2008 Woodie Awards
All work and little pay leaves no time for play
Balancing school and work adds to students' stress
by George Mast
Issue date: 2/20/07 Section: News
Last semester after her classes were over on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, junior Anita Campbell would quickly drop her books off and then make her way to an eye doctor's office where she would work from noon to 5 p.m.
On her days off from Dr. Stromwasser's office, Campbell would slip into Blue Hen Rentals whenever she had time in between classes. Overall, she would work close to 20 hours per week in addition to finding time to study for her medical technology classes.
Besides these concerns she said there were the financial ones - figuring out a way to pay for utilities and groceries while still having spending money left over.
"I don't really have any [financial] support from anybody," Campbell said. "My dad died and my mom is sort of MIA. So it's definitely stressful."
This semester will probably get even tougher with additional labs, which make her class schedule run from approximately 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. Since she will no longer be able to work at the eye doctor, Campbell picked up a job at Lieberman's Bookstore and will work weekends to help make ends meet.
Campbell's plight, while unique, is something most students can relate to - the struggle to balance increasing financial pressures along with all of the other responsibilities of being a college student.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average four-year college cost, tuition plus room and board, has nearly doubled in the past 10 years. In 1995 cost was estimated at $9,728 compared to $16,465 in 2005.
During this same time the federal minimum wage increased from $4.25 to $5.15.
With the importance of a higher education and the increasing costs of college tuition, many students are being forced to work to help cover the costs.
Experts say the additional stress and daily grind of having a part-time job along with a full class schedule can have a mixture of effects on students.
In an article published by The State Public Interest Research Group's Higher Education Project in 2002, a survey found work often has a negative effect on students' grades.
On her days off from Dr. Stromwasser's office, Campbell would slip into Blue Hen Rentals whenever she had time in between classes. Overall, she would work close to 20 hours per week in addition to finding time to study for her medical technology classes.
Besides these concerns she said there were the financial ones - figuring out a way to pay for utilities and groceries while still having spending money left over.
"I don't really have any [financial] support from anybody," Campbell said. "My dad died and my mom is sort of MIA. So it's definitely stressful."
This semester will probably get even tougher with additional labs, which make her class schedule run from approximately 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. Since she will no longer be able to work at the eye doctor, Campbell picked up a job at Lieberman's Bookstore and will work weekends to help make ends meet.
Campbell's plight, while unique, is something most students can relate to - the struggle to balance increasing financial pressures along with all of the other responsibilities of being a college student.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average four-year college cost, tuition plus room and board, has nearly doubled in the past 10 years. In 1995 cost was estimated at $9,728 compared to $16,465 in 2005.
During this same time the federal minimum wage increased from $4.25 to $5.15.
With the importance of a higher education and the increasing costs of college tuition, many students are being forced to work to help cover the costs.
Experts say the additional stress and daily grind of having a part-time job along with a full class schedule can have a mixture of effects on students.
In an article published by The State Public Interest Research Group's Higher Education Project in 2002, a survey found work often has a negative effect on students' grades.
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