Kyra Finner
Staff Writer
According to the New York Times, Idaho State University students’ median family incomes today are $68,800, which means that a lot of people at ISU are relatively well-off compared to other areas.
Despite this, many students are extremely stressed out about their finances and can’t afford to do many things that everyone should be able to do. Students are constantly forced to choose between things like getting gas for their cars, and having a meal.
“I have had to skip dinner many times because my late classes run while Turner is serving food, which means by the time I get out of my classes, I don’t get to use my meal card,” ISU student, Kaitlin Sielaff said.
The financial burden of college can be a huge source of stress in people’s lives, and at ISU it is apparent in almost every student. “I deal with the stress of paying for school by ignoring it honestly,” ISU student, Zachery Morris said. “It’s the only way I know how to deal with the situation.”
Many students are forced to work full-time while they go to college, in an attempt to alleviate their worries about money, but it is shown to make things even harder when trying to balance earning money and being productive at school. “I can only have a summer job because my learning disabilities prevent me from being able to work and go to school at the same time,” Sielaff said.
Even though financial aid is available to many ISU students, it still doesn’t work out for many. “My biggest challenge while paying for school is that my parents can’t help me, so I’m paying for it completely with loans,” said Morris. Financial aid offices usually don’t account for the fact that students’ parents can’t always help them pay for school.
There’s a reason why the saying “Gaining the freshman 15” exists after all. Students who are not used to the stress and anxiety of college, especially when dealing with financial crisis, are known to gain weight. Students who are struggling with money and barely hanging on, find themselves spending extra money on coffee to get through the day, eating out at restaurants too often, and sleeping excessively to avoid stress.
Some of the students like to use music to help with their financial burdens.
“I relieve my stress by playing my flute,” Morris said.
“I listen to music,” Sielaff said.
“I am more worried about my finances then homework sometimes, and it gets in the way,” said ISU student, Shawn Higdel.
Being in debt can hinder the dreams of college students each and every day. Fearing that they are paying for a degree that they may not be able to complete is frightening.
Even though many degrees don’t give the payoff to properly manage students loans in the future, students are continuing to struggle through the tough times to follow their dreams. “Though the payoff is garbage, it’s worth it, in the end, to be able to teach students how to play music,” Sielaff said.
It seems that despite the research showing that students of Idaho State are on the higher end of the median income, they are still struggling every day to pay for their higher education. As new young adults, students are finding that they are unable to afford the necessities of life, and it’s alarming how normal this is throughout the college.
Students shouldn’t have to worry if they can afford a cup of coffee in the morning to get through the day, but it’s the sad reality of not only Idaho State, but of the majority of colleges in America.
“I’m relying on the idea that student loan forgiveness will become a thing in America and I won’t be trapped trying to pay everything back for the entirety of my career,” Morris said.
