Having a part-time job and a part-time college schedule may sound easy to some people. “Part-time and part-time,” no big deal. Sometimes, however, time and budget management can be two of many reasons why some students struggle to keep up with their college lives.
For 22 years old, Andreas Hermawan, going to college and working at the same time is a little difficult. Andreas (Andre for preferred nickname), was born in Indonesia and came to the United States in 2004 with his family. He went to school in Colorado and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School. Andre, then, took 3 years off from continuing his education to work and help his mother with their family’s financial status.
Returning to college after the 3-years-gap made Andre realize that life is not just about working.
“This last summer, I made a last-minute decision, which was registering for college at CCD,” Andre said. He registered at the Community College of Denver in April and got his acceptance email on June 10th. With help from the school officials, Andre was able to register for his classes, Getting him one step closer to being in the classroom. He then decided to meet with someone at the financial aid office to discuss his status.
“I registered for a part-time schedule and went to the Financial Aid Office to see how much my tuition would be,” he said. His tuition for this semester came up to $2,400 and that already included the amount covered by the COF Stipend (Colorado Opportunity Fund). Andre later shared that he is a DACA student, which made him ineligible to receive FAFSA. He also explained that he didn’t apply for scholarships this semester but is planning to do so in the future.
The only problem that he has right now is filling out taxes form for his mother and him. “My mom wasn’t working at that time. She was just a housewife,” Andre explained. Without applying for any scholarships, he took the option of CCD’s tuition payment plan, where he can pay his tuition on a monthly basis. From August to December, each month approximately costs $480.
However, college tuition is not the only expense Andre needs to be worried about. He also has insurance and car bills to pay every month.
Currently, Andre works at a daycare with a $12.50 hourly pay. He works Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and gets his paycheck every other Friday. “I get paid $400 bi-weekly for most of the paycheck I received, so that means I will have about $800 every month,” he said. But with the bills he needs to pay every month, he is left with only about $100 or less, which can only last him a few weeks because he still needs to pay for gas to go to work every other day.
“I set my budget to $25 a week,” Andre explained. “I wait for the gas until it goes to ‘E’ and fill $15-$20 every week.” When asked about the way he manages to survive with such a low amount of money, Andre explained that he makes his meals from home instead of eating out when he goes to work and school. As for the weekends, he only hangs out with friends when there is a special occasion or just to work on homework together.
Knowing that there are many college students who experience what he experiences, Andre gladly shared some tips on how to make it through college.
To start, he emphasized that applying for scholarships is the most important thing to do. “Or do FAFSA if the students are eligible,” he added. Second, he recommends a part-time school schedule until you have enough money to afford paying for a full-time schedule. He also suggests deferring a semester or two, “but I won’t really suggest this one to the people who are trying to get their degrees on time,” Andre added.
He also shared some advice for people who are not yet experiencing what he is experiencing. He recommends to be cautious about the money spent; differentiating what is actually needed from what is only wanted.
“Plan your budget every month and calculate with the paycheck you get every two weeks or the allowances,” Andre explains. This will help keep track of spending, either every two weeks or every month.
As hard as it can get to manage life as a college student, Andre advises that taking things one step at a time without letting stress affect your everyday life or come in the way is key to being happy.
“My girlfriend, Matilda, told me once and I remember this every day; ‘you are here for a good time, not a long time,’” Andre said. “Don’t stress because everything will come together in the end,” he said to close out the interview.