Working Over Spring Break

How much money should you borrow in student loans when attending college? You should only borrow what you need. Borrowing too much could put your financial future in jeopardy.

To reduce borrowing, you can avoid using student loans for things you can do without. Elaborate spring break trips, for example, are an opportunity to relax and reconnect with friends, but the expense may set you back financially.

If you're not going to use loan funds for a big spring break trip, you might consider working instead or working when you're not busy with other plans. If you don't have a job that offers hours during spring break, prepare with these ideas for finding a college job and acing the interview.

The financial impact to you depends on several circumstances, but here are some factors to consider.

Whether you already have a part-time job or you decide to pick up gig or temporary work during break, you may make $15–$18 an hour before taxes. Working eight hours a day for several days over break can result in several hundred dollars in earnings.

A spring break trip can easily cost hundreds or thousands of dollars once airfare, lodging, meals, entertainment and transportation are taken into account.

Consider the potential financial impact of your choices.

The potential difference is $1,700–$2,900. Each dollar you earn, and each dollar you don't spend, can be used to reduce your borrowing for college expenses. Because loans must be repaid with interest, reducing loans by $2,000, for example, for each year of college will result in greater savings during repayment.