By Tammy Ko
The Covid-19 pandemic has left many college students in terror and devastation.
CNBC published this article, “How Coronavirus dramatically changed college for over 14 million students.” As it says in the title, The coronavirus has left millions in state of terror and confusion.
Georgetown professor Bryan Alexandr said, “To date (March, 2020) at least 1,102 colleges and universities in the U.S. have closed their due to coronavirus, choosing to move classes online.”
It’s June now, imagine the increase of the schools and students that were affected. Also, the coronavirus has not just affected students, it has affected everyone.
The facts of Covid-19 are devastating. Instead of lurking around and just focusing on the negatives, I changed my perspective to look for the positive.
By living at home instead of my apartment, I saved $500 a month. As a college student that is looking toward graduation, I have become very familiar with enjoying my space and living away from home.
But this too was the shocking component of moving to college. How much it cost to maintain me – living cost, food costs, medical costs and uncategorized emergency costs. Who knew being alive would be this EXPENSIVE!!!
Because I had a lease, I couldn’t save on the apartment. But I did save on categories like groceries, going to the gym and driving my car around campus or for reporting.
Sarah, student at a private college in NY, her first year took out $20,000 in loans to pay for not her tuition, but for room and board! It’s often common for students to use loan money for housing. Ever wondered why there’s a category in your scholarships or loans, “can be used for housing and necessities.”
Though, I fully understand that savings can look differently depending on the individual circumstances. I was personally very fortunate to have a place to go after my school changed online. Enjoying the comfort of my couch for classes instead of a stiff chair in auditoriums and eating dinners that were warm instead of cold pizza and most saved lots and lots on gas. But there’s 14 million of us and many graduates have been ripped of their dreams to get a job after graduation.
The past 11 weeks from June, there have been 42 million unemployment insurance claims. Indicating this war is not over.
Finance, business and general Covid-19 related facts are devastating every day and might be for who knows how long. But we can overcome it possibly together, by focusing on the small positives of having a roof on top of our heads and eating warm food. Who knows focusing on the little things you might be an inventor marked in history!
Tammy Ko is a graduating senior at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
