I thank my lucky stars every day that I was so dead-set on escaping my tiny town in the middle of nowhere. My teenage angst toward being dependent on my parents and the utter lack of anything where I lived fueled my quest for scholarships that would be my ticket out.
My parents didn’t have any money saved for me to go to school, and I sure as hell wasn’t about to sign on for a shitload of debt. My worst fear was having to go to a local community college and work a job to pay for it while living in another lifeless rural Midwest trash pile. But if that’s what I had to do to avoid debt, so be it.
But after receiving numerous heartbreaking “nice try” letters for other scholarships, I was awarded a full-ride to a large state school and you bet your ass I’m taking full advantage of it.
Living in the dorms may suck in a lot of ways, but I’m living rent free, with free laundry, internet and cable, and unlimited access to a fantastic dining hall every day from 7am-Midnight.
Free gym access, endless options for free entertainment and activities every week on campus, and most importantly access to a million opportunities to learn and gain experience and make connections to advance my career.
I think it’s a damn shame so many students are paying up the ass for tuition here but don’t take advantage of all the career counseling, networking, and opportunities to get experience outside the classroom.
Because I don’t have to worry about working to cover the expenses of school, I’ve been able to dedicate my time to building my resume and portfolio with meaningful work.
This helped me land a student job in my field working for the state and since I have very limited expenses, I am able to put almost all of my income into savings.
Sure my neighbor in the dorms is loud and obnoxious, I use a community bathroom, and can’t cook my own food or take a nice bubble bath.
But my living expenses are almost non-existent, I have no debt, a huge savings fund, and I’m finally FREE. So you’re damn right I’ll happily be the minority upperclassman still living in the dorms next year.
March 28, 2018 at 05:40AM
