Back to School

Robert Applebaum can't seem to catch a break. The 35-year-old law school graduate has over $80,000 in student loan debt and lucrative job prospects are hazy at best. After graduating from New York's Fordham Law School his starting salary was $36,000, hardly enough to keep up with his ballooning student loan debt. And despite having a degree, he's middle class and hasn't been able to afford to amass any major assets or start a family.

That would explain why many #OccupyWallStreet protesters, and their worldwide supporters are asking, 'Where's my bailout?' If you find yourself in a predicament similar to Robert's, it may seem that bankruptcy is your only option. But is it the best option? Only time will tell.

(This is part two in a five part CBC Radioactive series. Catch part one here and the audio interview from CBC Radioactive here).

Whether you're saving for your kids' education, putting yourself through university going back to school later in life, it all takes a large sum of money!

Let's start with the kids

I often get asked, when is the best time for parents to start saving for their children's education? And of course, the logical answer is as soon as possible. But how realistic is that? Considering what an expensive time it is in one's life to raise kids, now couples have to fret not only about paying down debt, starting an emergency account, topping up RRSPs but now school too?

I think a better question parents should ask is how much are they willing to save for their children's education and in balance with their own goals. That's a personal one up to your individual family needs. The second question should be, what's the best way to go about saving those dollars?

Used to be teachers would tell their students the facts as they knew them, instruct the kids to learn these facts by heart and then be able to repeat them, word-by-word. Preferably next day. Or else.

Used to be students watched their teachers not necessarily with respect, but in awe, and did whatever they were told. Or else.

It was hard on both sides but many feel (even today) that it worked.

Enter social media and the world as we have known it exists no longer.

You can chat with Nobel Prize winners, or – at least – attend some of their lectures. You can share files with people from all over the world (some of them legally, others, not so much). Social networks are replacing interpersonal relations, and teachers are all for it. So far as they are concerned, never before did they have such accessible tool for communicating with their students and sharing information with them.

Except: those same tools provide dangers not too many teachers have been aware of.

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I remember my first week of post-secondary education and my trepidation about being on an unfamiliar school grounds, surrounded by strangers and hoping to not be late for my first class.

It was an odd sensation to not be compelled to be at school, other than your own decision to be there.

There wasn't a school secretary or homeroom teacher who was taking attendance as you arrived at school. No one was looking over my shoulder - well except my circle of friends.

And despite the lack of easily afforded cellular phones at that time, the same belief for all students still stands from all those years ago - its about being mobile and social.

Making it easy to communicate with friends and family is even easier in the 21st century, thanks to many software options that are free.

Microsoft Canada conducted a survey with university students, asking them what was their major concerns as they made the transition from highschool to college.

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As soon as school begins, the lost and found box starts filling up with assorted clothing, toys, and shoes and, for some strange reason, a lost item doesn't always find its way back to its owner.

Lunchtime belongings are especially prone to being left behind by our kids and if that becomes a problem this year, replace those lost items with value lunch gear from the dollar store.

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Post-secondary education is quickly becoming a must in today's economy. Colleges and universities have been expanding all over the country, to accommodate today's youth's quest for knowledge.

Except: gaining this knowledge more often than not means young people have to leave their familiar surroundings and begin to live on their own. It's costly and, way too often, financially risky for those not ready for a major move like this.

The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) is a federal government department that (as the name suggests) is here to help us, poor customers.

And so it has created a step-by-step program to help new (or continuing, even) students cope and survive.

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I loved the first day of school - mainly because I always got a new outfit. New shoes, a new skirt or dress and even an accessory (or two, or three....)

My Mum indulged me with a new purse and knee-high socks. It was a way to convince me that going back to school was worth giving up the days of fun that had made up my summer holidays.

But when you head to college, it's not the same as elementary or high school. Everything has changed - your instructors or professors may not know your name and your fellow students are all strangers. How to stand out in the crowd?

Making the right impression is important. Student and Yorkdale blogger Juliana Ashley offers tips on how to dress to impress on campus this season.

If you haven't finished your back-to-school shopping and you still need to buy a shiny piece of technology for your child then you might want to stop at Best Buy.

Until September 1st, you can bring in your old tech and get a discount when you buy new tech. For example, bring in your old Mac and get $100 towards a new Mac. Shiny!

Dear parents: I know there's part of you that is so excited to send your kids back to school.

Do you want to help your college student save money and possibly even earn some money for the upcoming school year?

A trip to the dollar store is an absolute must as is probably a trip to your fave tech supplier to get the student the necessities as well as the must-haves that fit into the budget.

But there are few other ideas to consider for student survival: tips to help make school life a lot easier for parents who are sending their son or daughter off to college, and avoid that Sunday night phone call for more money.

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We've all heard of spring cleaning. There are countless articles every year giving tips & tricks on how to prepare and stay organized in the spring and summer. But for many of us, that "fresh start" or "clear the decks" mindset really doesn't set in the spring, but instead finds itself firmly entrenched after Labour Day.

"I think everyone still has that September, back to school feeling, even though we don't go back to school." says Jaclyn Ray, a Toronto-based professional organizer known as The Clutter Wrangler. Of course, people with kids are going through the back to school thing of putting away summer stuff and some people are closing their cottages. A lot of stuff just sort of happens around September 1st."

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