By ALLISON RUWALDT
Working in college adds so much to one’s character, but it causes just as much distress.
For many students, college is the first thing they have to pay for themselves. Despite Northwestern Oklahoma State University being relatively cheap, it’s still thousands of dollars that the average student doesn’t have.
In my first semester of college here, I was prompted to create a payment plan in the first or second week. Without putting too much thought into it, I set up my payment plan.
However, what I didn’t know was that my financial aid was supposed to cover all of my college expenses. So I spent $1,500 that I didn’t have in my first week of college, and when I checked with the finance office, everything seemed right.
After speaking to more people in the schools’ Trio service, I learned more about my financial aid and was given a refund for the money I had spent.
That experience could happen to many other students, and unfortunately, a lot of them are stuck paying. I understand why there’s urgency to set up a student’s payment plan, but that also causes misinformed students to set it up without thinking and put themselves in unnecessary debt.
During my week of uncertainty, I requested more hours and mentally prepared myself to suffer. As far as I knew, I was going to have to pay for my school, as well as for every other necessity, and still put money away for savings.
However, I got lucky because I did qualify for financial aid. Unfortunately, half the students at Northwestern do not qualify for any and have to pay for their tuition, board, meal plans, books and fees.
With all of those adding up, students often feel pressure to work more hours and push themselves to work more than is possible. On top of paying for school, students have to pay for personal things that can happen, like car troubles, moving out of the dorms, gas for going home and so much more.
Not to mention jobs around Alva claim to work with schedules, but will lie, or continue to encourage students to put off school and prioritize work. In my experience working a part-time job in Alva, there will always be someone who works there as a career who expects everyone else to also take their part-time jobs as seriously.
This can cause competition and stress in the workplace that distracts students from their main purpose right now. Being in a competitive work environment can make a student feel that only the job is important, and he or she will stop putting the same effort into school and primarily focus on work.
Working is necessary for continuing in college, but it also makes it feel almost impossible to put effort into school. I was working 40-hour workweeks last semester, and I know of 4 other students in my department alone who were also full-time.
Most weekdays, I would get out of class 10-15 minutes before I was scheduled to clock in, and I would be there until sometime between 8-10, depending on the day, leaving no time to talk to teachers or meet with tutors for help. I would constantly do my homework at my job and try to complete whatever I could on my phone.
It hasn’t been all bad. Working provides a lot of structure, and I truly believe that people are better when they’ve worked from a younger age. I started working in high school, but I know most students don’t need to, so they will wait until college.
A student needs to be realistic about how much work they can do in a week, because it can all pile up very quickly. Students should be encouraged to prioritize school work and work when they are able to.
It is also crucial for professors to be understanding that many students are working full-time. In my experience, being open with teachers will give them a better understanding of the workload I have, and they will help when I need it.