What It Looks Like to be a University Student from a Low Income Family

Do not get me wrong, being a college student is a privilege.

If people in poverty can find a way to get there and make it work, I encourage them to do so if they believe it is something they want to do.

This post is to share what it has meant for me, what it has meant for some of my friends, and what I know it can mean for other people.

This post was inspired by an article I read in the Michigan Daily about a scholarship my school is providing for students that come from families that make $65,000 and less (Click Here or Here for more info on this from the University of Michigan).

The article talked about students' family income at my school and a study from The Equality of Opportunity Project with some interesting results.

About 10% of the students at the University of Michigan come from families that are in the top 1% of income earners in the United States.
About 66% of the students at the University of Michigan come from families that are in the top 20% of the income earners.
The average family income of students at the University of Michigan is $154,000.
About 10% of the students (3,000) come from families that make less than $65,000 and qualify for the Go Blue Guarantee.

My classmates had MONEY. Now I am not from a wealthy family, but God has always made a way for me. So here are a few things that I think of when I think about my experience as a low income college student. I am not a financial advisor. I am actually the last person to help someone with money issues, so be aware.

Applying for scholarships- I applied to any and every scholarship I could find. Ones that my counselor sent me, ones at the community foundation, ones through my school, ones on weird websites that I knew I probably was not going to get. I was fine with the idea of taking out loans, but the less loans the better. I am in my last semester of undergrad with no loans, so I would say this was successful for me. I also did well in school and did many extracurricular activities.
Money making my decision- I really was fine with taking out loans. I applied to maybe 12 colleges (some art college, some universities, a community college, and 3 out of state colleges). I was accepted into all the college and what defined where I went was two things: opportunities and money. Michigan gave me all the money to go, no loans, and would allow me to be both an art student and a science student. I applied to the University of Michigan twice (LSA and the Stamps Art School). I decided to just do LSA for science but it gave me comfort knowing that if I did want to transition to art instead, I could do it at the same college. I wouldn’t have that option if I went to an art school.
Frequent financial aid visits- I went to the financial aid office every semester. I didn’t really NEED to but I just wanted to make sure I didn’t owe anybody money. If you owe money at the end of the semester, they won’t let you register for classes. I also went when I had questions. What is work study? Can I get financial aid in the summer? What should I budget for housing (when I was looking for off campus apartments)? These are the closest people I have to financial advisors.
Too proud to ask for help- Many people that go to a good college and struggle in classes are too proud to ask for help because they never needed help in high school. Ask. No need to stress yourself out, especially if there are ways you can get free tutoring. This is not about tutoring though. When I needed money, I was too proud to ask for help. I wanted to say I did all of this on my own. Now people giving me money is another situation. I would gladly take money offered to me, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable asking for money.
Too poor to get help- And this is why I did not ask. No point in asking for something when you know it does not exist. I did not want to put financial pressure on my family when money is already an issue. Life could be worse for me so sucking it up makes me feel better than taking money from my family.

Struggle of going home- When I left, my brother took my room, which is fine. This just means that I go home to not having an area of my own. I also go home to no wifi, making it difficult to do homework. Home can also be stressful.
I didn’t go home because…Sometimes I don’t go home because I feel like it is a burden for my mom to have to drive the same distance 4 times just to get me. Sometimes I don’t go home because my job is open during break and it is a time for me to earn money while I have no homework to worry about.
Sibling’s perceptions- Your siblings think you are rich because you live on your own.
Sending money home- Some of my friends work VERY hard so that they can send money home to their family and help pay bills.
Moving sucks- Moving sucks because I do not have a car. Constantly relying on people to help you move is difficult, especially since you move a lot in college.
Laundry- Laundry cost. And the washers and dryers are always broken. And my family didn’t have a dryer so doing laundry at home would mean going to the laundromat, which I could just do at college.

Empty fridge- Currently mine has 2 eggs, 5 pieces of cheese, and jelly. Grocery shopping cost money, and like I said before, is difficult when you do not have a car. Then you just go out to eat (if you can). Spending more money. A cycle.
Eating sleep- Because sometimes you can’t afford to buy food so you decide to go to sleep early instead.
No car- This makes it more difficult to do mundane things like shopping and fun things like roller skating. Busses exist but waiting and being in the cold is not fun.
Missed opportunities- I almost did not study abroad because I didn’t think I could afford to go. No spring break trips. No vacations. You’re staying home unless you do alternative spring break or save up. Im applying to interviews for grad school now and I have to opt to do a Skype interview instead for many because going to these places cost money. Skype is fine but it is harder to see if this is a place you want to be at based on the internet and a 2 hour Skype session with a few people.
I can’t go out because…Finding excuses as to why you can’t go out because your wealthier friends wouldn’t understand what having no money looks like.
Events with free food- You in there. Every time. I believe if you really tried, you can find an event every day that has food.

Taking out loans- Some people have to do it just to get by/ pay the high rent on campus.
Not knowing how to spend money-It is hard knowing how to spend money correctly when you never had money.
Not knowing how to save money-It really is an art. I could have saved. I could have had cheaper housing too. If I could go back I would get a cheaper apartment so I could save.
Breaking even-Every semester I end with $0. It is kind of funny to me honestly. I always have just enough.
Selling textbooks- You buy $400 textbooks and sell them back to the university for $4. So then you either try to sell them to other students on your own or trade books with your friends.
Strange student employment offers-One of them says you can sell your eggs for a bunch of money. Very tempting. Very weird. I didn’t do this. I do not know anyone who openly did this either.

Working and school- Many low income students work in school. This also helps you get job experience so that when you get out of college, you have even more marketable skills and experiences. It is difficult to balance school and work, depending on the job, the hours, and the amount of homework you have. I liked working while being in school because I met new people but be cautious of what you spend your time doing because it is taking away from school. Desk jobs are even better, where you can do homework. Find a mix of flexibility, good pay, meaningful work, great people, and and not chaotic all the time so you can get work done, or even just study a little.
Future pay perception- Thinking about pay for future careers, I just have very low expectations. If my mom made $X with three kids, then that should be enough for me by myself. No. My perspective on money is very skewed. I think a little is a lot and I am afraid of a lot. I don’t understand what people do with so much money. This is very complex since where you live matter, what your lifestyle is like, government assistance, and other things goes into this but I just find it interesting.

If you have similar experiences, want to add your perspectives, or have a different take on the things I commented on, leave a comment!