With tuition on the rise, many students are forced to find a job while in college, but balancing school work with a job is not always an easy task.
According to The Impact of Student Employment, an Inside Higher Ed article, “As tuitions have risen and more and more undergraduates are enrolling later in life, nearly half of all full-time students and 80 percent of part time students work.”
Carlota Sanchez, a turfgrass management sophomore, said she believes having a job would take too much time away from her studies.
“I don’t have a job right now because I want to focus on my studies,” Sanchez said. “The only free time that I have is usually spent studying. So, in my opinion, it is distracting to have a job while in college.”
Allie Gehle, a zoology sophomore, said she knows the struggle of working while attending college.
“When I am not attending classes, I work as a stay at home mom,” she said. “When I am done with my job, I still have my job — I still have homework to do. I have to do my homework and care for my daughter at the same time.”
Meghan Scullion, general manager of Pita Pit, shared her thoughts on college students working while being focused on their studies.
“If you have a good manager who works with you, and if you can find a good balance of the two (working and classes), it will help you multi-task in the long run,” Scullion said. “There are a lot of managers around that are not willing to work with the kids.”
Angela Terranova, a social work junior, said she feels obligated to work.
“Having a relaxed job helps,” she said. “I can do homework while I’m at work. It does conflict with certain clubs that I want to join. But, otherwise, I don’t feel stressed. I feel like I have to work going here.”
Claire Nordentoft, a no preference freshman, said she prefers not having a job.
“I personally don’t have one (a job), especially since I’m a freshman, it would take up too much time between activities and schoolwork,” Nordentoft said. “It’s a great way to have spending money, but overall I think I would rather get school work done over a job.”
Kenzie O’Brien, a business freshman, said she does have plans to get a job in the future.
“I think it’s a great way for them to make money and be able to support themselves throughout college,” O’Brien said. “But, for me, as a freshman, I am trying to settle and get used to school and get into a routine before I get a job."
Josh Milem, a physics junior, said he feels that work can get be distracting to school work.
“It’s not really distracting, per say,” Milem said. “It messes with due dates a lot though. You really have to plan your time strategically.”
