Odd Hours
I come from a low-income, single-parent household, and though I am incredibly grateful for the generous financial aid Yale provides that funds my education, I am keenly aware that Yale’s financial aid policies do not bridge socioeconomic barriers as well as they claim to.
As a chemistry major, I have come to understand that it is extremely difficult to accomplish the independent research requirement of the major effectively while taking lab classes and working a term-time job to cover the SIC. I am extremely lucky to have an outside fellowship fund my research this year, but without it, I would not be able to live a fulfilling academic life. For example, last semester, I had to juggle my research position with a working 5-6 hours a week in addition to a 5 hour/week lab course (as well as three other classes), and I realized that I was not gaining laboratory skills as quickly as I needed to because I could only come into work during odd hours. Last year, I would have liked to have a term-time research experience, but I had to work 7-8 hours a week to cover my student income contribution. I know many low-income students who are struggling to stay competitive in STEM or have already dropped it.
Yale does not seem to realize that for many low-income science majors, it is simply impossible to be competitive academically while working to pay the SIC. Student financial services claim that the SIC gives us “skin in the game,” in my education. Yet we low-income students have had to have an absurd amount of skin in the game just to make it here. I could also write at length about the long, confusing, and demoralizing process for putting up with the financial aid office’s inefficient and non-communicative systems. I know Yale can do better!
As a chemistry major, I have come to understand that it is extremely difficult to accomplish the independent research requirement of the major effectively while taking lab classes and working a term-time job to cover the SIC. I am extremely lucky to have an outside fellowship fund my research this year, but without it, I would not be able to live a fulfilling academic life. For example, last semester, I had to juggle my research position with a working 5-6 hours a week in addition to a 5 hour/week lab course (as well as three other classes), and I realized that I was not gaining laboratory skills as quickly as I needed to because I could only come into work during odd hours. Last year, I would have liked to have a term-time research experience, but I had to work 7-8 hours a week to cover my student income contribution. I know many low-income students who are struggling to stay competitive in STEM or have already dropped it.
Yale does not seem to realize that for many low-income science majors, it is simply impossible to be competitive academically while working to pay the SIC. Student financial services claim that the SIC gives us “skin in the game,” in my education. Yet we low-income students have had to have an absurd amount of skin in the game just to make it here. I could also write at length about the long, confusing, and demoralizing process for putting up with the financial aid office’s inefficient and non-communicative systems. I know Yale can do better!
