Have you or someone you love been affected by the annoying added costs of college? They include, but are not limited to: being towed, taking classes that have nothing to do with your major, paying to park on game days in the same lot you already bought a parking pass for, a mandatory purchase of Dawg Dollars and paying hundreds for a textbook bundle only to realize you only need two textbooks.

Well, so has everyone else who has ever gone to college. Some of these costs are unavoidable, but for the ones that are, here are some types and tricks on how to avoid them.  

Game-day parking

Now imagine this: it is game day. You are pumped to see the Bulldogs bring home another win. You get to your parking zone, but there is a block in front of the entrance. You tell the worker you want to park in your zone and they tell you that you are unable to unless you pay a fee, as game day parking differs from everyday parking. I already pay $200 to park in this zone, and now I have to pay $30 extra just to park here for game days. If you want to have free parking on game days, your best bet is staying with or carpooling with a friend who lives on the edge of campus the night before the game.

Dawg Dollars

Dawg Dollars can be a tough subject. They are handy, but at the same time, they are costly, with each student required to purchase $300 each semester. No worries about having to spend all of the $300, though, as it transfers over each semester and even each year. While having this requirement is annoying, if you keep your balance unused each year, you are entitled to receive all of your money back after graduation. That can total around $2,400 over 8 semesters if saved up.

Bulldog Bundle

Some people end up having a large number of books each semester, while others have much less. With the Bulldog Bundle, each person pays $20 per each credit hour they are taking, regardless of whether those classes have required books. If you only have a couple, you pay the same amount per credit hour as someone who has tons. While it can be a deal if you have lots of books, it can also be a loss. To avoid this, see how much your books are without the bundle, and if they are cheaper without, opt out of the bundle. The deadline to opt out this semester was August 27, which was plenty of time to find out what books were needed.

General required classes

I am a biochemistry major with a concentration in pre-med, and I am currently enrolled in a class called “Architecture Appreciation.” Although this class is very interesting, it has absolutely nothing to do with my major. All it does is add more money to the pockets of the university while giving me nothing in return besides knowing how to identify what kind of ceiling I am staring at while I am trying not to fall asleep in said class. There is no way to avoid taking a fine arts class, as it is built into all students’ degrees, but if you find yourself in this situation, I recommend just taking the most interesting one to you and making the most of it. Do not take anything you will not benefit from.

Towing

It is always a lovely sight to walk out of your friend’s apartment and see your car being hooked up to a tow truck. These tow trucks drive around the apartment complexes like hungry wolves lurking in the night for their next victim. I personally have fallen victim to this scam. I tried to bargain with the tow truck operator to let my car down, as I was only one space away from the correct guest parking space, but they told me that if I wanted them to drop my car, it would be a mandatory fee of $200. Or, instead, I could follow them to the towing yard and pay $300 for it.

So, I paid the $200 fee. I would encourage you to avoid the risk of towing at all costs because the cost of walking is free, and the cost to get your car back can be over $200. If you are parking at a friend’s apartment and there is no guest parking, I suggest parking in a public lot that does not tow and has all-day parking. Then, have your friend come and pick you up and take you to their apartment, or if it is close enough, just walk.

I write all of this to say that college is riddled with scams, but there are ways around them. I believe college is worth it in the end, as it has given me friends and even family. I can get a degree for a path I want to do for the rest of my life while also creating long-lasting relationships. While there are annoying added costs, learning to work around them is completely worth it for all that college offers.