This Financial Mistake I Made in College Has Haunted Me for 20 Years

The high school I attended had a rigorous curriculum that, at times, had me taking upward of 10 classes -- not including extracurriculars. Because of this, by the time I finished up the first semester of my senior year, I had accumulated more than enough credits to graduate. At that point, I had a choice -- graduate early and try to find a (low-paying) job in the college town I lived in, all the while losing health insurance (because back then, you couldn't just stay on your parents' plan if you weren't a full-time student), or pay for an extra semester of school, take fun classes, and hang out with my friends.