Spring Break
Bring back the 'poor student'
The Daily Barometer Editorial Board
Issue date: 2/18/09 Section: Forum
There's some truth to the phrase "poor college student."
Tuition is expensive. Housing, both on and off campus, is expensive. Textbooks, even the used ones, are expensive. Food, even when one's diet is made up of only Ramen and Crystal Light, is expensive.
Few of us work enough hours to actually support ourselves and pay for the cost of getting an education, so we make up the difference by using gifts, scholarships, grants, student loans or our hard-earned cash from summer or year-round jobs.
Some people are lucky enough to have their education paid for by parents or other generous relatives, but even if that's the case, we're not rolling around in mountains of cash.
But what happened to the "poor college student?" Aren't we supposed to be frugal with our money?
After a quick skip around campus, one will see students wearing expensive brands of jackets and backpacks. With a little more observation in the routines of typical students, one can see that many go shopping for clothes and other electronics, are drinking tons of alcohol and pricey coffee drinks, going out for meals on a daily basis and taking vacations during break.
None of these materialistic things are necessary to college.
We aren't bashing the college experience that includes spontaneous vacations and the occasional drunk-fest, and we know that rewarding yourself for hard work is important, but really, we could all stand to be a little more frugal.
Take a look at the news and this should be obvious. The stock market is in a downward spiral. Oregon's unemployment rate in December 2008 was 9 percent. Local food banks are experiencing huge increases in demand.
No matter the state of our own financial need, we all need to stop, look at the way we are living our lives and think of ways we can be making better financial decisions.
Do we all need a car and the gas and insurance expenses that go along with it? Do we need the latest laptop? Do we need to go out to dinner every night of the week? Do we need to go on weekly shopping trips? Do we need to have the most expensive raincoats? Do we need Grey Goose when there's good ol' HRD?
Well … let's forget about the last question, but the point is still there.
We all want to graduate, and many of us want to land a great, high-paying job someday, but looking at the current economic situation, that much-desired job may not be waiting for us once our diplomas are in our hands. Becoming frugal and truly acting like a "poor college student" may serve us well in case we have to face real poverty in the future.
Editorials serve as a platform for Barometer editors to offer commentary and opinions on issues both global and local, grand in scale and diminutive. The views expressed here are a reflection of the editorial board majority. Disagree? E-mail a letter to the editor or guest column to editor@dailybarometer.com.
Tuition is expensive. Housing, both on and off campus, is expensive. Textbooks, even the used ones, are expensive. Food, even when one's diet is made up of only Ramen and Crystal Light, is expensive.
Few of us work enough hours to actually support ourselves and pay for the cost of getting an education, so we make up the difference by using gifts, scholarships, grants, student loans or our hard-earned cash from summer or year-round jobs.
Some people are lucky enough to have their education paid for by parents or other generous relatives, but even if that's the case, we're not rolling around in mountains of cash.
But what happened to the "poor college student?" Aren't we supposed to be frugal with our money?
After a quick skip around campus, one will see students wearing expensive brands of jackets and backpacks. With a little more observation in the routines of typical students, one can see that many go shopping for clothes and other electronics, are drinking tons of alcohol and pricey coffee drinks, going out for meals on a daily basis and taking vacations during break.
None of these materialistic things are necessary to college.
We aren't bashing the college experience that includes spontaneous vacations and the occasional drunk-fest, and we know that rewarding yourself for hard work is important, but really, we could all stand to be a little more frugal.
Take a look at the news and this should be obvious. The stock market is in a downward spiral. Oregon's unemployment rate in December 2008 was 9 percent. Local food banks are experiencing huge increases in demand.
No matter the state of our own financial need, we all need to stop, look at the way we are living our lives and think of ways we can be making better financial decisions.
Do we all need a car and the gas and insurance expenses that go along with it? Do we need the latest laptop? Do we need to go out to dinner every night of the week? Do we need to go on weekly shopping trips? Do we need to have the most expensive raincoats? Do we need Grey Goose when there's good ol' HRD?
Well … let's forget about the last question, but the point is still there.
We all want to graduate, and many of us want to land a great, high-paying job someday, but looking at the current economic situation, that much-desired job may not be waiting for us once our diplomas are in our hands. Becoming frugal and truly acting like a "poor college student" may serve us well in case we have to face real poverty in the future.
Editorials serve as a platform for Barometer editors to offer commentary and opinions on issues both global and local, grand in scale and diminutive. The views expressed here are a reflection of the editorial board majority. Disagree? E-mail a letter to the editor or guest column to editor@dailybarometer.com.
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