I’m currently a senior attending Queens College full-time. I’m currently working toward my second degree on the pre-law track. My first degree was from Hofstra University in Biology. I work and study very hard to maintain my good grades and recently it’s becoming more and more difficult.
Because I don’t receive any financial aid, I have to work to pay my tuition out of pocket. I work 60+ hours every week as a medical technician to be able to pay my tuition and purchase necessary textbooks for classes that cost anywhere from $500-$1,000. If the state removes the tuition freeze and encourages CUNY to increase tuition to cover costs, instead of providing adequate state funding, it will only make it more difficult for me to pay for my education. I do not want another tuition hike, and am looking forward to the day when CUNY is once again affordable.
I come from a middle class background in a family of 9 so I never expected to get any financial assistance from my parents. I also never expected to receive financial aid from the government because of my father’s income. I knew college would mean debt and I’ve accepted that. However, I don’t think it’s something that I should have had to accept or that future generations should accept. I work two part time jobs along with an 18-credit schedule and an internship. I am also a part of a resident planning committee for my dorms.
I don’t regret all the hard work I do because I know it’s making me a better person every day. But, I do not like that on top of all that I do, I still have to worry about finding several thousands of dollars in order to continue making contributions to my college and the surrounding community. I have wanted to attend college since I was a little kid, in my mind it represented the first step towards achieving the American dream. However as time went on and I woke up to the reality of America’s true nature, I have come to terms with the fact that I’m going to have to work as hard as I physically and mentally can just to achieve stability. My legislators owe it not only me but to the honor of their office to make sure the financial burden of college becomes a thing of the past.
For this year, my family and I paid about $1,684 out of pocket and the rest was covered by loans which are about $20,000-$21,000 for the 2016-2017 school year. I haven’t gotten much financial aid so I’ve had to take out private loans to cover the rest. My parents cover the cost of textbooks and my grandpa sends me $100 each month to help with transit and food. After I graduate I’ll probably be in debt for many years, sadly.
I don’t have a job because I wanted to adjust to college for my freshman year. But some people have to balance a job and classes. I feel sorry for their mental health because they seem to struggle at times. Getting a college degree, to me, is such a huge accomplishment. I think it’s important to be able to further your education beyond high school. I’m currently undecided, but I’m looking forward to finding a major that fits me perfectly and having a career that I’ll enjoy. The financial burden of college is constantly on my mind. It’s going to be a huge financial burden for me for years and years, and with an uncertain job market in the future, who knows what will happen.
College is costly to me. I pay through loans and out of my pocket. The cost makes it definitely hard to enjoy college since I need the help of loans to pay for it. I work about 15 hours a week throughout the school year in an attempt to lower the cost of college. I’m the first from my family to get a degree. I am from a Caribbean island, and there, it’s a big deal to get a degree. I’m studying nutrition and exercise sciences at the moment but not sure what’s in store after college. I try not to think about the stress that paying for college and maintaining my grades puts on me. If I do, it makes me very sad and even frustrated with the way the system works here in America. Financial aid has been a huge help, even though it never covers everything (academic, housing, books, meals).
About 98% of my tuition is covered by scholarships, grants from the school, and federal loans and grants. To most other students attending Syracuse, paying the remainder 2% of the school’s tuition would be easy to cover by their parent’s incomes. However, for me it is difficult and extremely stressful, especially since both my parents’ incomes fall below the poverty line, they speak little English and I am a first generation college student. Knowing this, I could not bear to ask for my parents’ helps in paying for my education, and decided to save up whatever money I made from my job as a cashier during high school. Still though, as life is filled with unforeseen circumstances, a lot of the money I made during high school went towards helping my parents. I have to constantly be in communication with the financial aid office and bursar office to settle my dues.
Like many other low-income students here, I’ve had to take on a job on top of classes in order to pay for books, and to save up for next semester’s tuition. Having to constantly be in contact with the financial aid and bursar office, keeping track of my finances, and working on top of taking classes has definitely taught me how to manage my time and money well, but has also burdened me with a great amount of stress. Attending a private institution such as Syracuse for low-income students is an omnipresent issue in regards to finances. However, I am extremely grateful to attend such a prestigious academy.
