This isn't something I should have to do
Financial aid at Yale has been a struggle for me for almost 8 semesters now. Their practices and financial aid letters are completely opaque and make understanding my financial aid package difficult for both me and my family. Especially since my family primarily speaks Spanish and the only speak enough English to get by at work. I’ve had to first figure out my own financial aid letter, then translate the letter to Spanish. That puts an extra burden on me to figure out financial aid in two languages and explain it to my parents. Being a first generation college student makes this even harder since I’m not only translating language, but also experience. An experience I’m still figuring out. Beyond this, I’ve also needed to hold several jobs at once all throughout my time at Yale. While I’ve figured out how to juggle 3-4 jobs a semester, this isn’t something I should have to do. I can’t even fully enjoy jobs I would otherwise enjoy because I know I’m working out of necessity rather than out of interest in the work I do. Not to say I don’t find some of my work interesting, but to have that constant worry of, “Do I have enough hours this week so I’m not completely broke,” is tiring. Yale needs to step up!
