I recently consolidated my student loans. One loan dates back almost 7 years ago, while the other opened in 10/06 when I started school again. Will this affect my score in a negative way and will it be considered a new account? I also wanted to know if I should get a secured card to improve my scores. I currently have a dept. store card and pay regularly on that. Will the revolving card and making timely payments on my consolidation be enough to improve my scores? Thanx