I’m a freshman studying international business and am the first in my family to attend college. To fund my education recieve TAP, and the Presidential Scholarship which is for 1 year and I pay 1/3 of my tuition & fees which is divided among my mother, my father, and myself. I was also supposed to receive work study. I was accepted to Purchase College with the understanding I would receive $2000 per semester through work study. Once I got here and applied for a work study job, I was informed that there was no longer enough funding for me to be a part of work study. This refusal has put me behind on paying my portion of education for this year. TAP award size hasn’t been modified/increased regularly and is a lot less significant considering the increases in tuition. The infrastructure isn’t the worst but I had to go without showering for a week because the showers in my bathroom were flooding and no one was coming to solve the problem. I struggled finding a therapist under my insurance for a while before college. When I arrived I started going to a therapist on campus, but I was told that I could only go for one semester because of lack of therapists for long term patients. I went for my fall semester and am now stuck without access to an affordable therapist. On the side of advisement, I had my academic advisor switch 3 times within my freshman year. No constant connection and I think this is one of the reasons I have decided to transfer from this school.
I’m a sophomore at Purchase studying communications and pay for my education both out of pocket and through student loans. I wish there was more support and help for TAP application and loans. I’d like to change the help provided and more easily accessible for questions I may need and I’ve struggled with not having enough information to fill out my FAFSA. I struggle with transportation and bills and trying to pay for books and materials needed for class
I am a junior at Purchase College studying communications and thinking about minoring in film. I want to work in the entertainment industry, specifically the film industry. Financial Aid covers all my tuition and I usually have an easy job getting TAP, although I would like for the award size to be a bit higher. I am the first in my family to go to college and I had to figure out by myself how to fill out FAFSA and all the intricacies of college that no one in my family understood or had gone through. A very confusing and sort of solitary journey. Since I am a commuter, my biggest costs related to college been the fact that while my tuition is covered, my classes get in the way of time I could be working more time in order to cover more than just my transportation and food costs. Transferring from community college, I got used to there being a range of classes so that I could work the classes around my busy work schedule. At Purchase, I noticed that there were a smaller range of classes and I had to work my job schedule to my classes which has affected my finances, even more so now that there’s an increase in prices. It’s hard working an unpaid internship around my classes and work schedule causing an increasing amount of stress.
I’m a senior and my major is Political Science. I hope to get a job that works in politics whether that be for a campaign or working for a group that advocates for an issue. I was inspired to major in this because of the 2020 BLM Protests as well as being a Roosevelt Scholar at Hunter College. I receive both the Pell Grant and TAP to pay for my tuition. TAP is great but it could be simplified. One of the things I found confusing was Parent 1 and Parent 2. One time I kept receiving emails saying there was an error with my TAP and that I had to fix it. I never could find the error but eventually the TAP went through. I recommend simplifying it so that it would be less confusing.. Many times I have had to adjust my plans for what classes I was taking in a semester because a class I thought would be offered is not being offered or it is being offered at a time that conflicts with another class. I haven’t really had much advisement after my freshman year of college. I do have a once a semester meeting with the leader of the Roosevelt Scholars. There are also many issues with the upkeep of Hunter. The elevators are often broken, slow and make getting to class difficult at times. Many of the roof tiles are falling apart.
I am currently a senior doing History Major with a Political Science Minor. I have no dream job with my major. My parents cover my living cost and some tuition however most of the money is from a private student loan. I don’t receive anything from the TAP program. Most family members have gone to college and graduated so I feel obligated to do the same thing. For freshmen and Sophomores a lot of classes that are needed may be gone because they get the last picks. Parking has been a major issue for the people on the top part of campus. it seems like the sports buildings are much better funded than the others. Book store return policy is a pain. If you miss the week of returns they make it very difficult to return them.
I am a junior getting aAnthropology/Media Studies/Philosophy BA at Purchase College. I work three jobs at school to help my parents pay for my education. My mom and dad also work multiple jobs. I get a scholarship from my Mom’s job, and the steaks are super high to maintain. This means I have to balance three jobs, an internship, and receiving high marks in all my classes which has been one of the most challenging things about attending college. I have experienced issues with affording the non-tution costs of getting my college education. For my majors there are many events off campus we need to attend such as museums, lectures at other colleges, and many books we are required to read. There is a push for professors to use the library’s course reserve where PDF’s can be published and printed. Some professors just refuse to use this resource which is incredibly frustrating because they will require multiple books only available on amazon. I have many required classes that I need to graduate but they meet at the same time every semester. Also many of my professors take leaves, or are spread too thin in their department due to adjunct professors not getting paid livable wages.At my school many of the buildings do not have proper heat or air conditioning, and the President will simply tell us to bundle up. Tiles are missing on pathways, and there are windows that have been broken for several semesters now. I am a tour-guide at Purchase and honestly it can be embarrassing to show aspects of the school that administration refuses to deal with.
I am a sophomore studying Health Science at Queensborough Community College. I pay for college out of pocket myself and do not receive any form of TAP and the cost has been one of the biggest challenges on campus for me. The class options are also very low, and trying to get in touch with advisement is hard and sometimes takes up to 3 hours just to see someone. The state of the campus is also really bad with elevators that never work. Please make CUNY free!
My name is Chris Rocco, I graduated from Purchase College in December of 2015, and am still paying off my student loans. After 8 years, I have barely put a dent in the loan and will most likely be paying for the next decade or more. The cost of tuition in the US is astronomical, and there is no guarantee of a career after graduating. I know many people who barely make ends meet and struggle paying off their loans, and others who didn’t go to college just so that they could avoid the debt that carries over. There are thousands of people in the US who do not have the privilege of attending college due to the high cost associated with it, and it is limiting their potential and preventing them from opportunities. While others are stricken in student loan debt because the schools encourage them to “follow their dreams”. The system is flawed and must be changed.
I am a sophomore and Language and Culture major, and I believe that higher education can benefit from being free given the high costs of essentials like food, care products, opportunities like study abroad programs and classes with certain fees, such as Art + Design courses. My decision to attend Purchase rested significantly on its close proximity to New York City, and I feel like that convenience can be greatly expanded on with more affordable higher education. This way, more students can discover their potential without financial barriers. Secondary education should be a right, not a privilege.
I am a sophomore Political Sciences Major. After graduating I want to get a master’s and a PHD to become a professor. The price of tuition was one of the obstacles that I faced to go back to school. For me, as an immigrant being here by myself, the dream of achieving higher education had to be on hold for more than 4 years, so I could save enough money to be able to afford it, since I could not apply for financial aid. This situation affects many of the population, but especially Latinos and African Americans. If the education was free and funded, I could have already graduated and become one step forward to following my dream. Unaffordable higher education hurts the racialized and marginalized population, a lot of times keeping us in the poverty cycle. I believe in a high quality and free higher education for all.
