Should I Shop or Save?

On Friday, Sept. 10, 2010 the Financial Aid Refund was released to Texas A&M International University students. I have witnessed the excitement the refund brings for a lot of students across campus. At the Killam Library, some students are eagerly checking their Hotmail accounts for the magical words to appear before their screen "Your TAMIU refund is now available in your One Account."

Minutes after the email arrives, some students race towards what used to be the only Higher One ATM on campus located at the Village. The parking lot to access the Village was packed and the line to withdraw the money was even longer. Now, Higher One has installed another ATM on TAMIU soil. The second ATM will give students who withdraw their refund the opportunity to do so before the machine is bankrupt. This ATM is located in the University Success Center; however, it seems as if you have to play "I Spy" in order to discover it. So enjoy the adventure! Hint: The ATM faces one of the two main staircases at the USC.

What is most interesting about refund day is learning what students use their money for. Some students plan their visit to Mall Del Norte in order to get the latest fashions; however, others take the wise approach: save their money. For instance, Izamar Castro expressed, "I save my refund for summer classes". Castro was aware that saving her refund in the long run was the best option since financial aid availability for summer varies. However, not all students know this until it is too late.

So when you receive your financial aid refund let us know how you are going to spend it. Leave us a comment on our page.