Texan Mosaic

by Brittany Marriott

Staff Writer

 Everyone knows how important college is for our future. 

 We attend college to be successful while creating long-term financial gain, job stability, and career  satisfaction. But it could lead students to having debt or being broke when attending college.  

 Going to college costs more than you think when paying for your success. There is a chance you can get help in the form of financial aid so you don’t have to pay so much out of your pocket. But some students don’t get that opportunity, due to their parent’s income. This is caused by one parent or another making too much money. So students are having to pay out of their pocket mostly to cover the rest of their classes or books.  

 The financial aid system, should give each college student an opportunity to get all their classes covered for that year they’re attending. Just because a student’s parent makes too much money in a year, that doesn’t mean that parent is going to pay for their child’s schooling.  

 A lot of students are broke due to not knowing how to budget their money. They are constantly low on funds due to bills they must pay or spending money on unnecessary items. If living away from home  from mom and dad, college students are learning to be on their own. They’re having to cook or feed themselves, pay for their own dorms, and textbooks. Most don’t have very high paying-jobs, so they don’t have a lot of money to spend.  

 Usually, college students are living off ramen noodles and sandwiches. I can understand this, because when I had my own apartment, this was the cheapest way to feed myself. Learning how to  budget your expenses is not only hard, but it takes time. You can sit there and create a worksheet of all your monthly bills that you must pay. You can also track everything you buy or spend to see if you’re running low on funds.  

 Budgeting isn’t the only big issue. What happens after you graduate from college? Those loans you had to pull out in order to go to school leaves you in debt. While you may think you’re done struggling in college, now you’re having to worry about paying off school loans. 

 But the government is providing Student Loan Forgiveness, which releases you from the obligations to repay part or all of your student debt. This is because 40 million Americans owe nearly an average of  $40,000 in loans. This Student Loan Forgiveness can be earned by working in public service or making payments through an income-contingent payment plan for a long period of time. 

 Parents can take a big part in this situation too, because they could have some sort of college savings fund for their child. Therefore, it could save a lot of these students some stress. I hear a lot of grown ups complain about their students’ debts and how they might have to pay off their schooling until they die.  

 In college, if it’s not stressing about grades, you’re stressing about money. You’re having to work extra hours at work and balance school. Not only is this not good for your physical health, it’s not good for your mental health either.  

 I’m having to work two jobs and go to school, which can be very stressful. But I have bills to pay and an education to chase. I know a lot of students can relate to this, and I feel that many do not understand the anxiety and pressure that’s applied. 

 So, when you hear a student say, “I’m a broke college student,” they are telling the truth. This happens to be an issue in the United States, especially with tuition being high and minimum wage being low.