<prompt> Human: Im applying to colleges right now. My parents went to college and their parents paid so they had zero debt, and they want me to not have that burden as well so theyve promised to pay for my college wherever I decide to go. I have about 2000 of my own money saved up and I get allowance and money as gifts. Is there anything I can do now or start doing that would give me even more of an advantage than I would have by just graduating college debt free?  <response>: Figure out what you want to do for a career and start down that path as soon as possible. The biggest mistake you can make is to assume that once you graduate a job will fall into your lap. If you can, try and get an internship or two while youre still in school in the industry. It will help you make contacts that will get you hired after you graduate, if youre any good.Beyond that, research the schools and make sure they are known for what you want to go into. For the field Im in, the schools that are best for it arent the ones you would expect. A handful of them are the big-name private schools, but a fairly large number of the best graduates we see come from large public universities. 