If you really want to build your credit you may have to wait until after graduation, but there are a few ways you can control your credit score now.  Pay your bills (and pay them on time), keep your debts low and keep your name off credit card applications.

Your credit score is one of the most important and widely circulated bits of information about you. It determines the outcome of many of your adult life decisions. The kind of car and house you can afford, the rates you’ll pay for insurance and credit cards, and even the types of jobs you can get all hinge on your credit score.

1) Get (and save) a clean payment record

Pay your bills on time. It’s good advice anyway, but if you’re trying to build a credit history, making on-time monthly payments is a critical first step. Bills include both credit cards and other monthly bills (electricity, Netflix, gym memberships).

2) Manage your debt use

On the one hand, you want to build up a payment history. On the other, you don’t want to max out the amount that’s available to you.

Don’t charge more than 30% of your available credit. Use your credit card for small, regular purchases – a daily coffee or monthly tank of gas – and pay it off in full each month.

3) Guard your credit history

A lot of inquiries (or hits) on your credit history is a sign to lenders that you’re using credit to finance your lifestyle. This behavior makes them hesitant about lending to you, and they lower your credit score as a result.

This may mean fighting conventional wisdom and turning down a discount if it requires a credit card application. Similarly, don’t co-sign loans for friends, and don’t apply for store credit cards. Just like dining hall burritos, one is usually enough, and more can leave you in a world of hurt later.