As a college student, I know that I am not the best person to ask for money. Despite working during the summer and possibly during Winter Break, I know that as soon as the spring semester starts on the 14th of January, I will be using more money to accommodate my needs. This semester, I used money to pay for the essentials but that was about it. I did a lot of fund raising for the causes that I am in including my Spring Break trip to North Carolina for Habitat. In the spring, I think that I will have to use more money. Let me break it down so I can get a personal account of how much it will take to accommodate me for the spring semester.
Books- I will have to purchase a lot of books for the spring semester. I am guessing anywhere between 25 and 30 books. Hopefully, the amount is a lot less. However, as a history major, I generally see between 4 to 6 books a class. These books are usually small books that pertain to a particular section of the course. For example, in my Making of Britain class which covers prehistory in Britain to the reign of William and Anne, I bought a book that talked specifically about the life of Queen Elizabeth. Usually, I have to purchase a major textbook and three to five smaller texts to follow the class. Hopefully, I can purchase all of the books in one sweep that I can get this part of the money for the semester out of the way.
Dues- I am not looking forward to paying dues of any sort. This is one of the many sacrifices I have to make as a member of a fraternity. I wish dues were not so high. Dues are important though for all of the activities I want to do.
Conferences to which I have not paid for- This category is kind of sketchy because I am juggling between two conferences at the same time. One is the NACA conference and the other is the Jubilee conference. I am interested in both and both have their own pros and cons. For the NACA conference, a pro would be that I can see more acts to bring for OWU in addition to attending a free conference. The con for NACA would be that I will be gone for 5-6 days and missing a good portion of my classes. Most of my classes are one day a week seminars in which attendance is a crucial factor to the overall grade and the other classes with the exception of one is two days a week (the two days Tuesday and Thursday I will be missing the classes). Honestly, I don't feel like I want to negotiate with teachers about why I will be missing that much class time. I don't believe the reason will be legitimate enough to explain that I need an extension on a paper. For the Jubilee conference, a pro would be leaving OWU on Friday and returning on Sunday. This way, I don't have to miss any classes (I don't think I will). On the con side, I will need to register and spend another 220 dollars for conference fees and lodging in a nice hotel. I need some time to decide which one will be more beneficial to me in my growth academically and otherwise. Can I truly afford to miss a week of class or can I truly afford to miss more money in my checking account. Only time will tell- hopefully, I will know my decision before the Winter Break ends.
Food and clothes- Even though I will probably bring with me an emergency care basket loaded with Chef Boy-R-Dee products and healthy snacks, I will eventually run out of this. I will need money to buy more food. I can always make food at my fraternity house but sometimes, I want to treat a person on a night out in Delaware or better yet, in Easton or Polaris. I need the additional funds to do so (nice restaurant suggestion anyone). For clothes, I like to style and profile. It is true that I bought a ton of clothes before I went back to OWU for the fall semester; however, I may need some clothes before Spring Break because there are many big events after I come back from Break that I want to be looking fresh for. One season is not enough for my tastes, I need clothes that represent every season. I know that I don't have to have any new clothes and that this is a miscellaneous category but I am just throwing it out there.
My account bill- This is where a good portion of the money will go. I received a reminder in my school mailbox- seven hundred and fifty dollars. I wish my scholarships would be of greater amount- then again, I wish that my grades were a bit higher to accommodate more scholarship dollars. I am still reeling that my Ohio Choice was cut almost in half. I am still filing for scholarships, still looking for that extra boost for financial stability. I know that I will get another reminder of the money that is due for the school before I arrive on campus. I am blessed that I have scholarships to cover half of the bill and that I have the sufficient funds to pay for the remaining portion even if I have to take out a loan or two. I guess it stinks because I am still strapped for cash.
Other miscellaneous things- As always, there will be other things that I need money for. If I want to buy items when I am away from OWU, I will need money. Hopefully, I will have enough sources to get money.
Normally, my dad will pay for half of everything that I have mentioned on the list. For this, I am fortunate. In some households of people that I know, the only person that is paying for these things is the person who is actually going to the college. I have to find ways to pay for college. Last semester, I had an on campus job working for Debra Lamp and Student Involvement. The pay was not bad and I got along with everyone. Currently, I am searching for other options- maybe the Historian will take me if there are any openings remaining after Break. I like a nice change in scenery even if I have to travel to Elliot Hall in the cold and walk up four flights of stairs to get to the Historian office. I need the money to pay for the spring semester just like most OWU students. I am just venting where the issues of financial assistance lie and how each area affects me financially. I just hope that my accrued interest on my Sallie Mae loan was not built up too much... that would be a pain to deal with in the summer when I return to my job at Parker-Hannifin. I figure that I will be alright for the spring semester. If not, I will scrounge up a way to find cash to help myself out temporarily. Money is always on this college student mind.
Looking for sources of financial production,
Hasani Wheat
Class of '10
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