During her first year at U. Va., third-year College student Paula Andrea Bolivar trekked from Hereford Residential College to the Barracks Road Shopping Center every weekend, rain or shine.
Having arrived in Charlottesville with only $20 in her pocket and with no other source of income in sight, the Miami
native went out and secured a job at Old Navy on her second day at school.
Bolivar is part of the group of
often unnoticed University students responsible for paying their own tuition and expenses. While their peers enter college reveling in newfound freedoms, these students often are burdened with newfound responsibilities.
In addition to schoolwork, many juggle bill payments, loan applications, work schedules and budgets.
For most students who pay their own way through school, however, these responsibilities do not come as a big surprise.
Sandy McCarthy, another third-year College student, knew from adolescence she would be expected to pay for her university education. One of seven children, McCarthy said her parents could not afford to help her.
McCarthy began working at age 14 and "all of the money was put away with the intent of going to college," she said.
Amanda Singleton, a third-year Engineering student, also has been saving for school for a while.
"I always considered that I wanted more than anything to go to school so I saved for it," Singleton said.
She opened her own bank account when she was 12 to hold her college savings.
Both McCarthy and Singleton knew that with tuition coming from their own pockets, going to an out-of-state school was too costly a consideration.
The University provided them with a cost-effective solution.
Bolivar however, turned down a full scholarship to her home state school University of Florida to come to the University.
Despite the substantial expense, Bolivar believes the quality of education she will receive at the University will be worth her $18,500 out-of-state fees.
"When you say U.Va., so much goes into the title," Bolivar explained. "I thought that if I put so much effort into doing well in high school, I needed the opportunity to do the best I could at a prestigious school."
Bolivar believes that making her own tuition payments increases her appreciation for that prestigious education.
"If it's something you truly want, it doesn't matter how much it costs," she said. "I think the things we appreciate most are the things we work for."
Singleton agrees.
"I get a lot out of my education because I know it's something I'm working for," she said. "I know I'm the one working and that makes me more responsible."
McCarthy believes that paying her own way through school better prepares her for life after college when she is on her own.
All three have learned the importance of budgeting and time management.
During her first year, Bolivar took a full course load, worked two jobs, one on Grounds and one off, and still managed to volunteer with Madison House.
"You definitely have to allot your time accordingly and work around your schedule," she said.
McCarthy sets aside a specific amount of money to spend each week and always tries to remain within that set budget.
Often this budget forbids her from indulging in things most other students take for granted.
"Sometimes it's a little difficult to be able to say 'no' to dinner and Arch's," McCarthy admitted.
Because her ultimate goal is to cover tuition, financial considerations need to be factored into each decision McCarthy makes.
She dropped out of a sorority because "it wasn't giving me what I wanted for the money I was paying."
In order to lessen the pressure to work during the school year, Bolivar, Singleton and McCarthy all hold jobs when they return home.
Yet each says that in order to save as much as possible for the upcoming semesters, they are forced to work almost non-stop.
Vacations offer only more employment hours for these already hard-working students.
When at home, "I feel like it's hard to relax; I'm constantly thinking about work," McCarthy said. "It would be nice to not have to worry about working."
In addition to pre-college savings and jobs, students paying their own tuition often rely heavily on government grants, scholarships and loans.
Unlike grants and scholarships, loans must be paid back and with loan payments looming, post-graduation pressure for a job dramatically increases.
McCarthy must begin paying back her student loans six months after she graduates in May 2004.
In comparison to others, McCarthy acknowledges that she has little time to waste when college ends.
"With me, I need money coming in within six months or else I don't know how to pay off my loans," McCarthy said.
The recent tuition hikes have increased those loan debts and heightened the worry.
With the 9 percent rise in in-state tuition, Singleton had to take out a government loan for the first time this year.
Should tuition increase again, she expects to increase that loan.
And although Bolivar's grant recently increased due to family circumstances, if tuition increased again, she would have to go even deeper into debt.
Without taking into consideration any further tuition hikes, Bolivar already expects to be $20,000 in debt by the time she leaves school in 2004.
The stress of finding immediate employment has made Singleton more aware of the need to get valuable experience and aid while here at the University.
"I made the choice to work for a professor to get direction and credentials now so that I can get a job later," she said.
Singleton currently works as a research assistant in the Engineering School.
Although Singleton gets both experience and pay from her on-Grounds research post, McCarthy believes she must choose between the two in making plans for this coming summer.
She is considering an internship that would provide much-needed business experience, but no financial compensation.
"Do I work for money or for experience?" is McCarthy's rhetorical question. "I need the money to pay for school, but after graduation I need something on my resume," she said.
Although resume building may fall second to financial pressures, McCarthy and other students who bear full financial responsibility for their schooling,enter the working world with much more experience budgeting their resources.
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