Lay Off College Students. Their Life is Harder Than You Think!

Many people have a preconceived notion about college students. College students are thought of as lazy, out of touch with ‘real world’ difficulties and much more generally as moochers. The sad part is that most of these notions are perpetuated by people that have never had to pay for a class, and then the book as well, and cram for finals after already having had to cram the whole semester through. One could just write people off that are like that as being jealous of the education a college student is receiving and that may be partly right. What is more likely and most definitely right are that these people are just ignorant and unfair.

I am a full time college student. I attend four classes a semester and during those eighteen weeks, I know no let up. Holidays are not spent relaxing, but doing more work. Because of this, I cannot hold a job and have to live at home because campus housing is considered as being only for blue-bloods. Plus, while at home, I have numerous duties to perform on top of the coursework I have to get done. I know many fellow students who sail on the same ship.

I recently had to take a class through a host institution because my home college didn’t offer the course. The class cost $284.00, an amount my grandparents, whom I live with, said they would pay, but I wouldn’t let them. I do have a little money saved up and I paid for the class myself, despite the cost making my bank balance look like a very bad joke. Once again, other students are sailing on the same ship. Believe it or not, an out-of-state student who wanted to take the class would be worse off since the out-of-state cost is $1,000.00.

So now I ask, what do those people say? Can they laugh at a college student who is still living at home and call them lazy? I don’t think they would be able to because they would just look foolish and unfair, which, of course, they are. Will they yell “get a job” at a college student who is buried in coursework? They wouldn’t, because they don’t have the guts to live the life of a college student and take on that coursework themselves.

Face it people, the ‘real world’ gets you as soon as you leave high school, even for college students. Our struggles are real struggles that would frighten you as they frighten us. Wouldn’t you be scared to look for a job after you’ve been turned down at others because of what you are? You would. Most definitely.

Please, just lay off of us until our graduation. We’ll get to the harder parts of life then.