There seems to be a basic assumption that living at home is the safe and better option I think that may be a naive view.
In 1980 a full Pell Grant covered 77% of the average cost of tuition. Now it covers only 23%. This is a huge part of why students have to choose between paying tuition or buying food.
For those with the boot strap or let-them-eat-cake thinking, as @romanigypsyeyes said the alternative is to not attend college, get a menial paying job and live paycheck to paycheck. From a purely economic standpoint, which seems to be a popular one, that person will be contributing less in taxes and likely needing more financial help for years to come, whereas making a college diploma attainable, via both education and decent nutrition, will better enable them to become a “contributing member of society.”
@SlackerMomMD I agree.
It’s not just kids who are from low income families that are ending up without enough money to eat adequately by the end of a term. I know a number of kids who got food allowances for a semester based on what they considered outrageous charges by the food service–parents gave them the money instead of buying the meal plan, and the kdis ran out of money before the end of the term. Some of them, well before the end of the term. Happened to my son’s roommate who loves eating out and didn’t even get halfway through the term with what his parents allotted for living expenses. He has to pay the rent and other expenses–was running low on that too, but he’s been mooching and scrounging fro food.
I do not think that pasta is that expansive. Many Med. Students survive on lots of pasta. Not only that they do not have ANY income, they cannot even afford working because of time limitations (like studying up to 16 hrs / day, rotation schedules). Again, because of time limitations (in addition to financiaa), at times they cannot afford to go out either. Pasta is perfect, one can do something else, while pasta is boiling. If one cannot afford anything else, pasta could be consumed plain. Potatos are also not that expensive and if one canoot afford Cereal (I never buy it, it is way too expensive and a junk food anyway), plain oatmeal is a great and much more nutritios. Again, eggs are pretty cheap and full of nutrients. All of the above could be fixed in a very short time.
@cptofthehouse if that person is getting the rest of his expenses covered, he should get a job to cover food.
There is a huge difference between people who blow their money on eating out and people who don’t have the money to buy basic staples.
I thought that a lot of students who received work study $$ used their pay for food not necessarily covered from meal plans ?
Maybe parents whose children are on very tight budgets should go over some basics about how to stretch the food dollar and working within the confines of limited tools for prepping food ( lack of space to store , lack of full kitchen access , etc )
It can be difficult to eat well and choose healthy over cheap
Yes, many do, lje but work-study is usually only $1500 a semester and you’re paying for a lot with that money. Books, transportation costs (if applicable), etc.
I agree about stretching the dollar but there’s only so much it can be stretched. This isn’t even taking into account people that live in food deserts, etc.
The grad student association at Penn State UP created a food bank last year, because so many of them had serious food supply problems. The university publicized it through the spring, and then the PR stopped – maybe it occurred to someone that it really reflects very poorly on their treatment of students. The grad assistants are overworked, profoundly underpaid vs cost of living. Most live paycheck to paycheck.
Agreed, undergrad students often choose fast over frugal. There’s a learning curve there, certainly.
I agree fully, Pizzagirl. And I don’t think those kids are in danger of starving at all. Just having to mooch for food. My son’s roommate has a job, part of which is in prep for the work he will be needing to do, so pay is very low. My nephew cannot take a job, has non pay situation that he has to stick out for a chance of getting what he wants, and he has blown his food budget already, for the term, and his parents are tapped out. Foolishness and unexpected expenses.
I find it interesting that some on this thread think that college is for everyone, whenever they want, even if they apparently cannot find enough outside financial help to attend.
Young adults who have the academic background to attend college are way ahead of others who barely finished high school or who dropped out before finishing.
I believe * those students* should be a priority, not those who have several options to make college affordable for them, even if it means taking a gap year or two as my kids did.
Perhaps we need to bring back some high school courses that cover life skills, like home ec, which covers cooking, budgeting, sewing, meal planning etc, auto body & metal shop, instead of so many AP courses to make the high schools look " good" in magazine rankings.
I wish we lived in a country where college wasn’t nearly mandatory to get out of poverty. That is not the reality for my generation. For my parents generation they could get well paying factory jobs and what not. Those are long gone.
In our school we have this silly mandatory payment called Dining Dollar.
“You can put 325$ on your student account and use it everywhere in college campus!!”
Oh wow very convenient! But what the foak is the point when you have debit card in your hand , except you can use your debit card ANYWHERE?!
I am not sure if other colleges have similar thing but this is mandatory for everyone in our school, and its NOT waived based on financial situation; you have to be sick or something just to apply for exemption and even that is not easy. I havent still paid for it yet because I dont have money, and being a foreigner who is forbidden to have job(therefore no experience) its very difficult to apply for on campus jobs. Right now my downgraded meal plan almost depleted, and I am thinking about how to stretch my money to survive for 3 months,
colleges should be more flexible regarding meal plan and some mandatory payments. It takes toll on people who simply dont have money.
romanigypseyes still America is better than oyher countries…in Korea, 50% of college graduates are jobless and burdened with debt
Some high schools DO still offer life skills classes as electives. My older D took one and I know it helped her learn to budget and meal plan. She also went to college and took some AP courses.
We know many kids who do not go directly to a 4-year college. There are still jobs that require hands-on work and kids interested in that are often snapped up. I have a friend whose nephew is making $30/hr while still in training as an electrician. My son does quite well in a niche construction industry with no college save a CC certificate.
But we are talking about kids who DO go to college, perhaps without the full financial support necessary. FWIW, I don’t think a kid who blows his money on eating out is in the same category as a kid who has to scrape up pennies for some ramen because his family can’t help.
Paul2752,
How much aid does your country give to international students who want to attend school there?
Just to chime in on the grad student situation. My D will be a grad TA next year and will “make” about $24,000/yr. She is not allowed to work outside the university. Luckily, she will be in a relatively low-cost area. But she will really be just one major car repair, health issue, etc. away from absolute poverty. She has relatively affluent parents who can subsidize her, but I can see how many students need food bank help. PhD students are really in indentured servitude for a minimum of 4-5 years - with no real guarantee of a job at the end.
Just as not everyone needs to attend college, even fewer " need" to attend grad school.
We are a country of " special snowflakes.
https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/dont-hire-people-who-went-to-grad-school/
I think Compassion 101 should be a pre-req for Hunger 101.
If 2 grad students, each earning 24k, live as roommates, they are pulling in US median household income.
When I was a grad student TA, my peers and I all had roommates. I guess this genration is too good for that.
Sometimes compassion or implied lack of compassion gets in the way of common sense, though. This is getting very close to everyone should be able to go to any school they like regardless of price tag or program and if they can’t afford snacks someone should subsidize them. We are all going crazy.
I think Compassion 101 should be a pre-req for Hunger 101.
*
As opposed to Logic & Responsibility for Dummies?