College is an exciting time, and one of your primary helpers during college will be your academic advisor. Your advisor will help you determine what classes to take, how to plan your college career and how to tackle life away from home.

However, one thing that your advisor may also try to help you take on is funding your college education. Please note: your advisor means well. It is highly unlikely to virtually impossible that many of the "malicious advisor" myths about lenders paying of academic advisors are true. These people have your best interests and your educational success at heart in nearly every case.

However, an academic advisor is just that: someone to help you with academics. When it comes to financing your tuition, they will not be an expert. They may not even realize the ramifications that large outstanding debt could have on the rest of your life. After all, many people live with student loans for their entire lives and still live fairly normal lives.

If you want to be different, though, you will have to take steps to insure that you evaluate all your options carefully before you select student loans as a means of funding. Work with a financial advisor -- possibly even one outside the school -- and your parents to determine the best route for you and your college education.