Providing their children with a college education is the dream of responsible parents. However, with the economic recession, sending off their children to the top schools and colleges could land some families in debt. These days, a greater percentage of parents and students are finding themselves applying for financial aids, scouring for grants and basically finding ways in order to cut back on costs.
Education is Hard Work
Students are opting to work part-time jobs in order to supplement their allowance and spending money. The pay not only comes in handy when it is time to shell out money for school expenses like fees, text books and others, it also allows some undergraduates to pay off their student loans, a little bit at a time.
According to an American Council on Education analysis, 75 percent of all undergraduates under the age of 22 have part time work. Chief reasons characteristically include covering up the tuition as well as fees. 56 percent of students work to pay for their living costs, 32 percent say they do it to earn their spending money, and 8 percent say they want to gain job experience to their skills more marketable when it is time for them to look for a profession. 4 percent accounts for other reasons.
Researchers too have shown that students who work a total of 20 hours or less every week have greater chances of getting better grades as well as being able to graduate rather than those who work for more than 20 hours. Since students are learning to juggle in order to fit part time work and classes into their schedule, time management is becoming key. Thus, students are choosing their classes carefully in order to ensure that the work does not compromise academic performance.
Sometimes though, even after juggling the hours, students still find themselves foregoing a class or two if they clash with their work schedules. Hard yes, but practicalities must rule. A number of students working part time choose jobs a little later in the day, saying they know they would be tired after working and would need to rest before they could take up with their books again.
However, when schedules do not fit, undergraduates are forced to work in between classes just to get by.
Where to Work
The majority of students choose to go for off campus work. The pay is better for some though it is generally known that off-campus employers are often less understanding when it comes to the educational needs of a working student rather than employers who are directly connected to the school or university. Add to the fact that commuting to and from work can be costly and time consuming.
Some students though say they need the work in order to help out their parents with the college expenses as well as avoid mountains of student loan debt. Helping out in every little way counts and children who see how hard the economy is these days, try to contribute to the family in any way they could. A few join their family businesses as part time workers in order to offer assistance to their parents as well as add a little extra to their spending money.
Whether it’s the tuition, the fees, parents or worry over debt, more and more students are spending less time in schools debating philosophical questions regarding existence for hours on end as they try to earn money and keep up with costs.