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Students juggle full-time work, class
By Cheryl Heitzman
Collegian Reporter
Junior Sara Schultz knew she would have to
work hard in college. But in addition to getting a degree in
elementary education and juggling 16 credit hours, Schultz works
40 hours a week to provide her family with money to buy food.
"I don't study much," Schultz said.
"I don't have any time. Between work, lab hours and writing
papers, I really only have the night before exams to study."
Schultz is the manager of Jitters Coffee Cart,
and she also cleans houses and baby-sits on the weekends. She
brings home approximately $750 a month, and only keeps $100
for herself. And that money is already spent on her school loans
and car insurance.
Her mother is disabled, and her sister is
a single mom with three children and is currently unemployed.
Her mother is battling a mild form of colon cancer and suffers
from heart disease and emphysema as well. Her parents divorced
in 1999, but Schultz's father has not been a part of her life
for many years.
"My father was around, but he was never
really a part of the family," she said. "He cheated
on my mother many times during their marriage."
She reluctantly encouraged her family to accept
food stamps recently. Her meager college salary just could not
make ends meet anymore.
"When I applied to colleges, I never
thought I would still have to help my mom," Schultz said.
"I wish I could have moved away [for college], but I would
have regretted leaving my family, because they would have lost
the house."
Schultz's adviser, Kathy Connor, director
of the early childhood program, said she was "amazed"
by Schultz's incredibly busy schedule and positive attitude.
"Sara Schultz obviously has a very good
character," Connor said. "She has a commitment that
is very unusual, not only for her age but for anyone. Most people
would get discouraged and find it easy to quit, but she is showing
perseverance that should be commended."
Schultz said she would do it all over again
if it came down to it, and she said the great education she
gets from Hillsdale is worth the price tag.
She looked at Northern Michigan University
and Spring Arbor University too, but said she never considered
a large public school because the small size and superior education
meant more to her than a less expensive tuition and federal
aid.
She is also planning on getting married shortly
after she graduates in 2005.
Her fiancé is also in school, and he
cannot save up money for their wedding either. Their plan is
to work all summer and save for their wedding.
"I'm sick of waiting, and I just want
to get married," Schultz said. "The only reason we
haven't yet is because of school."
Schultz stays optimistic, and looks forward
to a time when she will not have to work during the summers.
"I used to talk about how it would be
if I didn't work," she said. "But now I'm just used
to it, but I'm looking forward to having summers off as a teacher."
While she does not have to support a family
yet, junior Casey Hay does help to support her husband.
She married her high school sweetheart last
summer, and they moved to Michigan together.
Andy Hay transferred to the University of
Michigan from Central Washington University because of its engineering
department, and since he is a resident of Washington State,
his tuition is $27,000 a year.
Loans help stave off the bills from U-M for
a couple of years. Plus, Casey enjoys a full ride from Hillsdale,
thanks to her academic aptitude.
But they still face bills of approximately
$1,400 every month.
So they plan their meals around Meijer's half-off
sales and pray for gas taxes to fall, since they both commute
45 minutes each day. Hay works for Information Technology Services
during the academic year, and she and her husband both work
full time during the summer.
Despite the debt the Hays are accumulating,
Casey said she would not have it any other way.
"Being in debt isn't a life sentence,"
she said. "Twenty years from now, when I actually have
an income, the amount of debt we're accumulating right now won't
seem quite so daunting…I don't want to look back and think
I based my decisions solely on money, because what's the point?
A few extra bucks in my retirement fund?"
The Hays are also still counted as dependents,
and therefore cannot receive any government loans.
Hay also said the huge bills are worth the
educations both she and her husband are earning.
"If anything is worth debt, it is education,
because…the degree should pay itself off in the long run,"
she said.
Though she only supports herself, senior Maggen
Stone has also made sacrifices to afford the liberal arts education
Hillsdale offers.
Stone was the house manager of the Alpha Xi
Delta sorority house last year, and she is a resident adviser
this year.
She plans on returning to Hillsdale for a
fifth year because she changed her major from theater to history
at the end of her junior year.
To make up for the cost of an extra year of
college, she is going to keep her position as RA in Whitley
Residence.
"I'll have lived on campus the entire
time I've been at Hillsdale," Stone said. "I have
the rest of my life to live off campus."
Stone works in her hometown's pharmacy in
the summers, and even on Christmas break.
"Money plays a big part in deciding what
I'm going to do for the summer, because I can't afford to not
make the money. I need to go to school."
Despite her financial shortcomings, Stone
said she would not change a thing.
"I don't think that I would find a cheaper
school," she said.
"I think that I've gotten a lot out of
being at Hillsdale that I wouldn't have gotten elsewhere...and
that makes up for a lot of the stuff that I've had to deal with
financially."
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