Going to Granada Spain! A travel expense break down.

Hi Everyone!!

My name is Davana I just finished my third year of college, wooo! I am a fourth
year Public Health Major at UCSD. I initially chose to do the Global Seminar in
Granada Spain, “Spanish Memories, African Hopes Through Literature and Film”
because I am a Marshall student mainly. I am a couple weeks out from beginning
my journey and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I am excited, but nervous, in
between should I pack or study for upcoming finals?

I have decided that I want to share some important tips on how I was able to afford
this trip, without paying a dime. Hint, hint, lots and lots of scholarships. So first
thing is first: organize yourself. I created a spreadsheet that helped me figure out
how much I need to pay for everything, I mainly just looked at the budget sheet and
put it into a spreadsheet format. Here is what mine looks like:

I know, I know, it is a lot of money, basically one quarter at UCSD!! BUUUUT see me
out, I have an extraordinary amount of bills that I have to pay some of those include:
phone (me and my brother), rent + utilities at my apartment, as well as the Internet bill at
my Mom’s place.  It might be less if you sublease your space (if you are off campus) that
will displace at least one months rent + utilities. I also factored in buying a passport, which
if you already have, can save you $135.

So let’s move onto scholarships. Again, ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE. I went onto
the UCSD financial aid page and looked at scholarships for the summer and put ones that were
relevant to me into a spreadsheet along with the link, when it is due, and if I applied. The good
thing is that many scholarships you only have to fill out one application and then they apply to
many of them. Here is what mine looks like:

I know this might not work for everyone, but something I also did to avoid taking out loans
is to save up as much money as I could. Even though I got my scholarships, learning how to
budget money is so important. I use the Mint app, which helps organize your budget, check
it out if you want to. Through Mint, I have been able to see how much I have been spending
on certain items, set a budget for myself as well as keep up with my credit score. I am not
sponsored by them y'all, I just want to give you a great app that I have been using.

So, I will update you once I am getting on the plane, and give you all a what is in my travel
bag(s) update!

Adios amigos!!