<p>Certainly there are students who work part-time and still succeed academically. My son chooses to have a part-time job (he's starting a small business) and so does my daughter (who works about 5 hours a week, sometimes). But they are choosing it; I'm not forcing them. My son stopped working on anything but school work for most of April and May of last year, when he was struggling with a particular course; my D finds it impossible to work during major paper crunches. Their primary job is school.</p>
<p>dmd77: ditto. I prefer the kids to put their efforts into their studies, and if they want - they'll work. </p>
<p>S2 has work-study component in his finaid packet, but he will work as many hours as he wants (it may very well be 0). The work-study is roughly equivalent to "student expences" part of COA - so if he'll prefer to have $0 in his account - it's up to him. We'll buy his books and give him $200, and he'll decide if he needs more. </p>
<p>S3 has his work-study substituted by a grant - so he will work only in the case if he finds a meaningful job (research, tutoring, maybe paper grading). </p>
<p>We had the same approach when D1 was an undergraduate - she worked 4 hours on weekends if she wanted, it covered her needs (yes, we have low-maintnance kids... and she did undergrad research one summer, it helped, too). But instead of doing menial jobs, she took 6-7 classes each semester, and tested out of some subjects. She graduated in 3 years, and financially it was the best choice. I doubt she would be capable of making the COA for the 4th year ($33K) even if she worked her tail off for 4 years of college...</p>
<p>I feel bad enough that my parents have to help me with tuition and rent...I don't want to take more from them, especially now that my sister's in school too. My summer and school-year jobs (plus birthday and channukkah money from grandparents!) pay for books, food, toiletries, movie tickets, cell phone, etc. I don't have a lot to spend, and I work a lot, but I agree with the poster who said that they get more done when they are busy.</p>
<p>Of course, when I go home my parents are still ok with my taking little things like stamps or toothpaste if they have some lying around...and my mom has accused me of wearing my rattiest clothing and shoes home so they feel obligated to replace them! Before I went to school, they did spend a good deal of money on bedding, warm winter clothes, etc. for me, and they are paying for my grad school apps. I think that when parents offer to pay for a specific thing, it's nicer because it's unexpected and feels like a gift--I'm at a point in my life where I want to be independent and not get an allowance, but I won't turn down a present!</p>
<p>No blanket answer here. Our daughter has two on-campus jobs, one at the college hotel and the other in the faculty dining hall. Total of 10 hours a week. She can do her homework at the hotel since she works the front desk and the faculty dining hall is just an hour a day five days a week. She gets about $50 a week deposited directly into her checking account and tuition credit. When she does her teacher observation and student teaching semester, she only works the hotel job. It's flexible enough that it really works out for her and she likes not touching her summer earnings.</p>
<p>marmat--thanks for pointing out that your kids take extra courses. Mine do as well. I feel that they will never again have this great opportunity to study obscure topics from specialists--and that they should take advantage of it. Both will graduate with more courses than necessary if they continue on this path.</p>
<p>I just think it'll be harder for those students whose parents give them allowance in college to adjust when they graduate. Or maybe not.</p>
<p>my daughter has had 3 different jobs on campus - first year as a tutor in a high school- just a couple hours a week
Sophmore year- worked in the bio stockroom- this was relatively fun cause she liked the other people.
Junior year she worked in the computer lab, helping people with tech support- really liked this job and last year when she was up in Seattle, she actually was asked to come back and work for O-week and a couple other times. She will be resuming this position with a promotion this year. She is learning a lot, gets to meet everyone on campus and she does get to study during slow times.
I would recommend that every one have at least a small job even if they don't need the money- I am a firm beleiver in learning how to plan out your time- and really even at Reed class and studying don't take all of it.
We do pay for her cell phone and book store account, but her work study job more than covers what she feels are her expenses.</p>
<p>This topic comes up frequently on here. There are many valid opinions and they differ widely. Some of it pertains to values and various families' financial means, too. </p>
<p>I do value kids earning money. But I do not make them work while going to college. Their college schedules are very full....not just classes and schoolwork....one of my kids is on a varsity sport entailing numerous hours on a daily basis, including weekends. One of my kids is attending a conservatory style degree program, meaning that several days per week, her CLASSES alone are from 9-6 and that is not counting rehearsals in evenings. One of my kids worked one night per week in junior and senior year in high school and saved all that money up to take to college. Both my kids were expected to work the summer prior to college. Both earned substantial income doing so. Both saved it all. One of my kids earned money as a child and all that was saved. Both now have a "nest egg" from their own earnings that is quite a lot. Yes, they COULD use this for expenses in college with no help from us. </p>
<p>However, we ARE helping our kids. No, they don't have mommy and daddy's credit card to use as they please (someone referred to kids on campus who do). We pay for all books and school supplies. We pay for transportation. We send them $225/month toward expenses beyond room/board/tuition stuff, in other words, spending money. They each have a clothing budget and we keep track of what we spend on clothing and they may not exceed the budget total per year (or they pay after that). One of my kids will be in NYC where I don't think $225/month will cover extras, like it likely does for her sister. But that is why each kid has their own money for anything beyond what we give them or pay for. Actually, they have more than they need. THEIR money is therefore, for more than just extras while in college. Both kids now have their own money for certain other things that come up. For instance, this past summer, my oldest drove to Alaska and she had her own money to do so. She also wanted to do a program at Harvard and paid for most of it herself. I no longer pay for summer programs now that they are in college. She has money so that if she opts not to work one summer, and wants to do something else, she can. She is working this month to increase her nest egg and hopes next summer to go abroad. Other D in future summers, will hopefully get work in summer stock theater which often does not pay that well and she knows she can afford to take these jobs important to her career because she has a lot of savings from prior work saved up that will enable her to have some fall back money. She also will need more money than her allowance in NYC, I believe. My kids are on financial aid and we declined the work study portion. At Brown, where my oldest attends, the president of the university has a provision that freshman NOT do work study and they get that portion of their aid as a grant. Also, my youngest child, as part of her Scholar program, has to work doing a community service project a certain number of hours per semester. Her plate will be full without a part time paying job. That is why she earned money this summer (related to her career field in fact). </p>
<p>I am not saying this is right for any other family. I think you can teach the value of earning money (ie., summer jobs) and also teach them to manage money by having a certain sum of their own plus monthly allowances or budgets. Just cause mom and dad support the kid, doesn't mean a bottomless pit either. My oldest is very wise with money and it does not burn a hole in her pocket. She still has the bulk of her earnings in tact for the coming years. I am advising the younger one to only take a portion of a very large sum that she has accrued over the years of her own money, to college, so that she does not see it all to spend the first year and explained how it needs to last all four years, including what she does in summers. For her, none of the banks in our region have branches in her college city. She has an account here. She will have to take some of that to her city and we have to open an account with her there because she is still sixteen and we found out she cannot do that on her own. We found out from her college that ONE bank in that area is open on Sundays, the move in day, and we will have to go with her to open it up and put our names on it, like her account at home. She has learned more about money this past summer due to jobs, which included managing many parents paying her a tuition, and her paying a rent and splitting income with her partner. I hope she is ready to go in the money management department as she leaves in about a week. My older one has this down really well. I don't think it is all about whose money it is but also learning how to manage it. </p>
<p>I realize there are many on here who are negative about parents giving their kids spending money in college, but some of us still want to support our kids while in school (not after) and were given the same when they were students way back when (I was). It does not then preclude teaching values about money or working to earn extras or working in summers. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>Good article about budgeting & banking issues for first year college students here:
"Learning Curve
Managing campus living expenses can be harder than any college class. A financial advisor helps a Michigan student plan for her first year away from home."
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8976569/site/newsweek/%5B/url%5D">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8976569/site/newsweek/</a></p>
<p>Our son is using money from his grandfather's estate, bequeathed to him some years back, to pay for tuition, housing, and books.
The rest he has earned since after his Freshman Year of High School.
He has a meal plan for 5 days out of seven.
I estimated that he will need at least fifty dollars a week for food and spending money. But I have suggested that he allocate $100.
This being said, out of the $100 a week, he will also be responsible to see his own way home during breaks.</p>
<p>Quick warning: if, as a parent, you don't fund your child's travel expenses to come home... they might not come home. There are other, more fun, options for them to spend money on during breaks. ;)</p>
<p>I never had that problem - I paid for my son's travel, room & board, & tuition - he paid for everything else, including books. But about 7 months into the school year I finally realized that if I ever wanted to speak to him by phone again, I needed to provide him with a cell phone that I paid for. (he was just as happy with the never-in-his-room-to-take-a-call routine). It's just a matter of figuring out which expenses are for the kid's benefit, which are for the parents.</p>
<p>Calmom, ha-ha. We just bought S a cellphone for graduation, thinking along the same lines. He never wanted one; we figured we'd never be able to reach him otherwise. We're paying the monthly bill on it, at least for now.</p>
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Quick warning: if, as a parent, you don't fund your child's travel expenses to come home... they might not come home. There are other, more fun, options for them to spend money on during breaks.
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<p>As a college student, I would like to echo this. If I had to pay $200 and 8 hours of travel to come home, away from all my friends, for 3 days (or less!, get home Friday night and leave mid day Sunday?), you would not be able to convince me that would be a good economic decision. This will obviously vary depending on the student, but honestly, I would probably only come home for winter break if I had to pay for it.</p>
<p>As for getting more stuff done when you are busy, what if the student volunteers 10 hours a week? That's just as much dedication, if not more, than holding a job, yet the student gets no money in return.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>If I had to pay $200 and 8 hours of travel to come home>></p> </blockquote>
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<p>First I'd like to say that we do pay for our kids to come home for holiday breaks. BUT I would add that at DS's university he would have to PAY to stay in an off campus hotel if he were to choose to stay at the unversity over breaks. This would cost him significantly more that the cost of transportation home. The transportation we do NOT pay for is recreational...e.g. trips over spring break etc. Last year he chose to go away for part of the break...and that was on HIS money, not ours.</p>