When college acceptance letters (or emails) came into my inbox, the first thing I did was look at the financial aid. I looked at the cost of tuition, their loan policy, their scholarship awards, and their net cost. I had my calculator out on my desk whenever my screen showed a glowing "CONGRATULATIONS!" I did a full cost and benefit analysis of every college that was willing to accept me into their class. I added burden on my shoulders and subtracted debt from my life. It wasn't that I didn't want to go there, it was that I couldn't. All these fantastic schools were out of my budget and no amount of loans could help me study happily on their campus. But Harvard changed all of that.
The financial aid provided by Harvard was enough to cover all of the tuition and most of the fees. The summer contribution was definitely manageable and the living costs could be cut down significantly. "I could do this," I thought to myself one year ago. And I did it.
With the help of three jobs.
I got my first job at Harvard because I knew I would need some start-up money. It was through the preorientation program, Fall Clean Up. When I read about it, the one thing that stood out to me was that I would be paid $13/hour. This was a significant increase from the minimum wage of $8/hour I earned in New York. It was a great opportunity to learn about the campus and earn some money while doing so. What I didn't know was that it was a LOT of work. I was on my hands and knees all week, elbow deep in toilets to scrub everything inside and out. I learned how to THOROUGHLY clean every bathroom on campus. Which is nice I guess. Even through that torture I kept the job through the semester. It was a mindless job that took up maybe 4 fours a week so it was worth the sweat. But it wasn't enough.
My second job is as an Usher at Sanders Theater. I applied for the job because I was afraid of missing out on events because I was too busy studying or working. I didn't want school to control my life even though I lived on campus and interacted with students all day. I wanted to be able to see symphonies and chorales to culture myself to fit into this elite campus. I wanted to get out of the comfort of my room and see all Harvard had to offer. If I didn't do this job, I knew I would not attend any events. It was a way for me to experience college while earning money every weekend. It's a job I look forward to every week. But it wasn't enough.
My third (maybe not last) job is as a circulation assistant at Widener Library. Working at a library is really just epitome college experience. It wasn't a DREAM to work at a library but it was a little bit of a fantasy. I loved the idea of checking out books, walking around the library to shelve books and going into the stacks to find them. It just seemed fun to work at a library as a college student and I wasn't wrong. Of course, a job is a job so there are moments of boredom but hey, I get to read on the job. How fantastic is that?
When I first started college, my first worry was about work. I thought it was going to hinder my studies or my social life. Everyone told me so. Who wanted to hang out with a person who was away most of the time? How was I going to study if I was working for most of my free time? There is a stigma about working in college that needs to be put down. Working 3 jobs was a choice that I made, not one that was forced upon me. I chose to submit my resume and apply to the specific positions. I chose to earn money in sacrifice of my time and I do not regret it. Maybe it does hurt my academic standing, but now I know to value my study time more. I know how to organize my life so that a few changes in my schedule does not hinder my relationships. I don't want to nor do I have to hide that I come from a low-income family. No one from a background that doesn't reflect the college's prosperity should have to be ashamed of it. While others climb hills, we climb mountains. Others thread water while we sail the seas. Embrace the job opportunities that await you on campus. Know that working and studying is a skill, not a disadvantage.
