As College Grads Enter Life after School, Some Learn ''What They Never Taught You in College and Never Told You at Home''
RADNOR, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE via COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--May 10, 2005--Reality sinks in this week for millions of college seniors as they cast off caps and gowns and recover from long-winded graduation speakers and hard-charging graduation parties.
''The challenges of life after college suddenly become real this month to many students who`ve never had to fend for themselves outside the campus cocoon or the attentions of doting parents,'' said Mike Hartung, Executive Director of the Global Citizens Association, a non-profit group promoting lifelong learning and sponsor of the Rewards Worldwide program. ''For graduating seniors, it`s suddenly time to get a job, rent an apartment, balance a checkbook and make it on their own,'' Hartung noted. ''But the practical life skills you might assume students have picked up at home or while in college remain elusive for many of our best educated graduates,'' he said.
Rewards Worldwide - featuring free membership and money-saving benefits for college students and recent college grads - today released 7-Minute Survival Guide for College Grads!, subtitled: ''What They Never Taught You In College and Never Told You At Home.'' The guide is available FREE until June 1st as a college graduation gift, and for just $4.00 after that date at https://www.rewardsworldwide.com/survival_guide.cfm. The guide also includes a free Rewards Worldwide membership worth hundreds of dollars in savings for college students and recent grads.
To help new grads make their way in life-after-campus, Rewards Worldwide is offering practical advice rarely found in college textbooks and discussed by fewer parents and kids than the proverbial birds and bees lecture most parents find so hard to give. ''Kids have a way of learning about sex and drugs from their peers, even though what they learn often proves inaccurate and sometimes even dangerous,'' Hartung noted. ''But other kids are so unprepared when it comes to life skills, it`s tough to pick up even misinformation from your friends,'' he said. Hartung said the guide is deliberately just a 7-minute read, to capture the attention of busy graduates coping with starting out on their own. ''We`re delighted to offer it free as a graduation gift until June 1,'' he said.
From personal finance tips to job search advice, the 7-Minute Survival Guide for College Grads! offers down-to-earth, proven advice and techniques probably never covered in Modern World History, Physics for Poets, or Transcendental American Literature. Since many parents balance their family budgets by drawing a line across the checkbook and starting over each month, it`s not likely they offered much useful information to their offspring on these critical dealing-with-real-life topics.
Survival Guide topics include:
-- Slashing The Cost of Student Loans
-- Searching For Work ... It`s Who You Know That Counts
-- Writing Winning Resumes
-- Acing The Job Interview
-- How To Balance Your Checkbook
-- Coping With Credit Cards
-- Negotiating Your First Apartment Lease
-- Your Rights On the Job
-- Insurance - Yes, But Pick The Right Policy
-- Protecting Yourself Against Identity Theft
With every guide ordered, grads receive a free membership offering special savings on expenses most of them will now be paying out of their own pockets, including cell phones, free music downloads, eye exams, dental care, movie tickets, travel, camping and RVs, long distance calls, and flowers.
''We want to make sure college grads have the facts on how to save money and cope with the challenges they`ll face in life after school, and we`ve taken the extra step of providing access to savings on the things grads will certainly spend their limited resources on, including phone service for keeping in touch with college friends and family, and fun things like music, movies, and travel,'' Hartung said. ''We`ve also included great savings on necessities mom and dad may have paid for in the past, including dental care and eye exams at huge savings.''
According to a study by 360 Youth College Explorer, 18 to 24 year-olds spend $122 billion annually, including $24 billion in discretionary spending,
The study also found:
-- the majority in this age group (90%) own a computer
-- two-thirds (65%) have broadband connections
-- 62% own a stereo
-- 77% own a cell phone
-- 77% own a printer
-- 84 % own a television
-- 86% own a calculator
-- Three-quarters of students (74%) own a DVD player
-- Just over half (55%) own a gaming system
-- More than six in 10 use their cell phone for text messaging (62%) and playing games (70%) and 41% of those with cell phones can access the Internet through their mobile phone.
-- They spend nearly $3 billion annually on movies, DVDs, music and video game purchases and rentals. Music sales total $474 million, theater tickets $658 million and games $341 million. These new young consumers also are watching movies, spending $600 million to buy and another $326 million to rent DVDs.
For online copies of 7-Minute Survival Guide for College Grads!, grads can visit https://www.rewardsworldwide.com/survival_guide.cfm. The 17-page guide is available free until June 1st as a graduation gift and for $4.00 after that date to cover research and processing costs. It includes a free membership in Rewards Worldwide featuring savings on frequent purchases by college graduates, including cell phones, long distance, music, flowers, airfares, cruises, hotels, and camping.
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