There is absolutely nothing wrong about availing of student loans to finance your college education. With the rising costs of education, it cannot be helped. However, you can help yourself avoid the pitfalls of getting too many students loans you can ill afford to pay. And don't even think for a moment that these loans are free because they are not; often, the only thing free is the interest accruing on the loans if and when you pay diligently in the future.

Get a Scholarship or a Grant

Every year, billions of dollars are provided for college scholarships and grants. You too can avail of these and thereby reduce your dependence on student loans to finance your college education. To successfully snag a scholarship or a grant, you should:

* Look beginning in junior high school. You can access resources like your guidance office, local civic organizations, your parents' employers, the state government, and the Internet. You might also want to enlist the help of your school mentors for their network of friends who can help you get these scholarships and grants.

* Apply for as many scholarships/grants as you can. There are other types of scholarships/grants not based on academics and sports like religion, ethnicity, extracurricular interests and financial criteria that you can apply for. Even if the scholarship/grant seems small, just apply for it since all these can add up to big money for tuition and other expenses.

* Meet deadlines and be creative with your applications. This is the most important part because it shows you are responsible and trustworthy.

Make Money While Studying

If you have not heard of taking on a part-time job while studying, then you should start looking into this area. With creative time management, you can actually take on a job and study at the same time! Also, you can save aside a certain amount of money to help you pay for your student loans earlier than expected, save money for emergencies, and even splurge once in a while.

You can take on these jobs on a part-time basis:

* Tutor other students on subjects you are well-versed in
* Work at the library (great for having first bat at those reference books), the cafeteria (free food), or the office (opportunity to learn skills)
* Work for outside companies that offer flexible working schedules for students

Economize and Economize Some More

Your student loans are great to pay off the tuition fees and other miscellaneous expenses like books. However, you still have to provide for your basic needs that cannot be covered by your loans.

This usually means that you have to think up of creative ways to scrimp on money without scrimping on your style, such as:

* Buy a bike and cycle your way around the campus and in the city. You save on gas and the cost of a car, regardless if it is third-hand.

* Purchase good second-hand clothes from thrift stores. You might be surprised how many fashionable clothes you can find there at a fraction of the cost and with just a little detergent and imagination.

* Go on creative dates that cost you next to nothing. Or better yet, have your date pay for it.

Ultimately, when you have graduated and found yourself a good job, you can find yourself having an easy time paying off your student loans simply because you did not avail of these left and right just to finance your expensive lifestyle as a student.