Kristen Patrick
Kristen Patrick, 22, a recent graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor's of science degree in biology, has what she calls "a miracle." Patrick has walked away with that piece of paper that every college student, at one point or another, can't wait to receive. Debt free and no financial burden resting on her shoulders after four years of living away from home, has provided her a valuable experience. From buying groceries, washing her own laundry to partying, financial budgeting has been no obstacle for her.
"I'm very fortunate to have my parents helping me these past four years," Patrick said. "My tuition was paid by Florida pre-paid, and my 100 percent bright futures money went to all of my other expenses and priorities."
To supplement for some of her other expenses, she has worked for the past three summers as a lifeguard for the city of Gainesville. At a pay rate of eight dollars per hour, Patrick says it's not a whole lot of money working between 20-40 hours per week, but it's at lest something and covers some of my social needs.
According to Patrick, an estimated budget including rent, groceries, gas and social living, equates to nearly a thousand dollars per month. Rent-$500, groceries-$150, and social living-$150.
While having the luxury of not having to worry too frequently about money as an undergraduate student, Patrick looks forward to being a future medical student at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton this upcoming fall.
"I know I'm going to have to take out huge loans for grad school, but this is something that I've always wanted to do since I became a college student. I know it's going to be tough, but I'm sure it will pay off when I'm finally done."
Jose Blondet
Going away to college can be the experience of a lifetime for some, but for others it's a stressful time weighed down by heavy stress and expenses. Jose Blondet, 21, has experienced first-hand what it means to finance a four-year degree.Jose began working at the age of 15 when he was a sophomore in high school and hasn't stopped working since. From working odd jobs to his current position of staff manager at Hollister Outfitters Company in Gainesville, money has always been the driving factor. When the time came to transfer from Sante Fe College to the University of Florida, he knew his finances would become more of an issue. Having lost his father to cancer his sophomore year of high school, Jose and his mother were left to live by themselves. His mother was still establishing documentation in the United States,having recently immigrated from Columbia and as time would show, could not receive a job until Jose was in his senior year of high school. This misfortune forced Jose and his mother to live off of their savings for two years, almost completely depleting their bank account.
Jose always knew that he wanted to attend UF and would do so as a transfer. The only financial assistance he received from his mother would be one year worth of rent money during his freshman year. From that point on, everything else was up to him.
"I'm very lucky to have 75 percent bright futures and a $1,000 pell grant per semester," Jose said. "Without it I don't know where I would be today. It's allowed me to finally make it here to UF."
As a transfer student, Jose experienced some troubling obstacles due to his mother living out of state in North Carolina, the university demanded out-of-state tuition because his mother had claimed him on her taxes. Jose was fortunate enough to repeal his mother's tax form and file as independent, having been living in Florida for two years, allowing him to reap the benefits of in-state-tuition.
Expenses such as rent, groceries and gas take up most of Jose's income. Not much is left for a social life. Jose's expense list is roughly $700 per month. Rent-$480 Gas-$60 Groceries-$150 Social-$20 (yes, only $20)
"I plan on graduating this year with roughly six to eight thousand dollars in debt," he said. "I've worked hard and hopefully it pays off." As he looked down at his over-washed, navy blue polo shirt, Jose said that all he wants is to walk out of UF, find a job and finally be able to buy myself some new clothes."
Amber Blose
Four years: The amount of time is takes to earn a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida. Four years is also the amount of time that it will take Amber Blose, 22, to rack up $26,000 in debt for her degree. She will reach that point in the summer of 2013.
Blose, an advertising junior in the College of Journalism and Communications, has her hands full with budgeting her money to survive her last year of schooling. She disclosed her financial burdens 30 minutes before her shift at work began.
Blose is concerned that she may not be able to complete her senior year of classes due to a lack of funds.
"My biggest challenge has been explaining my financial situation to the school," Blose said.
Because her parents make too much money, she is not qualified to receive pell grants to assist her with the financial burden of attending a university. Her parents are unable to provide any financial assistance due to their own financial obligations, which puts added stress on Blose.
"The system is stopping me from getting the money that I need," Blose said. "My parents claim me as a dependent on their taxes, but they can't give me any money for school. On paper it looks like I have all of this help from home, but I just don't."
A non-recipient of the Bright Futures Scholarship, Blose has lived on Stafford loans and hard work for the last three years.
"I worked at Ruby Tuesdays for three years, and I was putting in 35 to 40 hours a week while going to school," Blose said.
She now works 20 to 30 hours per week at Texas Roadhouse to make enough money for living expenses and her education.
Approaching her last year of school, the university has informed her that she has taken out the maximum amount of loans that are available to her.
"Right now I owe close to $800 for summer B classes, and I don't know how I'll pay for next years classes if I can't get any loan money," Blose said. "They've been giving me $1,000 less each semester because I'm so close to my loan cap."
Blose said her financial woes have affected her social life more than anything. "I physically cannot go out."
If there is one thing that Blose has taken from her experiences on her own, it's been how to budget. "I have to budget, and I had to learn how to budget to the bare minimum," Blose said. "I pretty much eat just Cherrios and Ramen Noodles."
Toni Fain
After tuition and books were paid for each semester, Toni Fain, 23, had roughly $5,000 to put in her pocket. Fain, a recent graduate of the University of Florida's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, considers herself one of the luckiest college students she knows.
As a freshman at UF, Fain was a first generation college student and a recipient of the Florida Opportunity Scholarship.
"They paid for my schooling and even gave me extra money for living expenses," Fain said. Not only did Fain receive the opportunity scholarship, but her dedication and hard work in high school landed her the Bright Futures Scholarship at 100 percent.
"Between the scholarship and extra money I received about $16,000 a year that I didn't have to pay back," Fain said.
Fain received her money for a reason though.
"My mom had no money to give me for school, so I depended on what the university gave me," Fain said. "If my mom went to college, I wouldn't have been able to receive the Opportunity Scholarship. When it came to college, it was almost a blessing that my mom didn't have any money because I was able to survive on the money the university gave me, and I don't have to pay any of it back."
Since she was a sophomore at UF, Fain has been employed by Perkins Family Restaurant & Bakery. Starting out she worked roughly 25 hours per week for extra spending money. Now, Fain works 30 to 40 hours a week to pay for living expenses.
"Now that I don't get loan money I have to work a lot more and budget my money better," Fain said. "Each week I put away a certain amount of money for upcoming expenses, and I try to spend money on the things that are necessary, not necessarily what I want at the moment."
While in college, Fain was able to decompress by going out with her friends. Now that she has graduated, that isn't always the case.
"When I was in college I went out a lot," Fain said. "Probably four times a week, which cost me about $200."
She no longer has the desire or the money to go out and spend.
"There were times that I didn't get to eat," Fain said. "I wanted to enjoy my college years, and not spend the whole four years cooped up in a classroom. I wasn't not going to go out. I'm just so glad that I'm not there anymore."
Kaitlin Callan
Kaitlin Callan admits to having expensive taste in clothing. Her favorite pair of Miss Me jeans cost nearly $200 and she never thought twice about her shopping habits before college. Now, she works as much as 35 hours per week to subsidize her bills and school expenses, and her lavish shopping trips have been eliminated altogether.
"I know it will be worth it when I get my degree, but life right now has come down to nothing but the bare essentials," Callan said.
Callan's self-employed parents are unable to provide her with assistance, except for rent, and the rest is paid for by a Florida Pre-paid fund that her grandparents purchased when she was born.
"If it weren't for pre-paid, I don't know where I'd be right now," Callan admits. "You'd think with my tuition and rent paid for, it would be pretty easy to come up with the rest of what I need, on my own. But I work my tail off and still find that I'm just getting by."
Callan estimates she will graduate with less than $10,000 in loan debt because of the help of her family and extended family, but knows that her budget will have to remain tight. She credits the lifestyle change as a "humbling experience" in her life. "It will be a long while 'til I'm in a position to go buy designer clothes again."
Andrew McConville
Andrew McConville, 18, is the oldest of five siblings, two of whom were adopted. He is accustomed to living in a crowded household, but now he lives amongst hundreds of others as a freshman in the Beaty Towers residential hall at the University of Florida."Putting five kids through college is pretty much impossible on a middle-class income, if it wasn't for my grants, there is absolutely no way I'd be able to go to UF, or any college."
McConville's education is made possible by a 100 percent Bright Futures Scholarship and Pell Grant he received based on his large family and fixed income.
"I'm so thankful for my financial aid, but I still have to watch my spending."
Even with tuition and housing paid for, his family has little disposable income to help him pay for everyday expenses. He doesn't have a car or extra spending money for things like fast food.
"This experience so far has taught me how to take advantage of things like free food on campus and public transportation."
According to McConville, the biggest factors in his budgeting include transportation to and from him hometown, books and groceries.