Spring Break
Families struggle with rising tuition
Increasingly families depend on scholarships and bank loans
John Kennedy
Issue date: 4/30/09 Section: News
The economy is declining, corporations are going under, and as unemployment is rising, real estate values are sinking. Meanwhile, college enrollments are on the rise, financial aid requests have become more abundant and tuition is climbing to double-digit increases.
Local families with two, three or more members in college are struggling to keep up with the growing stacks of bills.
Sue Louis, a mother of three in Guilford, who works full time, said she relies mainly on scholarships and loans to pay tuition for two of her children and herself.
Louis, who attends Gateway Community College part-time as a 6th-semester nursing major, and her two children, Matt Louis, 21, a 6th-semester marine science major at the University of Maine, and Emily Louis, 19, a 4th-semester animal science major at the University of Connecticut, have found the recession to be hard on their wallets.
"I'm freaking poor," Matt Louis said. "I pay for my car and everything else I need. The only things I don't pay for are school and rent."
"We've taken many cuts at home," Emily Louis added. "Little things that used to get handed to us aren't anymore."
The siblings each have their own strategy for staying out of the red during the school year, since Sue Louis has placed responsibility on them to acquire personal spending money.
Emily Louis, her mother's "work-a-holic," works at UConn cafés, earning $200 per week for her own pocket and for future tuition bills at her preferred veterinary school, Massey University in New Zealand.
"Ninety percent of it goes toward my car," she said. "I get no help with insurance or gas."
Matt Louis, who does not have a job at school, works all summer at Project Oceanology in Groton, Conn., pocketing $400 per week. After saving through the summer, he "makes it last," at school, spending his money only on bare essentials.
"At home the only thing that's getting paid for is the house and food," Matt said. "Everything else is on your own ticket."
Local families with two, three or more members in college are struggling to keep up with the growing stacks of bills.
Sue Louis, a mother of three in Guilford, who works full time, said she relies mainly on scholarships and loans to pay tuition for two of her children and herself.
Louis, who attends Gateway Community College part-time as a 6th-semester nursing major, and her two children, Matt Louis, 21, a 6th-semester marine science major at the University of Maine, and Emily Louis, 19, a 4th-semester animal science major at the University of Connecticut, have found the recession to be hard on their wallets.
"I'm freaking poor," Matt Louis said. "I pay for my car and everything else I need. The only things I don't pay for are school and rent."
"We've taken many cuts at home," Emily Louis added. "Little things that used to get handed to us aren't anymore."
The siblings each have their own strategy for staying out of the red during the school year, since Sue Louis has placed responsibility on them to acquire personal spending money.
Emily Louis, her mother's "work-a-holic," works at UConn cafés, earning $200 per week for her own pocket and for future tuition bills at her preferred veterinary school, Massey University in New Zealand.
"Ninety percent of it goes toward my car," she said. "I get no help with insurance or gas."
Matt Louis, who does not have a job at school, works all summer at Project Oceanology in Groton, Conn., pocketing $400 per week. After saving through the summer, he "makes it last," at school, spending his money only on bare essentials.
"At home the only thing that's getting paid for is the house and food," Matt said. "Everything else is on your own ticket."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Ed Marth
posted 4/30/09 @ 9:56 AM EST
There is another dimension to this which I have tried to interest legislators in; a student whose parent becomes unemployed is apparently unable to co-siggn for a student loan. (Continued…)
Post a Comment