By Britley Blessitt – Student Journalist
Displeasing elevator music could be heard through my phone on speaker for hours. My fingers had first dialed the student accounting number at 9 a.m. on a Wednesday three weeks before the Spring semester began. The hours-long wait seemed hopeless until I finally heard from a representative. The response given was one that I truly feared.
Being a college student is a challenge. How will I be able to pay for school and my books?
FAFSA, pandemic wise? Let’s not play ourselves. Ever since the pandemic, the country’s economy has suffered tremendously. Money has to come from somewhere, right? Fun fact: Even before the pandemic hit, FAFSA has never given my brother and me any aid whatsoever.
Sure, college has pros and cons. Lots of things in our lives have pros and cons. While completing your college degree, there are opportunities for internships or jobs, meeting new people, and learning knowledge you never knew before. So yeah, stay in school, kids.
But it’s hard being a college student. It is even harder to be a college student during a pandemic. A tuition freeze and other fees only dropped by 15 percent still are not enough, unfortunately. Staff cuts at alarming rates and an immense amount of money out of our pockets leave us with plenty of questions. Is college worth the stress? Would it be better to drop out and work full time? Will my degree make a difference?
Please keep in mind; those were all questions we ask ourselves. Due to the pandemic, we repeatedly ask ourselves those questions. Everyone’s situation or college experience is different. Even though I am currently a senior, that call with student accounting did hurt. All students should be able to get the help they NEED with the services offered. In all honesty, no one knows the next time the world will seem normal again.
So school resources need to do their jobs: help students. Assure us, students, that we made the right choice in putting faith into our education without any fears or doubts.
Money is tight, and times are hard. When you hold your degree in your hands, the sweat, tears, and all-nighters will be worth it. One thing my parents always taught me is never to let anyone take away your education. Fight for it no matter what it takes.
By the grace of God and my parents, my goal is to hold my degree in my hands no matter what by the end of this Spring semester.