To call my college search disorganized would be an understatement. I had no idea where I wanted to go. I vaguely understood that out-of-state tuition was more expensive, so I decided to look only in my home state. Unfortunately, that didn’t narrow things down much.

The University of Texas lists 45 colleges and universities in my state. I requested information from at least 30 of them. Every day our mailbox was full. I got letters from admissions departments, course catalogues, and brochures with photographs of dorm rooms and football stadiums. For a two-month period, my family refused to bring the mail in. The postman even shot glares at our house while he filled the mailbox.

If I had to lug that stuff through our neighborhood, I would have hated me too.

The thing, is I didn’t need to request information from all of these places. Had I spent a little more time at the beginning figuring out what I wanted, I would have ruled half of those schools out.

I wanted to move away from home. That meant any schools within an hour drive could have been crossed off the list. I knew I wanted to major or minor in creative writing. A lot of schools don’t offer that. I wanted a medium to large university, so the materials from the tiny liberal arts colleges were wasted on me.

There are thousands of schools out there. If you try to look at all of them, you’ll still be visiting colleges when your friends are graduating with Master’s degrees. Before you start lining up campus visits and requesting packets of information, take the time to figure out what you really want from your college experience. Are you looking for a large student body? Will you need to live at home while you attend school? Do you want a school with a marching band and an awesome art program?

The school you’re looking for is out there. Just remember, there’s a lot you can do to make it easier to find.

Before you do anything else, apply for financial aid. Even if you think your family earns too much to qualify, send in the forms. Then try these tips:
• Look for scholarships. Many colleges offer academic scholarships that aren’t based on need. (See the Scholarship Search Wizard and “The insider’s guide to scholarships.”)
• Besides scholarships, apply for loans (which you have to pay back) and grants (which you don’t). (See “Find free money for college” and “The insider’s guide to student loans.”)
• The Federal Work-Study Program provides jobs for students, encouraging them to perform community service and work related to their studies to help pay for education expenses. Many schools also have on-campus jobs that are not part of the program but offer tuition discounts and wages.
• Negotiate your aid package. At some colleges, as many as 75% of students who appeal their financial aid receive extra money.
• Programs such as AmeriCorps, Vista, the ROTC and the Peace Corps will help pay off student loans or provide funds during college in exchange for a service commitment upon graduation.
• Tax breaks on 529 plans and larger deductions also are available. Talk with a tax professional. (See “Uncle Sam will help pay for college.”)

Pick up credits where you can. The more credits you can bring with you, the less money you’ll pay to a four-year university.
• Take the first two years at a community college, which has lower costs and easy-to-transfer credits. Pick one that has an articulation agreement with a four-year university. It’s quite common and specifies which community-college credits will be accepted toward a bachelor’s degree at the four-year institution. (See “College for half-price.”)
• If attending a four-year school, take summer classes at a community college near your home.
• Get college credit early. Many high schools offer college-level classes to prepare students for Advanced Placement exams. Some colleges also may let you take College Level Examination Program exams to receive college credit.

Pay for the basics: Eating and sleeping. The cheapest room and board is living with Mom and Dad. Commuting from home can save as much as $6,000 a year. But if you go away to school, try these tips:
• If your college requires you to live on campus the first year, don’t automatically accept the three-meal-a-day food plan if you’re not going to use it. Consider a once- or twice-a-day plan.
• Furnish your dorm room in early American thrift shop rather than new décor.
• Be a resident assistant. Typically open to undergraduates after freshman year, this job involves some work and a commitment to be on call at certain times, but it usually comes with a break on room and board. Plus, you can learn leadership skills for the post-college world.
• Ask your family to buy you a home. It’s not such a crazy idea. If other students rent rooms in the house, the income could offset monthly mortgage payments. Families should make certain, however, that the property they purchase meets all of the requirements of rental property. Consult a tax professional.

Textbooks: Read ‘em and weep. College students can spend nearly $1,000 a year on textbooks. But there are a growing number of options. Find out what books you need (title, author and ISBN, or international standard book number), then get busy — and don’t wait until the last minute.
• Find used books online through Craigslist.org, eBay’s Half.com and Campus Book Swap. Textbook prices are highest online in August, September, January and February.
• Purchase electronic textbooks. If you do most of your work on a laptop computer and don’t mind e-books, purchase them as downloads and cut the cost in half.
• Look for free books. One company, Freeload Press, provides some electronic texts at no charge in exchange for placing advertisements within the books. Other sites, such as Bartleby.com, offer classic literature to be downloaded free.
• Look on a publisher’s Web site for alternative formats that are less expensive, such as soft-cover editions and e-books.
• Consider purchasing an international edition, which typically is cheaper than a U.S. edition of the same book. The differences between the editions are usually cosmetic, and the content almost identical. Search for international editions at sites such as AbeBooks.com or TextbooksRus.com.
• Share books with other students or use a library copy. This could make you more efficient with your time because you will have to do your work before the last minute.
• Resell your books when you’re through. If you do that, remember to handle the books with care and not mark them up.

Little things can add up – students have lots of small personal expenses. Maintain a written budget.
• A car is a killer if you’re footing the bills. Especially if you live on campus, getting rid of it is the fastest way to pare expenses. If possible, walk or buy a monthly bus pass.
• Compare cell-phone plans. Some carriers entice students with discounts or enhanced service. Know that you — not your family — will pay the extra charges if you exceed the allotted minutes.
• Many schools require students to have a personal computer. If possible, use a basic PC rather than an expensive laptop. Remember to factor in the costs of software, a printer and, if you live off campus, an Internet connection.
• Find out whether you are being charged for insurance or another health-care fee by the college. If it duplicates your family coverage, get the charge waived.
• Stay on track to finish in four years or less. Decide on a major area of study early on or you could find yourself tacking on years — and additional debt — to your college career.

View this article in its original format here at msn.com.

The first person to take an interest in me, academically, was a wiry, red-headed woman named Alice Bennett. She was a journalism instructor at Washington High School – a public school in an area where the convenience store clerks stood behind bulletproof glass and front doors were dead-bolted at dusk.

For a woman so small (and so plain), her personality was intimidating at times. One look from her could cut you in half – a characteristic that subdued even the most misbehaving students.

I came to her classroom my junior year at the encouragement of a friend who was on the newspaper staff. Unlike almost everyone else I knew, I had shown talent for absolutely nothing, so I agreed to take Newspaper I. I wrote a couple of stories that I really enjoyed, made some friends, and learned about landmark legal cases in the field of journalism – which I have since forgotten.

In Newspaper I, Mrs. Bennett taught us more than how to write; she taught us why to write. Of course, the curriculum required some background on taking notes and asking appropriate interview questions, but for the most part our focus was on finding the souls of people in our stories and bringing out their voices. Words on paper struck me in the way they could bring eloquence to the simplest scene or heal the gravest tragedy.

Her lessons inspired something in me that began coming through in the thin school newspapers that were published three times a year. From the handful of stories I wrote, she probably got 1,500 words out of me that appeared in print, tops. But in those stories she found enough proof to persuade me into a career in journalism.

This issue of KEY is filled with articles meant to help guide you along your path to furthering your education. Our story about credit cards explains the world of credit and clarifies the offers you’ll soon be finding in your mailbox. The ACT section provides helpful information on the financial aid process and applying for scholarships. And our resident writing expert lays out seven steps for improving your writing for college entrance exams.

Keep reading. Hopefully in this magazine you will find out something about yourself – and where you’re going. If you consider your door to a better future locked, relax. The KEY may be in the following pages.

Best wishes,

Kevin Kuzma
Editor

Hi everyone. My name is Erin, and I’m a senior editor for KEY magazine. Welcome to my blog. I was chosen to kick off KEY’s first-ever interactive feature (this blog) because I’ve spend nearly three years writing and reporting about postsecondary education.

Whether you’re a sophomore just starting to think about college, or a senior deciding between your top two schools, this blog is for you. Planning for life after high school is exciting, but it can be confusing too. Information and ideas are coming from every direction. Everyone, from your best friend to your parents to the guy next door, has an opinion of what you should do.

But the thing is, this is YOUR life. You’re reaching a place where it’s time for you to figure out what you want. To decide who you want to be.

Sound scary? It is a little. But it’s also sure to be one of the best experiences of your life.

So what makes me the right person to talk to about your college questions? First, I’ve been there. I remember my junior and senior years of high school. I remember wondering what was waiting for me after graduation. I remember thinking “What do I want to do?” and “What if I pick the wrong college?” To be honest, I had no clue what I was doing. Everything turned out fine in the end … but I could have saved myself (and my parents) some time and money if I had a resource like KEY.

I’m in the unique position of being able to talk to you about both community colleges and four-year universities. I spent two years at the community college in my home-town before moving away to get my bachelor’s degree. If you’re not sure which direction you want to take, I can help you out.

We hope you like KEY’s fun new design and features. Check back a couple times a week to see what topics I’m covering. From time to time, some of our other editors will pipe in too. Please feel free to post comments about the blog or suggest ideas for articles you’d like to see us cover, both here and in the magazine.

At a time when your life is changing, we’re here for you as an experienced, unbiased voice, helping answer your questions and preparing your for next phase of your life.