Students Helping Students To Alleviate The Hidden Costs Of College

By Yanelle Cruz Bonilla  | Forbes

Imagine having missed your last few meals: your stomach is rumbling, you’re hungry, but you have to take a final college exam. Would you be able to concentrate fully? Well, that’s the reality 1 in 10 community college students face. What’s more, a report released by Temple University and the Wisconsin HOPE Lab found that 36% of students suffer from food insecurity while in school.

Unfortunately, hunger is not the only hidden cost associated with higher education that students face. The report also found that 46% of community college students and 36% of university students struggle to pay for housing and utilities. Additionally, about 12% of community college students struggle with homelessness at the same time they are trying to earn a degree.

Access to things we may take for granted—such as food, money for laundry, and appropriate clothes for an interview—can severely diminish a student’s college experience. Some are forced to grapple with stressful situations like having to choose between spending money on a meal or buying a bus ticket to attend class. Many have to work full-time jobs while enrolled in school to make ends meet. Despite these financial burdens, many community college students are resilient and have found ways to address them.

Read the rest of the story here, and about Century College’s role in helping students.