We Both Had Meaningful Work
This summer, I stayed over with my friend in his apartment in the Upper East Side. We went out to eat at a nice restaurant, which he paid for. My friend, who was not on financial aid, explained that he was working at some gallery that was paying him peanuts, around $25 a day. That summer, I was working at a place up in the middle of the woods in New Hampshire. That place, which was a great time, paid $8 an hour, minus room and board, giving me around $150 a week. I barely spent any money that summer, except when we would buy junk food in town maybe once a week, and still did not make enough to cover the student income contribution. Luckily for me, my parents had some extra money left over, so they were able to cover the missing ~1000 or so. At the same time my friend was living in New York, making a bit less than I did, but still being able to go out for dinner most nights. He could have no money trouble with money, making less and spending more. Even though I worked the whole summer, I still had to rely on my parents to pay part of the “Student” Income contribution. Me and my friend both had meaningful work, the supposed goal of the Student Income Contribution. All the Contribution did was unfairly burden me and my family.
