College student spending money....

[ellie05]

My dad gives my sister $400 a month for spending money.

 

[westjones]

I had no idea this thread was still going...haven't been getting notifications. But lots of good conversation here.

I know $10 seems low, but the college offers lots of activities that are free to students (paid for by their activity fees), so she has those things she can go to without cost (football games, Friday night movies at are 'second' run type movies, free bowling on Saturday nights, and many other events throughout the semester).

My husband works on campus so she stops in his office in the afternoon and picks up a water bottle and snacks that he keeps there.

She comes home for lunch every day and dinner at night.

So basically just wanting to give her the chance to go out to lunch with a friend once a week or something like that. If she orders water, she should be able to do that on $10.

I guess I want her to learn to be 'frugal' but also let her have a little fun. And for special occasions I would give her a little extra (like next week, the Christian group both girl joined is having a Barn dance for $5 a person, and I am going to give them each $5 for that).

And I do hope she can work all next summer. This past summer she had a job but they barely ever scheduled her, it was so frustrating...so she did a lot of volunteer work at church camp and helping a soccer team...but of course that didn't help her budget.

Our area doesn't have a lot of jobs, so that makes it hard.

So anyway, it is interesting reading everyone's response. Glad to know not everyone is working during college. I do think it is good, and she did look at jobs on campus but they seemed to be for the work study program and she didn't qualify for that.

She is working in a fund raiser this Saturday to help cover the cost of her one club she joined (picking up trash after the football game). So she is trying to help.....and we want to see that 'effort', but we also want to make sure that she can handle school.

In our last meeting at high school with the resource room they suggested we have her take a low class load and give her more time to complete her degree. And we agree with this. When it takes you twice as long to read as everyone else, you need to take a lighter load. But it is still a lot of work for her. But she seems to be doing OK so far. Just don't want to help her reach her goals.

Again...thanks everyone! Lots of good information here We are new to being college parents so it is nice to talk to others who have been through it.

 

[leahjade]

I might sound mean to you, but I don't give my college kids ANY spending money, and they have to work in the summer to contribute to their expenses

That's what we did for our kids. If they work all summer to get spending money for the school year, then they don't have to work during the semester and you don't have to worry about them not studying enough!

 

[IUTBAM]

My DD has a credit card from our Master Card account for her spending (even though she lives at home while attending college). She does have $$$ in her own checking accout, and she uses it for "fun expenses" (she doesn't go out much honestly though, and when she does, she doesn't spend much). We are more than happy to cover her expenses (even the fun ones...I often tell her to just use my CC to pay, and she usually protests...but I love being able to spoil her a little bit..nothing extravagent; she doesn't have extravagant taste) because she's a straight A student, extremely focused and responsible, and we don't want her to work...we want her to focus on her studies while she's in school. So, in summary, we'd give her whatever she needs, and are blessed that we are in a financial position to do so. She doesn't take advantage of it though...never has, and I can't imagine she ever will. She was raised in a frugal household (as was I), and has turned out to be more frugal than me (which I often tease her about).

 

[NJOYURLIFE]

My problem also is my girls are twins, only one has the learning disability, but if I give one money I will have to give the other money too. My other daughter has a job. The one did have a job, but we could see she needed to drop it.

Just trying to figure out this year.

I didn't get a chance to read through all the posts. But I wanted to share how I work it with my DD18 and DS17. DD18 is a freshman in college. She has learning disabilities and we really do not want her to work at all right now and just focus on school, at least this first semester and maybe the whole year. DS17 is a senior in high school.

My deal with my DS17 is that I will give him $30 a week as long as he gives me his entire paycheck for me to bank. He wants a car next year. Sometimes I get the shortend of the stick when his check doesn't cover the $30 a week, but it usually does and then some. $30 may seem like a lot, but it also includes his gas money (can't believe it is at $4 a gallon). Occasionally there have been times when he needed extra money like toward the end of the summer his friends went to an amusement park and did some other things. So I let him keep his paycheck, but I did not give an allowance that week. I think it is working really well because 1. he is saving his money for his goal and 2. even though his paychecks vary, he is learning how to work with a set amount each week. If it is gone by Monday, then he is short until Fri.

My DD18 gets the $30 allowance as long as she is not working and focusing on her studies. Next year will be different because she will be expected to get a summer job. She didn't have one this past summer because I asked her to help me with her younger sister which she did. If she shows that she can handle her studies and a job, then we will reconsider the situation.

It is tough being fair to both children when they are the same or close in age.

Anyway, just thought I would share what is working for us.

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

No, mandatory summer classes aren't a typical thing -- at least not for most majors. Some of the big-deal scholarships offer paid travel opportunities during the summer, but that's not really a widespread thing. My daughter is a nursing major, and she'll have a mandatory summer school class at the end of the summer before she begins her student nursing as a junior; however, it's a five-week course, leaving more than half the summer free.

Interesting. In most (maybe all, I'm not sure of the regulation) state of Florida public universities 9 credit hours of summer classes are required for graduation. It's a way to try to get students to graduate on time.

 

[westjones]

It is tough being fair to both children when they are the same or close in age.

Anyway, just thought I would share what is working for us.

Thanks for sharing what you guys are doing. That is a good idea. And yes, it is very tough being fair when they are in two different situations.

But it is good to hear how others are handling things to give us some ideas of what to do.

Today was their birthday, so for now, they both have some money, so we have a little time to figure this out.

 

[westjones]

Interesting. In most (maybe all, I'm not sure of the regulation) state of Florida public universities 9 credit hours of summer classes are required for graduation. It's a way to try to get students to graduate on time.

How can summer classes be required? Can't people take off a semester now and then and then pick back up, like if they wanted to work or do an internship or something?

Now here they are tried something new this year and discounted the summer tuition to try to get people to take courses then. But it isn't required.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

How can summer classes be required? Can't people take off a semester now and then and then pick back up, like if they wanted to work or do an internship or something?

Now here they are tried something new this year and discounted the summer tuition to try to get people to take courses then. But it isn't required.

Graduation on time rates are down so they are really pushing summer classes here as well. They did discounted courses but they are not required. What most people do not know is that in order to graduate in 4 years more than 12 credit hours per semester are going to need to be taken or summer school. My degree is 126 credit hours and each class is 3 credits. It has always been in the fine print but now they are pushing 4 years and out.

 

[Marionnette]

Graduation on time rates are down so they are really pushing summer classes here as well. They did discounted courses but they are not required. What most people do not know is that in order to graduate in 4 years more than 12 credit hours per semester are going to need to be taken or summer school. My degree is 126 credit hours and each class is 3 credits. It has always been in the fine print but now they are pushing 4 years and out.

Okay, so how many kids are out there paying full-time tuition and only taking 12 credits? None of my kids have ever taken such a light course load. Most semesters were 16-18 credits with a couple being as many as 20 credits! No wonder it's taking kids 5-6 years to complete a 4-year degree!

 

[punkin]

Okay, so how many kids are out there paying full-time tuition and only taking 12 credits? None of my kids have ever taken such a light course load. Most semesters were 16-18 credits with a couple being as many as 20 credits! No wonder it's taking kids 5-6 years to complete a 4-year degree!

I think the issue is being locked out of some required sequence classes due to overcrowding.

In any event, if you go in the summer, don't you have to pay extra? I'm not sure how this works because DH, my DD, and I all went to schools which did not count credits - only classes. So full time was 3-4 classes. You could get permission to take 5 if you had a good reason. If you took 4 classes each semester, you would graduate on time in 4 years.

DD is a double major, so she took some classes this summer (abroad) so she could graduate in 4 years anyway. We paid extra for the summer (or rather DD did - I only signed up for 4 years. Anything else is her responsibility).

 

[MrsPete]

I guess I want her to learn to be 'frugal' but also let her have a little fun.

That's my goal as well, and at this point I'm pleased with how my oldest daughter's doing.

How can summer classes be required? Can't people take off a semester now and then and then pick back up, like if they wanted to work or do an internship or something?

As a general rule of thumb, you're exactly right. Taking a semester or the summer off is a student's choice, not something dictated by the university. I remember one college friend who dropped out spring semester when her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer; she went home and took care of her mother, and I'd never say she was wrong to make that choice -- she didn't whine about delaying graduation because it was the right decision for her at that point.

Exceptions do exist, however. For example, I mentioned earlier that my daugther will be required to take a 5-week summer class (not the whole summer, more like 1/3 of it) just before she begins student nursing as a junior. No one can begin student nursing without it, and it is only offered in the summer. But this is a rarity. And it's only one class, which we know about two years in advance.

 

[MrsPete]

What most people do not know is that in order to graduate in 4 years more than 12 credit hours per semester are going to need to be taken or summer school. My degree is 126 credit hours and each class is 3 credits. It has always been in the fine print but now they are pushing 4 years and out.

I think people know it -- they just don't always push themselves to take as many classes as they can, or they don't plan well. They hear "12 hours is considered full-time" and they figure 12 is a reasonable number. It'd be a rather dismal college student who couldn't divide 126 credit hours by eight semesters and figure out that 15-16 hours per semester would be required to graduate on time.

I think the issue is being locked out of some required sequence classes due to overcrowding.

I can only address my daughter's experience with this: She knew well in advance that freshmen would be allowed to register on a certain day in May. She picked her classes ahead of time and got up early that day to register online. She got everything she needed -- even a good schedule with no one-hour wasted timeslots. In contast, most of her friends waited. The ones who registered within a week or two of the opening date got everything they wanted, though as the days clicked by, they were forced into less-popular timeslots. Those who waited a long time couldn't get into important core classes, and they were forced to fill their schedule with more electives than they wanted. So they're going to be in just the type of trouble you're describing. They may face the choice of summer school vs. difficult semesters later vs. staying in school more than four years.

Just as the early bird gets the worm, the prepared student gets the classes she needs.

 

[punkin]

I can only address my daughter's experience with this: She knew well in advance that freshmen would be allowed to register on a certain day in May. She picked her classes ahead of time and got up early that day to register online. She got everything she needed -- even a good schedule with no one-hour wasted timeslots. In contast, most of her friends waited. Many of them couldn't get into important core classes, and they were forced to fill their schedule with more electives than they wanted. So they're going to be in just the type of trouble you're describing.

Just as the early bird gets the worm, the prepared student gets the classes she needs.

Like I said, I have no personal experience with any of this. DD has been able to get every class she wanted and actually every section of every class she wanted. All I know is what I read in the newspapers and they are saying that it is a problem for a lot of majors in a lot of schools (particularly state schools). I am glad your DD got the schedule she wanted.

 

[Green Tea]

When a meal plan is included I am giving $200 per month.

 

[westjones]

Exceptions do exist, however. For example, I mentioned earlier that my daugther will be required to take a 5-week summer class (not the whole summer, more like 1/3 of it) just before she begins student nursing as a junior. No one can begin student nursing without it, and it is only offered in the summer. But this is a rarity. And it's only one class, which we know about two years in advance.

Wow, that is sneaky...only offering it in the summer. I don't think it is bad to go to school in the summer. One of my daughters wants to take online classes next summer and is hoping to work at a summer camp at the same time....now sure how well that will work, but we will see.

I know 4 year graduation is a factor they look at for colleges and it is a goal to try to get them out in that amount of time. My husband works at a university and that is one of the things that is looked at annually by the state for their funding (to see if students are graduating in 4 years).

Of course, going in the summer is kind of 'cheating' if they are trying to compare how students graduated in 4 years in the past with summers off.

My DD with the learning disability, we have already decided that if she needs to spread out her courses and do them over 5 years we would rather her do that than have a course load that is too heavy. Our other DD we would like to see her finish in 4 years and am hoping she considers the masters degree offered in her program at our university. That would extend her to 6 years of college, but I think graduate degrees are worth it.

But I do think we will see more of a trend of college students taking summer courses as a way to graduate in 4 years. But I would hate to see it required that you go year round. People need to be able to take time off if things come up in their lives and then return to school to finish.

One of my DDs wants to do the Disney College program and that will mean she will take longer to graduate, but it sounds like a wonderful experience if she can do it.

 

[fae]

I'm in school all year round. Students at my university generally do not have summer breaks. My boyfriend's college is the same.

We live in a city with a very, very high cost of living. My local Stop n' Shop's prices are about 20% higher on average than my parent's local Stop n' Shop and we live in the same state. I do not have a meal plan, but do have a kitchen. I spend about $30-$50 a week on groceries and I give myself $50 a week for incidentals (entertainment, restaurants, bars). Plus, $100 a month for sorority dues. So I probably spend about $100-125 a week on average.

 

[MrsPete]

Wow, that is sneaky...only offering it in the summer.

Well, it's one of those things that really can't be helped -- and it is unique to the nursing program:

At her school -- like all the big schools around us -- no freshman or sophomore is actually a nursing major (they may say they're nursing majors, and no one's going to question them, but they really mean they intend to become nursing majors once they're juniors). After the sophomore year, they take a standardized test, which I believe is called the TEAS test. Based upon that test and their freshman-sophomore grades, the school chooses only 40 students to become official nursing majors. In the fall, these 40 begin student nursing, but they must become certified as CNA-1s before they can do that. So they're in a pickle:

They cannot take the TEAS test until they're done with sophomore year -- well, I suppose any of us could pay to take a standardized test any old time we choose, but they need to have completed their sophomore classes before they take the test.
They cannot be admitted into the nursing program until they've taken the TEAS test.
They cannot begin student nursing until they've become certified as CNA-1s.
They're required to complete X number of hours in the hospital, so they cannot afford to give up class time to earn the CNA-1 in the fall semester.

When could they do it except summer school?

The real irony is that my daughter is already a CNA-1 . . . but her certification'll run out just when she reaches that point in her college career, so she'd need to take the class anyway.

But this is an oddity, something unique to a small group of students -- not the whole school.

 

[xCourxCorex]

I think it depends on her needs. I worked part-time year-round in college, and saved up to give myself a weekly "allowance". I lived on campus my first three years, and had my car with my sophomore and junior years (needed it to drive myself to nursing clinicals) so I did have to pay for gas, plus "extras" like dining out, going to the grocery store for food for my room, clothes, toiletries etc.

My parents paid a good portion of my tuition and board (in addition to my scholarship, grant and my loan), so they did not pay for these extra things.

If she is staying and eating at home mostly, she would likely only need money for "going out" .. dinners, movies, concerts, shopping etc. I'd talk to her and be realistic about her plans, and what you are comfortable giving her. Then on her breaks she could get a job (maybe even something as casual as babysitting) to save up for future semesters.

 

[westjones]

If she is staying and eating at home mostly, she would likely only need money for "going out" .. dinners, movies, concerts, shopping etc. I'd talk to her and be realistic about her plans, and what you are comfortable giving her. Then on her breaks she could get a job (maybe even something as casual as babysitting) to save up for future semesters.

Around here it just isn't all that easy to get a job for just the Christmas break (which in 1 month), even a min wage part time job. But she can try.

Summer will work out fine because she won't be taking classes then. And in the mean time....for this year....we will just have to figure out something.