Hard at Work: Student Spotlight

Hard at Work:

Student Spotlight: Lilijana Chufo, senior Political Science honors student.

College is difficult enough without the precarious juggling act of having a job, academic workload, and extracurriculars. But for a growing number of students, having a job while in college is necessary in order to shoulder the rising cost of tuition. According the National Student Financial Wellness Study , seven out of ten college students feel stressed about their personal finances. Nearly 60% worry about having enough money to pay for school, while 50% are concerned about paying their monthly expenses.

While FSU has resources available to aid students in affording tuition and life in Tallahassee, many students still rely on the income their jobs provide. However, with the already busy life of a full-time student, how do students working one (or more) jobs find time to study or even sleep? We interviewed one Honors senior, about how she manages her two jobs as a server and a barista, schoolwork, and her LSAT prep!

As a student, how do you manage your class workload alongside your jobs? "As an honors student, I have to take at least 15 hours a semester, and I have to maintain a certain GPA for the honors program and scholarships. To best balance work and school commitments, I have been putting as many of my classes as possible on the same days every week. I was fortunate enough this semester to have all of my classes on T/Th, so I work on days I don ’t have class. It helps a lot to have designated days for work and school, and my bosses have been very accommodating if school commitments come up unexpectedly.

Has the cost of university made it necessary to work to afford to attend FSU?

"I was lucky enough to receive full Bright Futures for FSU tuition, as well as a university scholarship. Combined with random small scholarships I’ ve received, the costs of tuition and books are completely covered. However, as addressed earlier, there are so many factors that go into affording school. If tuition was the only factor, I would be set. Unfortunately, my off-campus rent, health insurance costs for the university center, and a litany of other factors are enough of a financial burden to require me to work. It’ s hard balancing financial need with scholastic need, and I definitely wouldn

Do you think FSU supports working students? How do you think they could improve? "I think FSU has great resources for working students, including the FSU career center and lots of on-campus jobs with accommodating schedules. Areas of improvement could be offering support groups for working students who may be feeling overwhelmed, or establishing official university guidelines regarding work-related commitments that might interfere with schooling. "

Have your grades ever suffered due to having a job? If so, how did you learn to manage that? "Before I learned to manage work and school, my grades definitely suffered. In the service industry, your hours can be unpredictable, and I learned this the hard way a few times when I would leave an assignment undone, with the intention of doing it after work, and then have my shift run long and not be able to get to it. Once I was able to condense my class schedule and work out a permanent arrangement for my jobs, the balancing act got a lot easier.

Many professors expect students not to work and only focus on their studies. Do you think this is feasible in this day and age? "I do not think it is feasible for professors to expect students not to work. For me, not working would cost me my university education at Florida State. There are outside costs not associated with tuition that make college inaccessible to students without the proper financial backing. Even with scholarships, there ’ s rent, car payments, food costs, books, health insurance, and so many other expenses that have nothing to do with tuition. I think professors should be as accommodating as possible to students with work commitments. For some students, working is their only gateway to their education, and I do believe that establishing a communication line with your professors regarding your work commitments is a great start to maintaining a solid work-school balance. If professors are aware of your job and how that might affect your school work, they might be more willing to make accommodations.

What would you like to let other students know? "As I just want to remind people to be kind to those of us who have to work and do school. Whenever you go to a restaurant, or to a fast food place, or a retail store, remember that these people could be your classmates, neighbors, or simply students trying to make their way. Treat people with kindness, be mindful in your interactions with others, and above all, tip your servers!"