People are constantly telling me to just take a break, to just do less. That's how my grades will get better, they say. Well, I'm sure you're right about that, but I'm sorry, I don't really have that choice.
Or sometimes I hear, "Yeah, I'm so busy too, I know exactly how you feel." I'm sure you're busy, but do you even understand how busy I am?
I take 17 credit hours this semester. In theory, I'm supposed to study three hours a week for each credit hour. Let's say more like three hours each week for each class because honestly, who has the time or patience to study much more than that? On top of that 51 hours, I work around 15 hours every week. So to put that in class terms, it's an extra 3-4 credit hours. I might as well be taking 20 credit hours. Additionally, I'm still spending multiple hours a week participating in various clubs.
I'm telling you, I have no time. No one who works part-time while going to college full time does.
After I explain that I always hear, "Wow, that sounds rough. My parents make sure I don't have to work during the school year. They want me to focus on school."
My parents also want me to focus on school, but the fact of the matter is that if I don't work, I can't afford school. This is part of how I make ends meet. It's how I have the ability to get dinner off campus from time to time. I'm sure my parents would love to help me out and pay a ton of my expenses, they just can't. Most of the people that I work with are in this exact same situation. The money we make is how we get by in day-to-day life.
It's great that your parents can help, but mine can't, so that "solution" to my problem is nothing but wishful thinking.
Next, I'm told to take some winter or summer classes. "Then your credit load will be less," they say.
And if I can barely afford day-to-day life during the school year, how do you expect me to pay an extra $6,000+ without any help from scholarships? I'm sorry, it's really just not feasible.
I wouldn't be so frustrated if us full-time college students/part-time workers ever got some type of credit! When we apply for any type of graduate school, this information is only considered after placement tests and GPAs are considered. In reality, work being a necessary part of our lives likely affected the grades that we got!
I'm not asking anyone to raise our grades because we are proud of the grades we manage even while working part-time! I just think we deserve a little recognition.
Stop telling us to take it easy. We don't want it easy, and we don't have the luxury of even having that choice.
Start telling us you're proud of us. We're amazing for being able to do it all and still get a degree.
Props to everyone who goes to school and works at the same time. No matter your situation, you're a boss!
