Being a student has its fair share of traveling. From breaks, vacations, traveling to and from campus, to even studying abroad. Whether you’re road-tripping to the west coast, studying abroad in Spain, or enjoying the beaches of Southeast Asia, knowing the ins and outs of student insurance can help make your trip a safe one!
There are a few different kinds of insurance you should consider when traveling during school, both in and out of the country: Auto, Health, Renters, and Travel.
The world is a very different place today than it used to be thanks to technological advancements. Many jobs in the workforce require skills that can only be acquired in higher education more than in the past. Because of this, the student population is more diverse than ever before, comprised of working-class families made up of various cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
37.5% of the U.S. population aged 25 and older had a college-level education in 2020, a significant increase from only 7.7% of Americans who had graduated from college in 1960.
The vocabulary in higher education often feels overwhelming, especially if that world is not only new to you but also to your family. There are terms and nicknames for just about anything, like many things in life.
A first-generation college student, or a first-gen, is someone whose parents didn’t attend a four-year university or attempted some college but didn’t complete their degree.
Maintaining good mental health during one of the most stressful times of the year for college students can be tricky, so it’s crucial to have many tips, tricks, and resources to turn to when things become too difficult to handle.
First things first, avoid burnout and create a healthy routine. With enough time allocated to self-care, it’s important that you maintain good mental health. Stress from school can manifest in many different emotional and physical symptoms, so knowing how to cope with these will give you an edge up. Keep reading for six of the most important healthy ways to reduce stress during finals week, according to Active Minds.
Teens and college-aged students have a lot to deal with every day. There’s a lot to handle, from homework and studying for exams to having a social life and preparing for the future. Student-athletes, however, have another layer of mental strain placed on them. They have to train, practice, manage what they eat, and balance their schedules to make sure they can get everything done.
So, it should be no surprise that student-athletes often struggle with issues like depression and anxiety more than students who don’t play sports.
If you’re a student-athlete and struggling with your mental well-being, let’s cover some of the added stressors sports can cause and how you can find healthy ways to cope.
Being a student-athlete can be an enriching experience, and there are plenty of benefits to playing sports and staying active. But, they can also negatively impact your mental health if you’re focused so much on the competition that it becomes an obsession. If you lose, it might affect your self-esteem.
You might even feel excluded at times, from your teammates or from other friends who don’t play sports but think you don’t have time for them because of your busy schedule. It’s hard to balance everything when you already have a full schedule. Combining those factors with the physical exhaustion playing a sport can cause, and it’s easy to feel down and depressed.
With so many other stressors in the life of an average student, how can you handle the stress and anxiety of being a student-athlete?
First, make sure you still love the sport you’re playing. Even if you’re in a high level of competition, you should still be having fun. If you dread going to practice or resent the way your sport has impacted your life, it might be time to reconsider if it’s right for you.
If you want to keep playing, the best thing you can do is find ways to manage your stress. Some of the easiest ways to do that include
Don’t be afraid to try different things to reduce your stress. Things like mindfulness and meditation are great for relaxation. Even if you’ve never tried them before, it’s not too late to make them a part of your daily routine. When you try new techniques, you’ll eventually find something that works well.
If you find that you’re really struggling, reach out to your resources. Most college campuses across the country have a mental health and wellness program. Some even have on-campus therapists or counselors that can help you work through your struggles and offer effective coping solutions.
You don’t have to give up being a student-athlete to deal with stress and anxiety. But, finding ways to manage it while you’re trying to balance everything in your life is important. Take the time to understand the source(s) of your stress, and use the suggestions listed here to handle it in healthy ways.
In back-to-school mode, you and your parents may be caught up in the whirlwind of college life you have found yourselves in. With so much new information and experiences happening all at once, you or your family members may not think about some things when you head off to college. One of the most important things to consider when settling into your new residence hall, apartment, or condo is renters insurance.
Why you may ask? As a student, you are potentially bringing thousands of dollars worth of possessions to school, from electronics to books to laptops and even furniture. If your laptop gets damaged or stolen, how would you replace it? What about your clothes if your dorm room floods? These items may not break the bank to replace individually, but the costs can definitely add up! Have you ever thought about what ALL of your stuff costs, together, all at once? It may surprise you! That is why it’s so important to take an inventory of what you bring with you to school. The data collected over the last few years estimates that the total estimated cost of living per year for students, including food, housing, clothing, phone plan, and other things, is around $14,435, with an additional $2,316 on personal items.
Before you head off to school, it isn’t out of the ordinary to purchase many new things to go into your dorm room or apartment.
These dorm room items can include:
These are just a few examples of what you can bring to campus, and when all added up, it can cost thousands of dollars. This doesn’t include your personal items such as clothes, bags, shoes, and other things you have collected over the years that are important to you. With such a wide range of prices on these items, leaving them unprotected should something unexpected happen isn’t worth the risk.
Colleges, universities, and off-campus property management companies don’t replace stolen bicycles or backpacks, but GradGuard College Renters Insurance can. Our coverage provides unique student-focused coverage through an exclusive student endorsement. That means you’ll have access to features that you can’t find in a standard homeowners insurance policy or other companies.
Here are a few examples of GradGuard’s student-focused features:
GradGuard College Renters Insurance was made with students in mind, unlike other renters insurance providers. If you file a claim, your rates won’t go up, and there are no sneaky sub-limits on electronics coverage. Our coverage protects physical items you bring to college (up to the policy limits) from things like theft, fire, smoke, vandalism, wind, sprinkler system discharges, and more.
You can also view a sample policy to learn about some more of the specifics of our coverage.
Homeowners Insurance
If you are not the first person in your family to head off to college, you and your parents may think that you have everything under control. Your parents’ first instinct may often be to look into their current homeowner’s insurance. This is important to look at, but the coverage it can offer you as a student away at school may not be enough. Most of the time, a homeowner’s insurance policy will only extend to cover some of your possessions and may have a really high deductible.
A big downside of using this coverage is that making a claim on the homeowner’s policy may raise premiums. Homeowners’ policies often have limits, exclusions, and certain conditions that you can’t rely on to automatically cover you and your belongings while you’re at school. You may be better off just replacing that couple thousand dollar laptop out of pocket. Or even better, opting for GradGuard!
Landlord Protection
Many parents believe the landlord will cover damages when it comes to liability. More often than not, a landlord’s insurance only applies to the building itself, not the resident’s possessions within. Double-check with the landlord and ask what their insurance policy would cover should a theft or other disasters occur. Having your own insurance policy is a great way to ensure that the things you bring along with you to school are protected.
Another common myth is that renters insurance is too expensive and unnecessary. Even though it is an added expense, the benefits outweigh the costs should any disaster occur and your belongings suffer damages that could put you out thousands of dollars to replace on your own. Renters insurance is a great way to prevent significant financial loss and encourage students to start thinking responsibly about their belonging and move towards adulthood.
The months following graduation can feel a little odd. Maybe you didn’t have a job lined up after college like some of your friends did. It’s difficult to keep in touch when you’re not bumping into each other on campus or in the residence halls anymore. As a result, many recent grads struggle to adapt to life outside of college.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can make your transition from college into post-grad life a little easier by planning ahead and preparing for all that life has to offer. Here are 3 things every student should do before graduating and heading into the workforce.
Your social media accounts will serve a very different purpose once you graduate. Social media was a great way to connect with new friends and learn about events or parties in college. But when you graduate, your social media account can be a risk to your personal and professional growth.
Nowadays, most organizations will look you up on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram before hiring you. Anything that was considered cool in college, such as underage drinking, or posting photos by the pool every Saturday may come back to haunt you if your future employer saw it. Just because your profile settings are set to private, doesn’t mean it’s completely blocked off.
This doesn’t mean you have to delete every social picture from your profiles. You just have to be savvy about what you leave up and what you take down. Try to untag yourself from anything that might be misinterpreted. What happens online, stays online!
When was the last time you updated your resume? For most college students, it was probably either in high school or when you applied for a recent part-time position. These versions of your resume simply won’t cut it in the professional world, where you need to put forward a solid resume to make it to the interview stage.
Fortunately, most colleges have a career services department to help you create the best version of your resume. Usually, the folks who work in these offices have plenty of experience, so it’s worth checking them out and listening to their suggestions.
You can start writing a killer resume by researching successful resumes online. This will give you an idea of the industry standard and help you choose between design templates and layouts. Regardless of the template you choose, you must first share the most essential information. This depends on the job you are applying to and your experience, but it should always display your strongest achievements and accomplishments first. Make sure to mention your anticipated graduation month and year, and if you’re open to relocating after graduating.
Many people mistakenly believe that will writing is only for the elderly or those with life-threatening conditions. The reality is that all adults need to have a will to make things easier for loved ones if tragedy does occur.
However, if it’s your first time writing a will, it can be hard to know what to include. Typically, your will should tell your loved ones what you want to happen regarding your health care, property, and assets. Your parents will likely be able to help you out with writing your first will. You can always update it down the line after big life events, such as getting married or having a child.
Transitioning from college to the workforce is always going to be tricky. But you can make the process a little smoother by planning ahead and setting a clear direction for your life after graduation. Start by assessing your social media presence and resume materials, as these will play a significant role in your job hunt. Then, consider writing a will and advanced directive, so you can move into life beyond college with peace of mind.
Many people believe that your twenties is the best time of your life; not many obligations and the freedom to shape your future. Others couldn’t disagree more, feeling that this decade builds a solid foundation through hard work and hustle. Regardless of the type of experience you have, we can all agree that our twenties are a time of change, transition, and challenges.
There is an overwhelming pressure to have everything “figured out” by the time you reach your 30s. Everyone thinks that somehow you can magically figure out how to land your dream job or become financially independent before then as if it were instinct.
In this day and age with TikTok, Instagram, and Podcasts, it’s easy to think most twenty-somethings don’t read anymore. But many still do! Reading is not only good for your mind but also your soul. GradGuard’s leadership and marketing teams helped contribute to this list of essential books for all twenty-somethings to read.
The Alchemist is a classic masterpiece that journeys with the reader through struggle and hardship while illustrating the importance of pursuing your dreams by following your heart. There is a lesson to learn during the young boy’s journey with each passing obstacle and hurdle that he encounters.
White Oleander is the unforgettable story of Astrid’s journey through a series of foster homes and her efforts to find a place for herself in impossible circumstances. With perseverance and wit, Astrid faces the challenges of loneliness and poverty. She aims to understand who a motherless child in an indifferent world can become.
This beautifully written story takes the reader through the journey of self-discovery. It examines how a mother-daughter relationship can shape our lives.
Jeff Hitchens – COO at GradGuard on White Oleander
Even if you aren’t into baseball or sports in general, this book still has much to offer. A well-told “sports” story introduces the reader to the value of thinking outside the box and looking beyond traditional success metrics. Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game is the tale of the 2002 Oakland Athletics and their general manager, Billy Beane. Beane constructs a winning team with almost non-existent funding using an analytical approach to determine each player’s contributions.
Life is difficult. The first line is a crucial lesson to learn in your twenties. This book has answers and valuable discussions on how people of all ages can find meaning in their relationships or careers as they build a life. The book asserts that we each have a spiritual life and conscience that needs attention. Building awareness of caring for our spirit is vital to our mental and physical health.
One of the greatest physicists of the twentieth century, Richard Feynman, possessed an unquenchable thirst for adventure and an unparalleled ability to tell the stories of his life. Feynman’s autobiography is filled with stories of a life well-lived by someone who dared to think differently and creatively. Key lesson: Do not let your life be constrained by what other people think.
Bestselling author Don Miguel Ruiz uncovers the source of self-limiting beliefs that steal joy and create unnecessary suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, The Four Agreements offer a robust code of conduct. He believes they can rapidly transform our lives into a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love, which landed the book on our list.
Covey believes the way we see the world is entirely based on our own perceptions. In order to change a given situation, we must change ourselves, and in order to change ourselves, we must be able to change our perceptions.
Habits 1, 2, and 3 focus on self-mastery and moving from dependence to independence.
Habits 4, 5, and 6 focus on developing teamwork, collaboration, and communication skills, and moving from independence to interdependence.
Habit 7 focuses on continuous growth and improvement and embodies all the other habits.
This is a combination of a young girl’s coming-of-age story and a look into the dark side of racism and prejudice. Scout Finch lives with her brother Jem, and father, Atticus in Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression.
“I first read to Kill a Mockingbird in middle school and immediately fell in love with the characters. It wasn’t until further into adulthood, after rereading the novel repeatedly, that I fully appreciated its recognition of key issues such as race, sexual assault and violence, unjust political systems, and class status and the issues that result.”
Derrick Shy – VP of Business Development, GradGuard
Tina Seelig is a Stanford professor whose class on creativity helps students recognize problems as great opportunities. This book shows us the importance of not becoming overwhelmed by the world’s problems. Whether it’s affordable energy, clean water, global warming, or hunger, all significant problems need attention and effort. It includes a helpful series of experiments that also help readers consider constraints, and how big issues can also become significant financial opportunities.
Life is not a race, nor is any day, month, or year. This book helps frame time more productively and demonstrates that timing is a science — an emerging body of multifaceted, multidisciplinary research that offers fresh insights into the human condition and valuable guidance on working smarter and living better. At the end of each chapter is a ‘Time Hacker’s Handbook,’ a collection of tools, exercises, and tips to help put the insights into action.
“Entrepreneur and NYU Marketing Professor, Scott Galloway offers some useful insights into how to find happiness in the modern world. Keep life simple. Complexity can kill love and meaning and make success more difficult to find.”
John Fees – CO-founder at GradGuard
Scott Galloway regularly offers hard-hitting answers to the big questions: What’s the formula for a life well lived? How can you have a meaningful career, not just a lucrative one? Is work/life balance possible? What are the elements of a successful relationship? Whether it’s advice on if you should drop out of school to be an entrepreneur or discovering what the most critical decision in your life is, Galloway entertains, inspires, and provokes.
For most of the lives of all twenty-somethings, Afghanistan has been in the news and this novel helps illustrate how the intersections of culture, conflict, and caste shape the human condition. The Kite Runner is a powerful cultural story of a man who struggles to find forgiveness and love amidst a war-torn Afghanistan and his subsequent immigration to America. It’s a work stuffed with florid prose and subtle depictions of small beauties throughout.
As one of the very first books ever written in the field of self-help, it includes valuable insights on how to achieve your goals. With over 100 million copies sold worldwide, it’s worth reading as the ideas can be applied in all areas of life, even if the book’s focus is on wealth. One great idea for all twenty-somethings is to surround yourself with a group of people who share your vision and push you toward your goal. This group needs to be in harmony with you and must have a different skill set that compliments yours.
As a clinical psychologist, Meg Jay tells of real conversations she has had with 20-somethings and their struggles. While this book doesn’t always provide practical answers or a formula, it does deliver advice and observations that are useful as twentysomethings shape their own lives. Lesson: Aim to complete your formal education before you turn 30.
“She shares stories from her patients, how they woke up one day and felt like they just wasted away their 20’s and thought their 30’s would be ‘when they figure stuff out’, but that’s not the case. You can have a good career, good relationship, and be successful. NOW.
Natalie Tarangioli – Director of Marketing and Communications
This book presents that “thoughts” are things, and we are what we repeatedly think about. The book shows us how each man holds the key to every situation that enters into his life, good or bad. He may remake his life and transform his circumstances by working patiently and intelligently upon his thoughts. Learn to create the life you want in your mind, then manifest its reality through your hard work and actions.
We have all heard “change is hard.” But why is it so hard to make enduring changes in our businesses, communities, and our own lives? The biggest obstacle is a battle created in our minds. Psychologists have discovered two different systems rule our minds: the rational mind and the emotional mind, competing for control. The rational mind desires a great beach body, while the emotional side wants another slice of cake.
After decades of research, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset. In this book, she brilliantly shows how success in school, work, sports, the arts, and almost every area of our lives can be dramatically impacted by how we think about our talents and abilities.
“People who believe that their capabilities cannot be changed in a fixed minset will not grow like those who think their abilities aren’t limited and can be developed with a growth mindset.”
John Fees – Co-Founder at GradGuard
This is an essential read whether you want to resist other people’s possible manipulation or learn how to influence others for your purpose. The book shows us that in a world where people are overloaded with more information than they can deal with, they fall back on a decision-making approach based on stereotypes. These develop because they allow people to act correctly with little thought and time. However, they can be exploited and effectively turned into weapons by those who know them to influence others to act in specific ways.
This is the second book by popular blogger and author Mark Manson. In this book, he points out that life’s struggles are what give it meaning. The senseless positivity of ordinary self-help books is neither realistic nor worthwhile.
This was one of the best books I have read.”
Rob Kubasko, Creative Director, GradGuard
Born into poverty on a small farm in Missouri, Dale Carnegie built a successful career as a traveling salesman before becoming one of the modern-day best self-help gurus and prolific authors. How to Win Friends and Influence People has become an iconic bestseller by helping us achieve important life goals, discover new ambitions, and get things done and done well.
Our minds are a powerful tool. Reading is the best way to expand our horizons and exercise our brains, ultimately one of our most important muscles. These stories and books serve as a needed reminder that we’re not alone as we learn to face all life has to offer once we leave the nest.
You have high hopes and big dreams when you head off to college, but things don’t always go according to plan. Sometimes when you start college, you may start to change and find that what you thought you wanted is no longer the case. Maybe you don’t even know what you want to do in the first place. Either way, it is alright if you don’t have a major picked out right away, or start college undeclared.
With many majors and specializations offered, choosing which major to pursue your bachelor’s degree can be challenging. It is okay to feel uncertain at first, and many students are open to the chance to explore different fields to discover what interests them most. There are often many negative feelings surrounding being undeclared at the beginning of your college career; however, it can actually be a good thing to not have a major picked right away.
Enrolling with an undeclared major allows you to explore your options and give you the chance to take a variety of courses on different topics to see what you would like to pursue further. You will need to check your universities requirements or with your academic advisor to see how long you can be undeclared. Most universities will allow you to remain undeclared for up to one year or two semesters.
Starting your college career undeclared can also save you some hassle later on down the road. According to Frank.org, at least 80% of college students change their major during their college career. If you start out undecided and take the time to look through the different options by taking courses and speaking with an academic advisor, you can make a well-informed choice. The later in school you change your major, the more significant the implications could be.
Although taking this route may be helpful to you, it’s important to note that not picking a major may push your expected graduation date back. That could affect any scholarships or other financial aid you might have, so it would be good to talk it over with someone before making any significant changes.
For an incoming freshman, our best piece of advice is not to stress about picking a major right away. Now that you have taken some time to look over the different options offered at your university, you can begin narrowing your options.
We make lists for all sorts of reasons; why would picking a major be any different? Writing things down can help you visually and logically think through them.
When deciding your major, there are many factors that you should think about:
Now that you have your list of options you’ve explored, which ones would you like to seriously consider?
On this list of possible majors, which ones do you like? Do any of them have the chance to help you get a job that you would enjoy? Let yourself be a little more creative to explore all the things you’re passionate about to see if you can visualize yourself in a particular role or field using the major. While some of the classes you take might not lead up to being aligned with your major, they can help you navigate your way to something involving different things you are passionate about.
To narrow down the list, even more, think about all the classes from your major list that you were good at. And if you’re up for it, include the ones you think you weren’t so fond of.
How will this be helpful? When you compare the two, it can help you make an informed, logical choice. It may seem weird, but just because you are good at something doesn’t mean that you would end up enjoying that major or a job in that related field.
For example, if you are good at math and performed well in your first accounting class but did not enjoy the coursework involved, you might not want to consider accounting as a major moving forward.
Although we have mentioned it before, a great way to get a sense of what major you might want to pursue further is speaking with an advisor. They will better understand what the coursework will look like moving forward and can help with any questions or hesitations you have.
You can also try speaking with someone who got a degree in a field you’re considering. It could be a parent, family member, friend, or acquaintance, but getting advice from someone with experience in the field can give you valuable insight into if you would enjoy this major or career path.
You could ask about what it’s like getting into the industry, the work-to-life balance, pay range, and possible career growth. Knowing this information can give you a sense of whether or not careers within this degree path are suitable for you.
Picking a major and a career path can be scary, but know that you are not alone! There are many different options out there to help you make this decision. Although it may feel overwhelming, it is okay to start school not exactly sure where you are headed or change your direction halfway through.
It’s hard to believe that it’s already time for many college students to start preparing to take their midterm exams and unfortunately, all the stress that goes along with them. However, fear not, for we have the perfect study attack plan to make sure you nail midterms just in time to relax and enjoy spring break!
If you have trouble remembering terms or concepts, try to find a tool or system that will aid your study efforts. Try an online platform, such as Quizlet, also available as an app that allows you to create flashcards of terms or information from your classes and review them on the go. You can even utilize other study sets and flashcards from other people in your class or similar courses at other schools.
Breathe! Yes, midterms can be stressful, but a lot of it is from the pressure to do well, the organization, and staying on top of things. After all, you have spend the last few months learning this information so you should be off to a good start. Preparation is half the battle, and you’ll feel much more confident walking into your first exam knowing that you’ve spent the last few weeks studying. You’ve got this in hand, believe in yourself, and ace your tests!
Nationwide, nearly 20 million college students are preparing to take their midterm exams before heading off to enjoy spring break. With dropping Covid-19 case numbers and an overall better outlook on the pandemic, many students are extra eager to escape from hectic college life.
Before students leave campus, GradGuard, the nation’s leading authority on helping protect college students and their families from the risks of college life, recommends students consider the following tips so they are prepared if something goes wrong. Here are five tips for college students as they embark on long-awaited spring break adventures.
Be sure you have your health insurance card, and if applicable, your COVID-19 vaccination card, with you and confirm your student health insurance will work while traveling.
Be sure to consider purchasing GradGuard’s renters insurance, which is specifically designed for college students. It provides coverage for students’ belongings not only while on campus but also while they are traveling worldwide.
Be prepared with backup identification cards by taking photos of all your personal IDs and payment cards. If your wallet is stolen, you can quickly restore your life and return home easily.
If you are leaving the United States, travel insurance can be a smart purchase and can include valuable services to help you overcome a financial loss and also help you return home in case something goes wrong on your trip.
Remember you are likely responsible for damages that may occur at your campus residence while you are away. Be sure to turn off all electronics and appliances before leaving. But if something happens, GradGuard’s renters insurance can provide coverage for damages that occur while you are away from school.
It’s important to understanding the risks of college life and to consider these tips before spring break. Students and families may be surprised that they will likely lose hundreds, if not thousands of dollars if their semester is disrupted by a theft, unintentional damage to their student housing or a medical condition forces them to withdraw.
GradGuard’s renters insurance enables students and families to easily replace a bike, laptop, cell phone, or other items that are stolen or damaged, not only while the student is on campus, but also while they are traveling to and from school or away on vacation. In addition, GradGuard’s industry-leading tuition insurance program allows families to get a refund if they are forced to withdraw from school for covered medical conditions including COVID-19.
While students have diverse goals for spring break, students are smart to be prepared and to protect themselves from a financial loss that could disrupt their semester or create greater financial stress. Have a happy and healthy spring break!