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College Connect: Being a Broke College Student

By Reann Huber

Having gone through three years of college, I have seen just about every type of student that likes to designate themselves as a “broke” college student. They might not have received as big of a paycheck because they missed a few shifts while preparing for a test, or had to spend a little extra on textbooks for the semester. However, many students have never actually faced what it is like to be broke for majority of their college careers.

Coming from a single-parent home where my parent is also pursuing a college degree, I have been designating myself as a broke college student ever since I started school in 2014. Each academic year has been filled with loan and scholarship applications, and knowing that money would be tight day-in and day-out.

College has taught me that you really need to figure out how to handle your money before heading out to the real world, whether you like it or not. I’ve worked different part-time jobs, hopping my way around to make sure I have a little money left over after all the bills are paid. It’s been challenging and rewarding, and it makes me feel a little more prepared than those who have their parents fund the majority of their expenses without the student working.

I can consider myself lucky by not going completely off the deep end with my finances. I have avoided credit card debt and tried to keep my student loans to a minimum. I am completely aware that things could be worse.

Many college students at some point or another will hit a low point, and just inherently know that they are broke. To all those working from paycheck to paycheck who resonate with my definition of a broke college student, I am right there with you.

Reann Huber is a journalism major at the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

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