<p>If your recruited athlete is or will be receiving financial aid, does s/he have a work-study component to the package? If so, how much money is s/he supposed to earn during the year or how many hours does s/he have to work? Has it been difficult for your child to manage this commitment on top of the academics and athletics?</p>
<p>I knew D would have a work-study job. and we think working will be good for her at least in theory. But as a distance runner, she's going to be training and competing all three seasons (cross country, indoor track, outdoor track), and so I can't help but wonder how the school expects her to handle all the demands on her time? Also, from perusing CC, I see that other non-athletes at the same D1 school have a smaller sum to earn than she does ($2500 vs. $2700). Thoughts?</p>
<p>My D2 has a work study component to her financial aid. For Amherst, the work study amount is $1,800 for the year. She, too, is an athlete. She probably works 4-5 hours a week. The job doesn’t interfere with her training or her studying. They are very accommodating to her academic and athletic commitments. But she also hasn’t used up anywhere near her award.</p>
<p>D earns $40-$200 per week working at her sport’s office and helping at events. She enjoys the “work” which she can fit in to her schedule with total flexibility. She can often fit in studying during these hours, if there aren’t specific tasks for her to do. She is often paid for helping at events she would have had to attend anyway, and has some responsibilities there, but they aren’t overwhelming. </p>
<p>Obviously this is a pretty sweet deal. It’s a win-win if kids can get the job in the athletic office they participate for. If your kid needs/wants work-study, it’s worth it to check with the current students in those positions, or with the coach, to see if jobs in that office might become available.</p>
<p>My S doesn’t have a work-study job, but chose to work as a tutor for the athletic department to earn spending money. He works about 6 hrs per week and as others have said he’s able to study if no one comes in who needs his help. He’s also a distance runner and competes all 3 seasons - if he has to be away for competition, he just doesn’t work that day. That amount of work (along with that flexibility!) hasn’t been a problem - he says he enjoys it.</p>
<p>You don’t have to accept the work-study award. If you do not, you are able to take out a PLUS loan to cover the difference. My daughter could never have balanced a job along with her athletic commitment. The team alone did so much extra in terms of required social activities and community service, in addition to practicing 24+ hours per week.</p>
<p>She did end up coaching one hour per week just enough to earn her weekly coffee money!</p>
<p>no good options for us either…i just say to myself, retirement is over-rated.</p>
<p>there’s no way my d could do morning and afternoon workouts and travel for competition and do it all 3 seasons and go to class and study and have a social life and work.</p>
<p>it’ll be tough for her, college athletics is a whole new level of intensity. and she’ll put her team and winning first so we re going to try and help her if we can to not work.</p>
<p>but as all of you parents of athetes know, when you see their determination, their hardwork, their close relationships with teammates, and when you see the joy on their face when they win…it is worth all the trouble.</p>
<p>Agree with pacheight. I think there’s going to be enough on her plate between academics and athletics without adding a campus job to the mix. A few thoughts for GFG, is there any chance the coach will be sympathetic to the time demands of his athletes and see if the FAO can roll the work-study into the FA grant? Also, while the summer job market is lousy for kids, is earning extra money this summer a possibility? If all else fails, any jewelry or collectibles you could hock? (btw, what’s the going rate for plasma donation?)</p>
<p>I don’t know if the coaches can help. For one thing, it is the policy of some schools that the students getting FA must work because of the sweat equity/skin in the game principle. I totally agree with that, but it seems to me that the requirement should be reduced at least a little for athletes whom they’re expecting will perform at a high D1 level.</p>
<p>What might help her somewhat is she may receive a little money in outside scholarships, which could reduce her work requirement.</p>
<p>She landed a nice summer job, but you’re forgetting that they already require her to earn $2,500 over the summer as part of their aid calculations.</p>
(btw, what’s the going rate for plasma donation?)</p>