Editor’s note: This is the second in a three-part series exploring the ways Ohio University students fund their education.
When quarterly expenses reach a highpoint, students’ focus can quickly shift from textbook pages to hefty balance statements.
But for Cory Jeziorski, a freshman studying accounting and management and information systems, the focus turns from bank payments to mom and dad.
“If I ever start, like, running low on money, they can transfer money for personal use,” Jeziorski said. “It’s really not that big of a problem.”
Though Jeziorski says his Gateway Scholarship, which deposits $750 per quarter to his bank account, does chip away at the cost of tuition, he has no plans of working a job to further finance his education.
Jeziorski said the only expenses not covered by his parents are the meals he consumes outside his dining hall plan.
Brittany Marxen, a junior studying psychology, also has parents who alleviate her financial stress. Marxen’s parents pay for tuition and housing, she said, while she covers food and books.
To offset her portion of the expenses, Marxen works at the Columbus Zoo during the summer and as a resident assistant during the school year.
“It takes about a month of summer working to pay for my whole year’s worth of books,” Marxen said. “Food depends on how much I want to spend. I try to spend pretty minimal because it adds up quick.”
However, Marxen said that even with a job, she does not feel like she is under the constant financial strain of future debt.
The average Ohio University undergraduate student will incur about $21,542 from federal loan sources and about $26,909 from federal and privately funded loans, Valerie Miller, director of Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships, said in an email.
“I don’t worry about it too much,” Marxen said. “It’s definitely something I think about because right now most of my expenses are covered because of my parents, and because I’m an RA, my housing is mostly covered.”
Likewise, Jeziorski said financing his education is not a daily worry, though he said he does believe there are some benefits to students who pay their own way through college.
“I mean, not having a job, I have more time to mess around and stuff,” Jeziorski said. “But if I had a job, maybe I’d have more structure to my life.”
Jeziorski said that he does perceive the ongoing stress that overtakes his peers who are in charge of financing their education, adding that it is especially noticeable toward the end of the quarter when funds run low.
Marxen said the financial burden loans place on students is something she does not think she’d be suited to take on alone.
“I don’t know if I’d be able to pay for it all on my own,” Marxen said. “College is so expensive. … I think it’d have really, really changed my college experience.”
sg409809@ohiou.edu
