As a fellow MHC first year with not nearly enough WS hours as I need, I would like to address a few things.
For all of those claiming that students at MHC are not making enough money from WS simply because we are not trying hard enough or because we “aren’t smart enough” to look around for other jobs or whatever else, you are not giving us enough credit.
First of all, we all got into MHC (not an easy feat, mind you), so obviously we are smart enough to figure out what’s going on and we know how to work hard for something we want/need. Most WS students (and not just first years!) who I have run into are actually quite knowledgeable about how work study works. We are aware that it is our responsibility to look for and apply for jobs, to move around our schedules for shifts, etc. We know that we must work hard at these jobs to make ends meet, however glamorous (or not, as the case may be) it is. What goes moderately unknown is that first years can pursue other jobs that are not in the dining halls, but that’s a different issue.
The big issue that we have is that there are simply not enough jobs to go around. There are plenty of opportunities, sure, but many places that look like they’re hiring are actually not or are only hiring people that meet certain criteria (ie. have taken certain higher level classes, have a higher level of experience in that field, etc). This makes it exceptionally hard for students, especially first years, to get jobs.
When we do get jobs, there are not nearly enough hours to go around. My package is under the assumption that I can make $1,200 per semester, which is about 10 hours of work per week. In the dining hall, which is the only place I am able to work at the moment (and trust me, I check online for jobs on campus and off every day, it really is the only place), I only have 3 hours per week. This is not by choice, but simply because having labs, class, athletic commitments, etc interfere with most of the shifts, and the other shifts I could take are taken by others. The shifts are given away in a first-come, first-serve basis, and there are way more work study students than shifts to be given away. Most people are only able to get 1 or two shifts a week, and they are usually only an hour long with the exception of the dinner shift which is 3. From this, the maximum a student can earn is $66 a week, and for a 13-14 week semester, that’s only about $900 per semester if you’re lucky. Obviously, there is a sizable deficit here which causes a lot of financial stress (and emotional stress!!) for many people.
My point is, it is absolutely not our fault that we do not have enough hours. We work hard looking for them. We work hard in classes, clubs, and sports, and we definitely work hard at our jobs with any hours we get. We are smart enough to look around to see what’s out there, but the truth is, there just aren’t enough options, especially for first years.
Do not get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE MHC. But there are flaws, and you can’t just blame the students for it.