs not only survive on the blood of mammals (i.e. us!), but they also can completely infest your home.
Photo from bedbugdefense.com
According to an article we read at BedBugDefense.com, before DDT was banned, it was used to kill bed bugs, as it was highly toxic to them and would remain in the application site for more than a year to prevent resurgences. However, it was banned as it was determined that DDT caused cancer, and since 1995, bed bugs have made a rather surprising comeback and have infested homes all across North America.
According to the EPA, bed bugs are considered a public health pest, although they are not known to transmit or spread any disease. However, because they do feed on blood, they can cause allergic reactions at the bite site, whether it is simply a small mark or a whole body reaction. According to the CDC, bites can also cause secondary infections of the skin, and may even cause affect the mental health of those they infest. People who have experience bed bug infestations may experience things like anxiety, insomnia, and systemic reactions.
However, what I think may be the scariest thing about them is that you can pick them up anywhere. All it takes is one brush of the arm from someone on the subway, sleeping on your friend’s couch, or staying in a hotel to pick them up, and once you have bed bugs, they will get into everything: in curtains, couches, beds, and electronics. This is what makes them so difficult to get rid of (also accounting for the fact that they actually live longer in the cold and love warm temperatures!). And while you think that it can’t happen to you, think again. No place is immune to the bed bug. Your home doesn’t have to be “dirty” for you to have a bed bug infestation. They can infest even the cleanest of places.
So I’m sure by now you’re probably freaking out and wondering how you can stop these intruders before they attack. Well, there are certainly some precautions you can take to ensure you don’t have a bed bug infestation.
Photo from allbedbugs.com
The first thing you’ll want to do is to inspect your apartment for bed bugs before you move in. You could either hire someone to do this or do it yourself. In either case, you’ll want to do this before you move in because bed bugs can go undetected for months. If you do choose to do this yourself, you’ll want to be sure to go through The Bed Bug Inspectors checklist.
Once you made sure there are no signs of bed bugs, you’ll want to be sure to “bed bug proof” your home. While you can’t prevent everything, there are some precautions you can take. The first thing you’ll want to do is be sure to elevate your mattress off the ground. You will also want to protect your mattress by using a protective mattress encasement, as well as protective pillow encasements. You may consider using climb up interceptors on the feet of your bed frame. These will help prevent and trap bugs from climbing onto your mattress. You may want to monitor your home by conducting regular inspections and by placing bed bug traps around your home. While this won’t solve the problem, it will certainly give you a definitive answer if your home is infested or not.
In order to prevent future infestations, you will want to be sure you are careful of where you stay and who is staying with you. When you go on vacation, you can check the hotel you’ll be staying in by going to BedBugRegistry.com to see if there have been any bed bug reports. You will also want to be sure to conduct an inspection of your room before you place your belongings down, and you will want to keep your belongings elevated off the floor at all times.
To ensure that your friends don’t bring bed bugs to your home, help them to inspect theirs. Make sure they are as careful as you are about inspecting their home, and staying clear of places that could potentially have bed bugs. With what you learn, you can help protect themselves too.
For the second installment of “Ask the Expert: College Financial Planning” series, we wanted to know what types of loans are available to students, and what are the distinctions between each of these types. To find out more, we once again spoke with Mark Kantrowitz, an expert on paying for college, to give us the lowdown on loans.
Kantrowitz explains that there are two major types of student loans: federal education loans and private student loans. According to Kantrowitz, the federal loan has greater availability, better repayment plans, and is generally cheaper than a private loan. He advises that the federal loan should be a student’s first choice when applying. They will also be much easier to obtain in that they are offered through the Direct Loan program where students obtain federal loans through their college or university.
There are several different types of federal loans that are available to students. The most common is the Stafford loan, in which there are two versions: the subsidized and the unsubsidized. According to Kantrowitz, there are a few main distinctions students should note when applying for subsidized and unsubsidized federal loans. The first is that the subsidized version is based on financial need, while the unsubsidized version is not. Even wealthy students can qualify for the unsubsidized Stafford loan. Second, with the subsidized version, the government will pay the interest on the loan while the student is in school, and with the unsubsidized version, the government will not. Thirdly, the interest rates for subsidized loans will be half of the rate (3.4%) as the rate for unsubsidized loans (6.8%) until tomorrow, in fact. While there was a great deal of debate over how the government could afford to keep the rate the same, Senate majority and minority leaders established an agreement that would enable the rate to remain at 3.4%. According to Kantrowitz, this agreement will modify pension insurance premiums and drop eligibility for subsidized Stafford loans from students who are taking too long to graduate.
The other major distinction between subsidized Stafford loans and unsubsidized Stafford loans is the limit to which a student can borrow. For the subsidized Stafford loan, a student may borrow up to $3,500 for their freshman year, $4,500 for their sophomore year, and $5,500 each for their junior and senior year. Should the student require more aid, they may apply for unsubsidized loans. However, there are limits as to how much one can borrow, either with a combination of subsidized and unsubsidized, or just from unsubsidized alone. Overall, the limits are $5,500 for dependent freshmen students, $6,500 for dependent sophomore students, and $7,500 each for dependent junior and senior students. If the student is filing as an independent, or their parents have been denied a loan, the borrowing rate is increased to $9,500 for their freshman year, $10,500 for their sophomore year, and $12,500 each for their junior and senior years.
The second type of federal loan available to students is the Perkins loan, which is given to students with exceptional financial need. However, Kantrowitz explains that this is a very small loan program, and most students will not receive this type of loan. Those students who do receive this type of loan will obtain between $1,000 and $2,000, on average.
The last type of federal loan Kantrowitz identifies is the PLUS loan, which is granted to the parents of undergraduates and to graduate students. In either case, there is a 7.9% fixed interest rate, and eligibility is dependent on the borrower’s credit history. The PLUS loan also has a limit up to the full cost of education, minus any other aid received. The Plus loan program is very popular, and only about one-fifth of those who apply will be denied due to bad credit.
While Kantrowitz explains that federal loans should be a student’s first choice, he also explains that a student may take out private loans should they require more funding. However, Kantrowitz warns against some of the major pitfalls with private loans and denotes the differences between the federal and the private loans that should play into a student’s decision. The first is that private loans are determined by individual lenders (not by the government), therefore these loans will vary significantly and will often have variable interest rates. While some are introducing fixed interest rate options, this is something that students should consider when applying for private loans.
The second major consideration is that eligibility for these loans depends on one’s credit history and credit score. In fact, Kantrowitz explains, more than 90% of these loans require a creditworthy cosigner as many students do not have any credit history or if they do, it is oftentimes very poor. The higher of the two scores will then determine eligibility and the cost of the loan. Kantrowitz gives us the example that if the loan has a variable rate, the interest on the loan would be a combination of a variable index plus a fixed margin, which depends on one’s credit score. This means that the higher one’s credit score is, the less they will have to pay in interest on the loan.
Kantrowitz advises that “Your debt at graduation should be less than your expected annual starting salary.” He explains that ideally, students should not be borrowing more than $10,000 each year for college. If total student loan debt is less than annual income, the borrower will be able to repay their loan in 10 years or less. Kantrowitz explains that “If your debt exceeds your annual income, you’ll struggle to repay the loan, and you’ll have to alter your repayment plan by income-based repayment or extended repayment in order to afford the monthly loan payments.” This means that students will not only be stretching out their repayment, and therefore the amount of time they are in debt, but they will also be increasing the cost of the loan. This means that they may still be repaying their own student loans when their children are looking to attend college.
For more information on financial aid and scholarships, visit www.finaid.org and www.fastweb.com.
For our newest blog series, we wanted to look at college planning and financial aid, as the student debt crisis has most certainly been a hot topic in the media recently. For this series, we wanted to know exactly what students need to understand when it comes to financial aid, college financial planning, loan repayment, and student debt. It just seems so complicated!
For the first installment in the “Ask the Expert: College Financial Planning” series, we wanted to know what students should be concerned about when it comes to finances and applying for college. To find out more, we spoke with Mark Kantrowitz, a noted financial aid and college planning author and publisher of FinAid and FastWeb, two resources for students looking to find out more about financial aid options available to them.
Kantrowitz tells us that students should ideally start looking at financial aid options as early as possible. Often many students start looking their senior year, however, many of the deadlines have already passed. Kantrowitz says that students looking to get scholarships should be planning for deadlines as early as junior year (if not earlier), so that they can get their applications in for those scholarships with deadlines in the fall of the their senior year. He explains students should start considering financial aid as early as possible, as this increases the number of scholarships available to them, including those that they may earn in earlier grades.
According to Kantrowitz, when it comes to examining their options, they should weigh the cost of financial aid. For students, he says, saving is always the better option. “Every dollar you save is a dollar less that you’re going to have to borrow and every dollar you borrow, will cost you about $2 by the time you pay back the debt.” It is simply the more affordable options, because when you save, you earn interest and when you borrow, you will pay interest. He gives us the example that, “If you were to save $200 per month for 10 years at 6.8% interest, you’d accumulate about $34,400. If instead you were to borrow and pay back over 10 years at 6.8% interest, you’d pay $396/month.” That would roughly double what one would pay if they were to save money instead.
Kantrowitz explains that students should also be aware of the actual cost of college. He says that students should utilize a net price for college, which is the difference between the cost of attendance and just grants and scholarships. “Think of it as a discounted sticker price.” He explains that using this figure is a better basis for evaluating the cost of college rather than utilizing other cost evaluations. Especially when it comes to the net price figures that schools will often provide on their websites. Kantrowitz explains that these numbers will often include financial aid packages and loans, that do not actually lower the cost, but will rather increase the cost.
Kantrowitz also urges students to use caution with net price calculators that universities are now required to provide on their websites. He explains that since October 2011 schools have mandated to host a calculator, however, he says that they really should only be used to determine a ballpark figure for net price.
According to Kantrowitz, there are a couple of major issues with these calculators. The first major concern with these calculators is the number of questions the calculator has. He says that much of the accuracy of these calculators is dependent upon the number of questions that they ask; while the standard calculator provided by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) contains approximately 10 questions, other calculators such as the one provided by the College Board, contain more questions. The more questions a calculator has, the more accurate the calculator will be, he explains. While these calculators are will mean more work for the user, they will produce much more accurate results.
The second concern Kantrowitz points out is that the age of data will play into the accuracy of the calculator. He explains that calculators like those provided by NCES contain data that is approximately 2 years old, while those like the one provided by the College Board are current, and are more up-to-date. In either case, Kantrowitz explains, one should use caution with these calculators and should not exclude any colleges on the sole basis of the figures provided by a net price calculator.
The last major concern Kantrowitz points to relates to the financial aid award letter. He explains that students should be careful when they receive their financial award letter that they understand the characterization of the different awards and understand which award they were given. “I’ve had families come to me thinking that they’re getting a free ride from a college, and when I look at the financial aid award letter I see $5,000 in student loans and $20,000 in parent loans. That’s far from a free ride.” Students should really do their homework when it comes to the different classifications of financial aid, so they know that when they receive a grant, they know which grant they have received and what this implies.
Overall, Kantrowitz urges students to start considering college financial aid early and often, and to do their homework when it comes to understanding the different options available to them. He explains that students and their families should always exercise caution when it comes to financial aid and to make financial aid decisions that work best for them.
Whether this is the first time you’re moving off campus, or you’ve been living off campus, it always seems like you’re forgetting something when it comes to packing everything you’ll need. Trust us: We’ve been there. That’s why we’ve come up with a checklist of things you’ll need when you start packing up. We know, it looks like one heck of a list, but you just never know what you’ll forget.
Click here to download a PDF copy.
BEDROOM
KITCHEN
BATHROOM
LIVING ROOM
MISCELLANEOUS
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