Thank you so much drewg350, and everyone else. This is exactly the kind of advice/peptalk I've been seeking out and for some reason have not been able to find! I spoke with a financial advisor and a credit counselor, and both were hesitant to suggest any aggressive strategies to improve my score like the one you outlined above. And NEITHER of them would recommend particular cc's or even banks to refinance my student loans with, even when I explicitly asked for recs. They didn't suggest much of anything except to take out a cc and to try to refinance my highest private student loan somehow (at 9.75% APR, ouch!). To think, all it took was a post to the fico forums to get the kick in the butt I needed to stop being so afraid to take the plunge and actually get an actionable plan that makes sense! I think I will skip the store card, follow the advice given here, and I will be sure to keep you all updated on the outcomes of my apps! Thank you again!
