As a graduating senior preparing for college is frightening. The ideas of “how am I going to pay for college?” and “where will I live?” are continuously brought upon myself, and my family. I have worked hard my entire high school career for the opportunity of attending the college I choose, as well as hopes that my work will pay off by receiving financial assistance for my education. Financially, my family has encountered many hardships including: having a single mother, four sisters, and medical adversities.
At a young age my mother and father separated leaving my mom single with five girls. With the absence of my father my mom is the only provider in my household. Having such a large family, and only the income of one parent my mom has worked several jobs at a time to insure all our needs were met. With the Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo Scholarship the financial burden on my mother and myself would be significantly lowered. By receiving this scholarship
…show more content…
The second oldest, diagnosed at birth with a heart defect has undergone numerous open heart surgeries starting at the age of 6. Her complications include: repairmen of a hole in the heart, insertion of a pacemaker ( which had been replaced several times), 8 stents placed in arteries, disk deterioration, and fibromyalgia, which as a combination causes seizures. Following, the middle sister was born three months early, with being premature she developed Cerebral Palsy a condition in which she will never be able to walk or fully function without the assistance of someone else. She undergoes physical therapy and Botox shots to loosen her muscles to make her everyday actives easier. As I am the only child living at home full time, she live in Austin, Texas in an assisted living facility and makes regular visits home. Though moved out both sisters still require financial assistance from my mother in support of their
As a nontraditional student, I found the article “Mapping the Misunderstood Population of Adult Students”, (Ashburn, E. 2007) to be a close representation of myself as an adult student. Financial aid is one of many areas that seems to fall short for the adult learner. The decision to return to school is different from that of a traditional student. As a forty-eight year old woman with a productive career, still raising a family, and many social obligations, going to college was a decision that would affect all of these
However, my plans can only become possible with the help of the Norwalk Community College Foundation. The NCC Foundation made it possible for me to graduate in a two year frame; it enabled me to take more classes during winter and summer break without having to worry about how I would afford these courses. Nonetheless, I am independently working my way through college without financial assistance from my parents and family members who also face financial crisis. However, the LEAP Transfer Scholarship would substantially allow me not only to focus on learning, but also to graduate in the spring of 2018 with a Bachelor 's degree.
In the United States, people from different backgrounds strive to afford education and earn a college degree. However, paying college tuition is not affordable for many people. Depending on a person’s annual household income, some people must work hard to save money, whereas others happen to afford college tuition with ease.
Also by applying for scholarships that SFCC offers such as, The President 's Academic Excellence Scholarship, Achievement Scholarship, and Financial
The main expense students face when it comes to higher education is not only just tuition. In fact tuition only makes up a minor part of the heavy financial burden that college education brings; most of the costs that students and their families face are external costs, or non-tuition related expenses, such as textbook prices, dormitory fees, and cost of transportation. Even if their tuition loans are erased, most of them still face these external costs that are at the core of their financial burden. This leads to the main problem of high-college drop out rates; if the financial burdens of these families are not solved, students would often not be able to focus on their studies or wish to escape from their financial situation by dropping-out of college. With no job and no degree, the college drop-out students are far from the skilled and educated work force that is the end goal of our higher education system.
Most of my friends who are currently in college have between 5000$-20.000$ in federal and private loans. In many cases, besides for the loans, students have to work and study at the same time, which results in a stressful life for the student. In fact, many students are not able to finish their education because, since they can’t afford it, they have to work over their studies. Out of all the possible reasons to drop out of college, “the No. 1 reason many young adults drop out of college is an inability to juggle school and work” (Johnson). Finishing college is the most decisive forecaster of prosperity in the workforce and the inconsistency in college completion between children of rich and poor families duplicated since the late 1980s (McGlynn 55).
The financial burdens that college leaves with the families and students needs to be addressed as student loans keep racking up over time. The cost of tuition for colleges has risen drastically over the years and has bounded students to only one or two college choices to choose from and at some points tearing away the opportunity to go to their dream college. However, one reason college has driven up in price is because the value it brings with it’s degrees, but it should not limit those who can not afford the worthy degree. College should be cheaper as it will ease financial burdens and broaden the choices of those wanting to attend
Many people dream of a life filled with riches, but that dream is hard to obtain without a college degree. It is somewhat ironic how people dream of being a successful student and going to college but the cost of tuition turns that dream into a horrible nightmare. It is not a shock to most people when they that college tuition is expensive, but in the past few years it has increased to an all-time high. Lower and middle class students have now begun to realize that college tuition is holding them away from their dreams. Even though college tuition could provide opportunities for job creation and economic growth, tuition is not affordable for the average American household which in effect, prohibits students from taking opportunities like going to college in the first place.
College is one of the most significant times in a person’s life. Every year high school kids will visit many different colleges so that they can be confident in their college decision. Some kids will follow in their parent’s foot steps and base their decision on where their mom or dad went, though, not all kids are fortunate to have help from their parents. Many kids nowadays may be the first in their family to take on higher education. The article, “First Generation College Students: Unprepared and Behind” by Liz Riggs explains that kids who are the first in their family to take on college are at a disadvantage compared to kids with parents who attended college.
Several college students deal with monetary obstacles every week. They have to deal with college books, meals, and dorms or apartments before they can even think about having any money left over for fun activities. College books, meals, and having a place to stay are all monetary obstacles because college students have to make tough decisions to get over these humps. Such as if they should choose a cheap apartment so they can have extra money for fun and risk having bad off campus living experience or choose a moderate to expensive apartment for a good off campus living experience but risk having potentially no money for fun at all.
Society often believes college is a necessary experience for a better future, but I argue that the future will not be any better when student debt becomes a part of life for those who follow that mainstream belief. Most parents often dream of the great colleges and universities that their children will get accepted into; however, they fail to think of the cost to attend those institutions. Financial aids! Financial aids! Yes there are financial aids that students can apply to lessen the student debt.
As a first generation student to attend college from a family of seven, the journey to a higher education has been arduous and overwhelming. My family gives me all the encouragement I need and are very optimistic about pursuing a higher degree. Unlike myself, my parents did not have the opportunity to attend college. My parents were born and raised in a small town in Mexico where the highest level of education they received was fifth grade. I have worked since I was 14 years old to support my parents with bills, and also saving for college and my own vehicle.
Parents across the nation have found it much harder to pay for their children’s education due to these rising costs. For example, in states like Arizona, Georgia, and Oklahoma “parents have seen a 77 percent increase in costs. In Georgia, it's 75 percent, and in Washington state, 70 percent” (citation). These rising costs would be especially challenging for young adults. Working for a college education is a challenge, and many cannot overcome it.
Students face various challenges throughout their college career. Thus, the problems that students have can range from balance, new lifestyle, to financial problems. Therefore, finding a balance between being a student, possibly working, and keeping up with their social life is a necessity. Similarly, others are away from home for the first time thus, they have a new responsibility with being on their own and findings ways to deal with homesickness. Likewise, being exposed to new financial situations is yet another challenge college students will need to learn how to cope with.
I didn’t know that there was a such thing as financial aid and I anxiously paid for my tuition with a small scholarship and my own savings. My family supported me, but my parents knew less about college than I did because neither of them, nor my older brother, had been. In fact, almost no member of my mom or dad’s extended family had been near a college and nobody knew how to help me. My first experience in college was rough: I waited in long lines a few days before school to pay my tuition to an impatient secretary, I didn’t know what academic advisors were or where to find one, and I was doing all I could to navigate this new water from information available online (and that many years ago, the website was not as accessible as it is today).