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To
work or not to work? That is the question.
The
Catch-22 of College Finance
By
Robyn Tellefsen
December/January 2003
The
CollegeBound Network NewsClick -- It's a
reality that many of you must work in order
to fund your education. But according to
the State Public Interest Research Groups'
(PIRGs) Higher Education Project, a non-profit
public interest group established to secure
more aid for students, the after-school
jobs may be hurting you, academically and
socially.
In
"At What Cost? The Price that Working
Students Pay for a College Education,"
a report released last April, the State
PIRGs reveal that 46 percent of all full-time
working students are on the job 25 or more
hours per week. Forty-two percent of these
students reported that working hurt their
grades. Sixty-three percent, however, commented
that they would not be able to afford college
if they didn't work.
"There's
a big gap between the cost of college for
students and the amount they're able to
pay," explains Kate Rube, State PIRGs
higher education advocate. "They're
working more and borrowing more."
As
a result, students feel caught in a catch-22
-- they can't go to school if they don't
work, and they can't work if they go to
school. The State PIRGs certainly don't
discourage students from garnering some
valuable work experience, though.
"Up
to a certain point, working is helpful,"
acknowledges Rube. "It adds to your
classroom experience." But students
who are working more than 25 hours [a week]
are missing out, she says. "They're
just not able to experience college life
in the way they should."
It
all comes back to the catch-22. As
the cost of a college education rises, financial
aid is not rising to meet it. "Federal
state aid has slacked off, and students
[must] bear the brunt of that," asserts
Rube.
And,
she's not just talking about students who
attend expensive private universities. "A
lot of students are trying to go to community
colleges, yet they can't even afford the
lowest prices this country has to offer,"
she declares. "The alternative is to
not attend any type of higher education."
To
keep that from happening, the State PIRGs
are recommending that Congress increase
need-based aid, including Pell Grants, Supplemental
Educational Opportunity Grants, and the
Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership.
"Education
is an important investment that has proven
to pay off," insists Rube. "If
we make it a priority, we will see the benefits."
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