Once a student has decided to pursue a degree or diploma at a university or college, the struggle to find cash begins.
University tuition, for example, costs in the range of $5,000 to $8,000 per year for a typical undergraduate program at a Canadian university, a figure that might seem reasonable. But the total costs to study per year, including residence, books, food and additional fees, is in the range of $17,000 to $20,000 for the eight-month school year. That does not include new clothes, a computer and other expenses for items they might need to succeed as a student. And if the student is the type who easily blasts through money, eating dinners at restaurants and hitting the slopes of Whistler, the cost per year will, of course, be much, much higher.
For a four-year undergraduate degree, costs can easily be $80,000 or more per student – and many will need further funding to pursue a second degree or diploma and specialize in a field.
At Quest University in Squamish, the financial situation for students can be even more challenging. The typical cost is about $45,000 per year, reflecting the full cost as a private institution without government subsidies.
It’s an astonishing amount for a student to try to raise, but the shock is that some students, despite their low earning power, manage to achieve it with little help from their parents or loans. They do this by working four solid months every summer and taking jobs during the school year as well, and seeking out scholarships for which they are eligible. Every $1,000 helps, and the need for funding seems endless during student years.
They scrape by and their general spending goes down as their study time goes up. It’s hard to spend much money when you’re in your dorm room, studying for hours on end, or in classes, learning with fellow students. Where things go off the rails is during free time, when there is time to go to restaurants or bars. Full-time students with jobs, fortunately, have very little free time.
Students who have to earn most of their own funding are resourceful, focussed and organized – exactly the type of person who will succeed later in life, and that’s not even counting what they have learned in classes. But during the university years, you can’t help but feel a little sorry for them, as they study and work alongside those from wealthy families whose parents foot the bill.
Good luck to all students starting their school years this week. As you demonstrate, it takes more than luck to achieve goals.
– Editor Christine Endicott
