Motivation to Succeed: Paying your own way through college

Cherish Weiler

While many parents pay for their child’s college expenses, few recognize the benefits of allowing students to take on the financial responsibilities that come with a college education. Parents nowadays try to provide their child with a financial cushion, eliminating any financial stress and allowing the student to focus on school work. However, students who do not receive parental help and instead are forced to pay their way through college are more responsible and more motivated to succeed. The stress that comes with bearing the financial burden of college expenses can have a positive effect by encouraging students to succeed in school.

Many parents feel obligated to pay for their child’s higher education. Perhaps their college education was paid for in full and they want to do the same for their child. Or maybe parents worked and paid for their college education and feel their child should not burdened with loans and resulting debt. Regardless of the reason, parents are not obligated to pay for their child’s college education and are doing to them a disfavor by failing to prepare them for real-life responsibilities. When students receive a free ride in college, they are more likely to retake classes and not focus on their studies. As David Mitchell says, “Many people I have known failed to invest sufficient effort in their college educations because they have not had a stake in it.” He goes on to explain that the students who worked through college, holding jobs to pay for tuition and other expenses, performed better in their studies and were more successful upon graduation. Students who pay for college understand that every time they miss a class or fail a class, they are losing money they earned themselves. This alone motivates them to attend classes and earn top grades that can help them qualify for scholarships and other financial aid. While a free college education is a gift many students want, the reality is that holding a job through college drives students to succeed not only in their academics but in life after college. As Yuwanda Black summarizes, “A college degree is less about a degree than a sense of dedication, a drive, a purpose, a sense of achievement.”


College Academics:
Holding Down A Job In College