Remember the Good Old Days... Ah, To Be A Student Again

When I was growing up, my parents and teachers used to tell me that my days as a student were the best years of my life. I didn't believe them at the time, and all these years later, I'd have to say that the past fifteen years of investment banking and seven years of parenting have been and continue to be the best years of my life. Given the stream of emails that Rex and I have received from our alma maters letting us know about the increasing number of college students who need financial aid, I'm concerned that there's never been a tougher time to be a student.



One savings opportunity for students today is the International Student Identity Card (ISIC) -- an internationally recognized and accepted student ID card that comes with thousands of discounts at top retail stores and websites. The $22 card gets students discounts like cheap flights at STA Travel and 11% off JetBlue (or take the train and save 15% off Amtrak), 50% off at Park 'n Fly, an eleven (11) percent discount at Macy's or 10% off at Target.com, and access to a special $13 menu at Hard Rock Cafe. Students can use the ISIC at home or abroad, online or in brick and mortar stores. Unfortunately, I don't qualify for any of the three versions of the discount card -- the ISIC for currently enrolled students, the IYTC for any youth 26 years old and younger, or the ITIC for any current teacher or professor. However, my daughters London and Maddie are both students, so maybe they'll let their mom tag along with them for a change... unfortunately, just today I made the mistake of teaching them how to call me "abuelita" -- old lady in Spanish!