u/Revolutionary-Log990

I'm an IT student and I use GitHub Copilot in VS Code for coding, debugging, learning, and building projects.

Honestly, 200 AI credits seem to run out so quickly! 😥

My model selection is set to Auto, and my “Optimize for” setting is Balance. I don't seem to have the option to manually select a model.

When you're learning, you need to ask questions, understand code, try different approaches, and debug errors. That's when AI assistance is most useful, but the credits can disappear before you get much done.

I'm curious how other students are managing this.

Does switching from Balance to Efficiency actually help save credits?

What settings or workflows do you use to make your credits last longer?

Are there any good free alternatives that work directly in VS Code?

Is anyone using OpenRouter or local AI models for everyday coding and debugging?

I like Copilot, but I want to make the most of my student benefits without constantly worrying about running out of credits.

How are you guys managing this? What's your setup?

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