A good amount of students receive financial aid, but for the ones that don’t, finances can be a bit trickier.
For students that go to school, and work at their place of education, it is a problem when most of their paycheck goes toward financial aid.
Students who work and study should be able to control where their paycheck is allocated so they can not only afford tuition, but live a balance of comfortability.
Classes, books and expensive campus food have many students needing to take more money out of their paycheck than they would expect.
According to the New York Times article, “How to Bear the Tuition Burden Without a Paycheck,” Tara Siegel Bernard writes that there is more than one way to deal with financial stressors.
“Some companies may allow you to borrow from your 401(k) plan for college expenses; you essentially pay yourself back with interest. But the loan must be repaid in five years,” wrote Bernard.
If colleges will not give students their full paycheck, they should allow students to borrow from their paycheck to pay for other expenses, similar to borrowing from a 401(k).
Students who cannot afford anything other than to have their tuition paid solely from their income struggle to have a social life and afford everyday living expenses. Some students may have to skip a semester to work because of the extra money they were having to pay.
Working while being a student can have its toll. Students who are striving to obtain a degree struggle when they are not able to afford anything apart from tuition. Therefore, colleges should leave it up to student workers what should be done with their income.
