I went back and read the article again after reading all the posts. The point of the article is that there are expenses the poor students doesn’t know about. The are told they are getting a full ride without loans and they learn that there are expenses that aren’t covered. Not one student interviewed is ungrateful for the opportunity or for the money they do receive. The schools seem to be very responsive when made aware of an issue such as closed dining halls during breaks (open the on campus dining halls or give meal vouchers), provide funds for joining social or athletic clubs, have emergency funds available.
I don’t think the extra costs that arise are unique to poor students, they just don’t have the resources other kids might have to solve the problems of a broken laptop or lost phone. These students can’t borrow the money from a parent or use a credit card to get them to the end of the semester. I really don’t think it is any different than my kids heading off to school and suddenly they learn that they have to pay for toothpaste and pizzas at midnight when those things were just THERE when they lived at home
They are doing all the things that have been suggested in this thread - having a job, taking the Stafford loans, going to the museum on free days, buying used books, skipping Starbucks. I read the article, as the headline read, that it is not the free ride they expected because they were told everything was covered except their $2000 contribution. .
I also did not find those interviewed for the article to be bitter or complaining, just pointing out what they deal with because a reporter asked. It is never easy to ask for help and it seems the students do what they can to solve their needs without asking for more money, free meals, or books. They are young, they are learning how to budget their money. My daughter had the freshman meal plan of 3+ meal per day and never had to worry about the next meal. As a sophomore elected a cheaper plan (saved $1000) but had to manage the points and she ran out before the end of the semester. Not unique to poor students, not unique to the Ivy league.