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A large proportion of my students work part time jobs for 20+ hours a week. I don't really understand how they can afford tuition + room + board but need the $

A large proportion of my students work part time jobs for 20+ hours a week. I don't really understand how they can afford tuition + room + board but need the $140 (less taxes) a week, but as it turns out this is very common. It made a big impression on me when a student walked in to turn in his homework wearing a Chick-Fil-A cap. Asking around, I learned that this is typical at the university where I teach. So, yes, here at least, $264.39 is 37 hours at McDonalds. Well.... taxes.... so make that more like 50.

superuser2 12y ago
I also work 20 hours/week, but it's still nowhere close to covering room and board, let alone tuition.
jkimmel 12y ago
>I don't really understand how they can afford tuition + room + board but need the $140 (less taxes) a week, but as it turns out this is very common. As a student, maybe I can shed a little light on this. There are a few reasons working part-time at minimum wage can make economic sense for a student. At least at my institution, few kids whose parents foot the tuition bill work. The students most likely to be working 20 hours/week are the same students likely to receive some form of financial aid/merit scholarship. As such, the tuition + room + board costs may be significantly less than the sticker price. Considering this reduced expense, the ~$200/week from part-time work may make a considerable contribution to a student's budget. Even if these students aren't able to completely cover the remaining cost of school not covered by financial aid, there are many instances where that part-time job replaces a potentially high interest student loan, reducing the overall cost of education in the long run. In some instances, even students whose parents assist them with educational expenses require a part-time job for discretionary expenditures. I have more than one friend whose parents pay tuition, but do not cover the cost of gasoline/car repairs necessary for the student to go to class.
sanderjd 12y ago
It's pretty simple: grants and loans cover tuition, fees, housing, and very little else, so that $150/week from working part time is what students are living off of.
BrandonM 12y ago
When I was a working student, I was maximizing my student loans every quarter. My wages were going toward rent, credit card payments, and anything else I couldn't pay with credit cards. I also worked 40-50 hours per week during the summer. Between that and loan distributions, I could just barely keep up with my typical costs. If anything went wrong--e.g., an injury (yep!), car repairs (yep!), fines (yep!)--the credit card debt didn't get paid off. You might predict that I would graduate with a lot of debt. You would be right. In spite of having a merit scholarship for full tuition and $4500/year, I had over $35,000 in student loans and another $5000-10,000 in credit card debt when I graduated.

superuser2 12y ago

I also work 20 hours/week, but it's still nowhere close to covering room and board, let alone tuition.

jkimmel 12y ago

>I don't really understand how they can afford tuition + room + board but need the $140 (less taxes) a week, but as it turns out this is very common. As a student, maybe I can shed a little light on this. There are a few reasons working part-time at minimum wage can make economic sense for a student. At least at my institution, few kids whose parents foot the tuition bill work. The students most likely to be working 20 hours/week are the same students likely to receive some form of financial aid/merit scholarship. As such, the tuition + room + board costs may be significantly less than the sticker price. Considering this reduced expense, the ~$200/week from part-time work may make a considerable contribution to a student's budget. Even if these students aren't able to completely cover the remaining cost of school not covered by financial aid, there are many instances where that part-time job replaces a potentially high interest student loan, reducing the overall cost of education in the long run. In some instances, even students whose parents assist them with educational expenses require a part-time job for discretionary expenditures. I have more than one friend whose parents pay tuition, but do not cover the cost of gasoline/car repairs necessary for the student to go to class.

sanderjd 12y ago

It's pretty simple: grants and loans cover tuition, fees, housing, and very little else, so that $150/week from working part time is what students are living off of.

BrandonM 12y ago

When I was a working student, I was maximizing my student loans every quarter. My wages were going toward rent, credit card payments, and anything else I couldn't pay with credit cards. I also worked 40-50 hours per week during the summer. Between that and loan distributions, I could just barely keep up with my typical costs. If anything went wrong--e.g., an injury (yep!), car repairs (yep!), fines (yep!)--the credit card debt didn't get paid off. You might predict that I would graduate with a lot of debt. You would be right. In spite of having a merit scholarship for full tuition and $4500/year, I had over $35,000 in student loans and another $5000-10,000 in credit card debt when I graduated.