I started going to College of Charleston in 2009, and by the time I graduate in 2017, I’ll have been at the College for eight years. If I could, I’d apply for tenure since I’ve been at the school longer than some of the professors.

Because I’ve been at CofC for such a long time, I’ve had some experiences which probably don’t—and won’t—pertain to normal students (such as hitting my lifetime maximum for student loans). But what I’ve learned from these experiences has been invaluable and will probably be helpful to both current and future students.

All right, yeah, it's not a very exciting list, but these are things every college student should know.

You Have a Lifetime Limit on Your Undergraduate Student Loans

I know, I know—that bold sub-heading just oozes excitement because who doesn’t love to talk about their student debt? As boring as the topic is, everyone should know this information about their student loans.

If you’re 25 or older, you have to fill out your FAFSA as an independent student. The pro is you can take out more loans, but the con is that your parents can’t take out any PLUS loans for you.

For dependent students, your total lifetime limit for undergraduate student loans is $31,000, $23,000 of which can be in subsidized loans.

For independent students, your total lifetime limit for undergraduate student loans is $57,000, but your subsidized loan limit is still only $23,000.

You also have annual borrowing limits. Dependent freshmen can receive up to $5,500 ($6,500 for sophomores; $7,500 for juniors and above) in loans while independents can receive up to $9,500 ($10,500 for sophomores; $12,500 for juniors and above).

The Pell Grant also has a Lifetime Limit

The Pell Grant is awarded to students who show financial need for it. It’s money you don’t have to pay back, which is always great. The lifetime limit for the Pell Grant, unlike student loans, is different because it’s not based on a dollar amount—it’s based on the years you’ve been in school.

You can receive the Pell Grant for six years (12 semesters). The amount you’re awarded is set by the feds. This year, the Pell Grant total is $5,775 for full-time students (next year, it’ll be $5,975). The total is split between the two semesters. You can thank Obama for nearly doubling the Pell Grant annual limit.

Be aware that once you “complete” your degree—meaning, if you’re finished with all your course requirements by December, but you intend to stay through the spring semester—you will become ineligible to receive the Pell Grant for the spring. The (bizarre) logic here is that you could graduate in the fall, so therefore you shouldn’t be allowed to take a semester learning other potentially useful things (like another language).

You can get around this rule by just not taking your final course until the spring.

The Ombudsman Is There to Mediate Disputes between Everyone

The ombudsman, which is just a fancy word for “mediator,” at CofC is Deni Mitchell. I’ve gone to her twice now to get assistance in situations where there was nothing more I could do.

When I was struggling with the Financial Aid Office over an error in my financial aid package—an error that left me almost $1,000 short in just tuition—I went to Deni. Within 24 hours, the problem was remedied. Considering I had been dealing with this issue for three months, it was nice to get everything taken care of within a single day.

The ombudsman is there to mediate on your side, which means if you have a problem with a particularly nasty professor, Deni won’t make you feel like you’ve done something wrong. Her job is to listen, offer solutions, set up meetings to mediate between the parties, and even to help you contest erroneous grades. If you’ve hit a wall with a faculty member (or even a student), go to Deni—people never ignore the mediator because it reflects poorly on them.

The best part about our particular ombudsman is that she’s a super listener. Even if you’re just having a problem with another student, a professor, any staff member, etc., you can go to Deni just to talk to her—vent your frustrations and get some genuinely helpful advice. If you’re having an issue—especially a bullying issue—seek Deni out on the second floor of Randolph Hall. She can help.

Update the Catalog Year for Your Major

Yes, you can in fact do this! If the degree requirements for your major changes, you can update the catalog year through DegreeWorks on MyCharleston (under the Academic Services tab). The potential bonus to doing this is that you could graduate earlier than expected if, for example, the degree now requires fewer classes. Also, if there’s a class you’ve been dreading, check the catalog to see if that class is still even a requirement for the major (it might not be).

Just be aware that, if you have multiple majors, you have to update the catalog year for all your majors (you can’t do it for just one). Also, don’t update it willy-nilly—if the degree requires more classes and you update the year, you’ll have to take those classes (which may or may not be a good thing).

If you’re unsure, email the head of whatever department your major is located in and ask. They can look at your degree audit and tell you if it’s possible to update the catalog year and if it’ll be useful to do so.