I am majoring in Paralegal Studies at Bronx Community College. I plan to move on to a four year school and then eventually law school. TAP and Pell’s financial aid cover my tuition. TAP’s eligibility and award size should be changed because it covers tuition, but not the other costs associated with coming to school, like subscription services for specific classes and textbooks, which are expensive in my major. Without these resources, it is easy to fall behind. On top of textbooks, the costs of childcare were really, really high for my two children. We had to either use a credit card or a money order, and I would have to wait for my financial refunds to pay for it. The early childhood center is great though. I don’t think I would be able to manage anything if my kids weren’t there. Being one of the first in my family to go to college, it has hit me that we have been economically at the mercy of all our employers. My parents encouraged us to go to college but they don’t really understand a lot of the challenges that face college students like the need for that work/life/school balance. In addition, I think that if the infrastructure needs and the advisement issues aren’t addressed, enrollment and retention are going to continue to be an issue. I have gotten stuck in the elevator in different buildings multiple times. The constant need for infrastructure repairs means longer routes to classes, which can make you late. There are a few buildings that are not ADA accessible. My advisors did not have enough information about my current degree program to advise me adequately, requiring me to have to do a lot more research on my own and also spend two extra semesters here because I was not put in the right classes. In terms of class options, the electives required are not offered, leading to us having to take classes at other CUNYs. The schedules there don’t always line up with the BCC schedule, so I get home really late two days a week and have to travel to those other CUNYs. Plus, adhering to the schedule the daycare sets while figuring out my class schedule has been hard. And the approval and denial process of taking classes outside of BCC is really complex. With all of the steps, it took me an entire summer to get these classes approved when they should just be offered here since they are part of our degree program.