Give me a break
In my senior year of high school, I remember sitting at my kitchen reading a Yale brochure and thinking that the school’s financial aid policy sounded like a dream come true. My mom is a teacher and my dad is a small business owner. I have been very lucky to grow up comfortably upper-middle class. But, the prospect of paying for me and my sister’s college tuitions loomed really large for my family. The promise of 100% of our demonstrated financial need covered by Yale sounded incredible.
Today, I have a lot of issues with Yale’s financial aid policy because it does not uphold this promise that it makes to students. Yes, Yale made it possible for me to come here, an experience which I will always be incredibly grateful for. However, my family fought tooth-and-nail for months to access financial aid because of the way Yale values businesses. The student income contribution is just another example of Yale breaking its promise to students by forcing them to “contribute” income that Yale should have – and easily could have - provided via financial aid. On top of that, it literally makes no sense: Yale pays me…so I can pay them? Just so Yale can tell donors that students are “hardworking” and value the cost of their education? Give me a break – Yale can communicate that to their donors without compelling students to work 20 hours a week.
I have personally been lucky with the student income contribution. I am lucky that my family is in a secure financial position. I am lucky that my parents are always willing to provide for me. I am lucky that I work campus jobs that I enjoy. I am lucky that I have been able to pursue unpaid internships instead of working summer jobs. Many students do not have these privileges. For myself, and even more so for others, the SIC presents a barrier of access to time, opportunity, well-being, enrichment, and financial security.
I’m not against the existence of student employment – I love working and know many others who do, too. I just think that whether you choose to have a job and what you do with your earnings should be up to you, not dictated by your family’s economic situation. Yale has more than enough funds to cover the SIC. The fact that it doesn’t is downright disrespectful to its students.
Today, I have a lot of issues with Yale’s financial aid policy because it does not uphold this promise that it makes to students. Yes, Yale made it possible for me to come here, an experience which I will always be incredibly grateful for. However, my family fought tooth-and-nail for months to access financial aid because of the way Yale values businesses. The student income contribution is just another example of Yale breaking its promise to students by forcing them to “contribute” income that Yale should have – and easily could have - provided via financial aid. On top of that, it literally makes no sense: Yale pays me…so I can pay them? Just so Yale can tell donors that students are “hardworking” and value the cost of their education? Give me a break – Yale can communicate that to their donors without compelling students to work 20 hours a week.
I have personally been lucky with the student income contribution. I am lucky that my family is in a secure financial position. I am lucky that my parents are always willing to provide for me. I am lucky that I work campus jobs that I enjoy. I am lucky that I have been able to pursue unpaid internships instead of working summer jobs. Many students do not have these privileges. For myself, and even more so for others, the SIC presents a barrier of access to time, opportunity, well-being, enrichment, and financial security.
I’m not against the existence of student employment – I love working and know many others who do, too. I just think that whether you choose to have a job and what you do with your earnings should be up to you, not dictated by your family’s economic situation. Yale has more than enough funds to cover the SIC. The fact that it doesn’t is downright disrespectful to its students.
