While summer is supposed to be when students rest and relax, I found myself worrying about covering rent and other expenses for my final year attending university.
Everyone knows college is expensive. During my time attending the public school system, the idea of attending college was always being planted in our minds by teachers, but they never told us how much it would really cost, let alone how we were going to pay for it.
Something I never even considered was how much the cost of living would be attending college.
According to research published by the College Board, in the 2023-24 year, the average cost of a full-time in-state student at a four-year university was $11,260. That is just tuition, and only covers one of four years. The average cost of housing and food for students during that same year was $12,770.
That brings me to one of the biggest myths about college life: the idea that summer is our time off. In reality, most of us spend it scrambling to earn just enough to make it through the next semester.
Now in my fifth year, I would argue that the real cost concern of college isn’t just tuition, it’s also the rising cost of simply staying alive. For many students, it’s the first time we are living on our own, and at times, we feel that financial pressure. Rent, utilities, groceries and a night out with friends all adds up, quite quickly, I may add.
Not to mention, some students need internships in order to graduate, which are commonly offered in the summer and can be unpaid depending on the opportunity.
This past summer, I spent most of my days working with my uncle, helping him with scratch and paint repairs on vehicles at various car dealerships around Northern Michigan. The work was physical, repetitive and often meant being out in the heat for hours, moving from lot to lot.
On top of that, whenever I had the time, I was helping my parents out as they moved into a new house. That itself was a time-consuming process that added to the physical and mental exhaustion of the summer.
Between work and family obligations, the months flew by in a blur of early mornings and sore muscles. Every paycheck I earned, I mentally filed away, knowing it had to stretch from August to May. That pressure to make every dollar count meant I found myself turning down plans with friends and skipping out on things I would normally enjoy just to save a bit more.
It created this constant tension like I couldn’t really relax, even when I had the time. There’s a mentality many college students adopt: save, save and save because you don’t know what expense is around the corner. But living that way for months, especially during what’s supposed to be a break from academic stress, takes a toll.
I feel like I am going into the new semester already burnt out, not from school, but from the effort it took just to afford to be there. I know I am not alone.
For so many students across the country, the burden of college doesn’t stop at tuition. It follows us home, it eats into our summers and it shapes the way we live our lives. Financial stress has become a constant companion for many college students, often impacting our mental health, academic performance and even our ability to enjoy the college experience.
I see it firsthand from my circle as well. Friends skipping meals cause they already bought groceries, passing on internships cause they couldn’t afford the commute or taking on so many hours at a part-time job that they fall behind in class. What should be a time of learning, growth and exploration often turns into a survival game. And when students are starting their semesters already burned out, it’s a sign that something is deeply wrong with the way we’re expected to afford higher education.
College is supposed to be an investment in our future but too often, it feels like we’re sacrificing the present just to stay enrolled. When students are working full-time over summer break just to keep a roof over their heads, and still coming up short, something has to give.
It’s time we expand the conversation around college affordability beyond just tuition and start talking about the full cost of being a student. Until then, summers won’t be breaks for us college students. They’ll just be another season of survival.