By Kubi Shek

SEATTLE – Despite the tuition fee of the United States has been risen gradually every year, it does not stop people from getting a higher education. Whether the bachelor degree is worth that much money or not, it is common for students to pursue a bachelor degree in a 4 year college. According to a study “Balancing work and learning” from Georgetown University, it states that more than 70 percent of college students have worked while attending school over the past 25 years, and the number of working students has grown as college enrollment and tuition have increased.

Considering, young American university students face a severe challenge while paying for their tuition, especially for the ones who do not get support from their parents. What is the challenge? How the instate tuition has changed for the past 20 years? According to “See 20 Years of Tuition Growth at National Universities” from the U.S. news, Briana Boyington mentions that the average tuition and fees at private National Universities have jumped 168 percent, and In-state tuition and fees at public National Universities have grown the most, increasing 243 percent.

Julie Hung, a Taiwanese-American student from the University of Washington Bothell, has been working for two jobs for about a year. She needs to work at least 30 hours a week to qualify for paying in-state tuition on top of earning some extra money. To make a living for her and her younger brother is one of the biggest motivation for her to have a long working hours shifts. She has not sought help from parents yet but has been struggling financially. “That is the thing I should do right now. I can not afford to pay for tuition if I don’t work.” Julie said.

There is also a common concern for working students to think about. How to manage the time? “Time management is definitely a very important part when it comes to balancing out for work and school” Julie said. Some students have a lack of sleep due to the long working hours, and their academic performance has been affected. In terms of Julie, she mentions that she likes to keep herself busy anyways so it is not a big problem for her. “When the world needs you to grow up, you have to motivate yourself to move on and become a better self. We all want to constantly improve our lives and this is what I am fighting for.” Julie said. She also recommended students to work on campus since there are a lot of colleges in Washington offer campus jobs for current students to apply. It could help students to save so much time to work and study at the same place and students can have a better connection to the school and faculty members.