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WORK LIFE
With college tuitions as high as they are, more and
more students are working while they attend classes. A study done by the
Department of Education found that half of the nation's college students
worked an average of 25 hours a week, while another 30 percent worked
full time. On most campuses, a third to half of the students work for
the college itself while the rest work off campus. Students who are
working 25 hours a week or more certainly have a much different
lifestyle than those who don't have to hold down a job. While you can
shift the times you study, and even get some choice as to when to
schedule your classes, work hours tend to be less flexible. So a student
who works might want to belong to this or that organization, but the
combination of a class and work schedule may not allow for such
extracurricular activities.
Q. I never pictured college as being such a
stressful place. Not only do I have to worry about getting good grades,
but I also have to worry about paying tuition. I work 30 to 35 hours a
week, some for the college filing papers, and I also take orders at the
local Burger King. Sometimes I feel like I'm caught in a vise. If you
can come up with an answer, you're a miracle worker.
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A. My suggestion to you is to slow this whole
process down. My guess is that you're trying to fit all this into a
traditional four-year program. Maybe that is too much. What would happen
if you stretched it out a bit? For example, what if you stay home for a
year, so your expenses are low, and work at a full-time job and then go
back to school? You wouldn't graduate with your friends, but at least
while you are in school, you wouldn't be so stressed out. Or what if you
take fewer courses during the academic year and then take courses at a
school near your home during the summer?
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You've got your whole life
ahead of you. You don't have a wife and children to feed, so see if
there is some way to spread out the load so that it is not so
burdensome. Since I started my work experience in this country as a maid
for $1 an hour while I was getting my master's at the Graduate Faculty
of the New School for Social Research, I sympathize with every college
student who has to work while attending classes. It makes it especially
tough when you see others around you who don't have to put in such long
hours and can sleep or horse around while you are working. But what I
want to tell you is that you must not allow the fact that you work to
lessen your college experience.
You can find the time to do more than take
classes as long as you don't give up without even trying. It's always
better to have a schedule that's a little too full than one that's too
empty. So don't be afraid to say yes now and then and join a club, or
try out for a part in the school play or whatever, and then figure out a
way to cram it all in.
Don't be afraid to let your professors know that
you have a job. Most teachers have learned to turn a deaf ear to
students with poor excuses for not doing their assignments on time, but
that doesn't mean they aren't willing to make exceptions when they know
the need is there. On the other hand, don't allow your friends to think
you're never available because of your job. Make a point of putting
aside time so that you can take part in at least some of their
activities.
If you have a choice of jobs, don't let the pay
rate be the only deciding factor. Obviously if one teaches you something
of value, that should be your first choice. But if you can find a job
where you can also crack open a book now and then, it might be better
than a job that pays a little more but occupies your attention full
time. See if you can find a job that will allow you to change your
hours. If there are other people doing the exact same thing you are,
it's more likely that you could trade, when needed, than if you are the
only one responsible for those duties.
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Additional Resources on College Life include:
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