College is a place for students to learn, to grow up and to transition into the ‘real world.’ However, so many college students today graduate and don’t know how to take care of their basic financial needs or how to pay back student loans.

Several of the editorial board members are seniors and can share in this experience of not knowing how to do many of these things.

It would be in the best interest of students, especially at Baylor, to learn how to deal with finances in a class here on campus. This class would stress the basic financial skills used in everyday life after graduation. These money managing tips would help alleviate much of the worry or doubt many may experience after leaving college.

This seminar would be mandatory in a students’ degree audit, but he or she would be welcome to take it at any point in their college career. The course would be worth one credit hour for one semester. This life skills class could be taken in a one-hour-15 minute class once a week. Much like a U1000 class, this course would meet and discuss the different ways money management and budgeting could be used for students with stress about post-graduate expenses.

The finance seminar could be used to replace a mathematics class, like the Ideas In Mathematics course provided. In the class that would be provided, students could learn about numerous things.

Each class could be centered on something different: how to budget, how to pay taxes, how to become a homeowner, selective health care, how to pay back student loans, life insurance and even how to save up for a retirement plan.

Budgeting in college is something probably every college student wishes he or she would have done from the get-go. It would help them prepare more for the future financial predicaments that might face after graduation. Hand-in-hand with budgeting would be the cumbersome task of paying back student loans, which no one in college is probably even preparing for yet.

On the other hand, students at this time are more than likely working in order to pay for college or are working to have extra spending money. Filing taxes is a rather daunting task it seems and many students may not know how to handle the process. So, an inclusion of how to tackle taxes would really help those in need.

Also, mortgage and retirement plans seem to be forever away since most of us are nowhere near being married, owning a house or retiring anytime soon. However, being prepared about how these things function would be a large stress reliever for when that day may come to start worrying about those things.

This would be a great idea, to force students to better understand finances in the future. Not only is the point of college to help students hone their skills and talents to help them in a future position or job, but to educate them on normal and everyday occurrences during and after college.