Understanding my mother’s struggle to get an education, makes it clear that I would not be able to pay for college if I did not qualify for financial aid like the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). Although my mother’s experience differs from mine, I know if she had access to opportunity programs or financial aid to help her pay for education, she would have finished. I recently quit one of the two jobs I had at the beginning of the semester because my jobs were taking a toll on my academic performance. It is stressful to manage time when you constantly must decide on whether you need to work to have money to pay for groceries or to use that time to study for an upcoming exam

As first-generation college students, my mother always encouraged my siblings and I to continue with our education to have a financially stable future, nothing like what we experienced as children. My mother valued the little education she received in her hometown in Mexico, and wished to continue her education as a college student but like most of her neighbors, she had no money for it. Although against all odds, my mother followed her passion to learn and enrolled herself in a public college without any financial support from her parents.. She barely passed the first year and failed the following year; whenever I ask her what held her back from going back to school, she explained the lack of resources. Students should not carry such a financial burden before they are even given the chance to better themselves.  

As an Environmental Studies major, I’m happy to have the experience of pursuing my passion and learning about what I love. Paying for college is my biggest hassle. My parents “make too much” for me to be able to get financial aid so I’ve been forced to take out private and unsubsidized loans to pay my tuition. Because of the ridiculous interest rates of the private loans, I watch my balance increase every month. With each increase, I wonder how I will be able to pay these loans off and how long it will take me. As someone who wants to pursue a graduate degree, I also wonder if my current debt will affect my ability to do so and how I will pay for it. I had to take a semester off 2 years ago because of a hold on my account due to unpaid fees that I was not able to resolve in time.

Like many other students, I’ve had to get a job on campus to earn money to pay for tuition, textbooks, a monthly metrocard, buy food, and pay bills. Despite what FAFSA has determined about my family’s financial standing, depending on them to provide me with money for all these expenses is not possible, especially considering the fact that I’m one of two children currently in college. While I feel that learning to manage time is an important skill to have in college, I don’t believe that struggling to stay financially afloat is a struggle that college students should have to face. I hope to see a change in what is considered low-income and a greater and more comprehensive approach to helping students pay for education as it should be a right and not a privilege.

I am currently relying on my parents’ income to support me, but to be honest, a lower-middle class family supporting two children in college is hard. So I am forced to work in order to pay for school.

My schedule is so tight because I must work until 12 or 1 AM for a restaurant and still take a full-time course load to qualify for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP).  I am also paying for my own textbooks. As a student who majoring in biology, textbooks are a major burden on my wallet.   I am also paying for my own transportation.

I’m a student at Queensborough Community College. I work in a pet store as a full time employee. It’s hard for me to maintain my job and study,  but I believe hard work will gift me a brighter future. I get a little help from the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and  some monetary help from my mom. My mom said that she will soon stop helping me because she wants me to be self-sufficient. She does not make that much money and is also raising my half sister on her own.

I will be in a horrible situation if the tuition increases or if I get less financial aid. I wish to see an America that treats all of her children equally regardless of social status or economic level.

I was born and raised in New York City where I have seen violence firsthand as a teen, and soon figured out that higher education was my ticket to success. During my senior year in high school, my mother was laid-off from her job and my hopes for affording a college degree became a bit dimmer. I chose to attend Tompkins County Community College because of its affordability, and then transferred to SUNY Cortland. The financial aid package I receive for SUNY Cortland covers a majority of tuition.  However the additional costs force me to work two jobs, one at a local grocery store and the other as a tour guide on-campus. The additional costs such as transportation, housing and food would have to be satisfied by my long working days, and two separate student loans.  I accept little financial help from my parents to lessen the burden on their shoulders.

I am a psychology major and will be a first-generation graduate in my family. My post-graduation goal is to start a non-profit organization in New York City dedicated to adolescent outreach and empowerment. I believe that if you’re lucky enough to be in college, you should never take it for granted and make use of the opportunity. I am from a troubled area and would like to incite a college culture within youth from my community, and enlighten them to the opportunities that set me on a path to success.

I pay for school personally. I actually get short term loans to try to help my credit.  So there’s interest, which is currently at 11%, that I’m paying through VISA, and this is at a monthly rate.  I take out over $5000 a year, and I pay that off monthly.

I work anywhere from 32-42 hours a week. I drive back and forth and my money is going to gas. I’m paying for textbooks on top of paying for loans. I also pay rent, and my cellphone bill.  In order for me to have a car, because we just can’t afford cars like that, I had to take out another loan and buy a car, a used car and I pay that off monthly too. Everything just kind of adds up to a point where I’m literally just working check to check at this point.

My dad takes care of the FAFSA for financial aid. He takes out the Parent-Plus Loan, as well. So, it’s all just basically financial aid and loans.  My dad lost his job when I was in high school and he was still paying off my older sister’s undergrad. And I have a twin, so they’re paying college tuition for three people at this point.

When he lost his job, it (the expenses) fell onto my mom. It was hard to figure out where I wanted to go because I couldn’t afford to go to a private school. Now my dad’s a real estate agent and my mom still has her job. If it wasn’t for loans, I wouldn’t be able to go to college. My car was bought with a loan, too. My car was paid for through a loan that my mom is still working off. My car was $20,000 and I was wondering, “Mom, why did you let me buy this?” But, she’s already paid off half of it. I love my mom, she works so hard. I pay for my own gas and I have a job. My rent and bills are paid through the loans because you can put off-campus housing on it. I can’t afford luxury items, though. Like, I need a new laptop, but I can’t buy one. I’ve had to be smart and budget.

I’ve paid for college by working and getting loans because I don’t get any assistance from the government. I take 17 credits and work almost 40 hours per week at a bar. A lot of the times, I work double shifts. This has affected my schooling a lot. I’ve missed school because I was so tired. It has been just depressing, generally.

I’ve never bought textbooks for school, either, and this is my senior year. I would ask my parents to help me out with food costs or bills if I could, but most of the time I’ve covered those expenses by working. All the remaining money is used to cover what my loans don’t cover for tuition.

I’m taking out student loans, and working. My parents covered the first couple of years. This semester, I didn’t buy all of my assigned books for class. It seemed like a good way to save money.

Because I work about 20 hours per week while taking 16 credit semesters, I don’t have a lot of time to do anything but work.

I’ve paid for college through a combination of loans, both public and private, tuition assistance, and money out of pocket.  The first three years of school I really struggled. I’d been living on my own since I was 17, and had little to no help with bills and regular living expenses. Starting college made everything 100 times harder. My father has substance abuse problems and been in and out of rehab for the past ten years so although he makes money on paper, my family doesn’t see any of it. Because of this, I couldn’t qualify for TAP. I work part time throughout the year and full time over the summers, and I put every penny towards paying for off campus housing.

I paid for tuition, books, transportation, and food with loans that I took out. In the past, I’ve even had to take out private loans, because financial aid alone didn’t cover my needs. In the last year however, my mother was finally able to claim me on her taxes, so I got the tuition assistance that I really needed all along. Even though my aid doesn’t cover everything, it is such a big help to not to pay for everything out of pocket and through loans. I can finally focus on my coursework and extracurricular activities. I could only imagine how different college would have been for me if I had had this assistance throughout.