Deal Breakers

Attending college is a luxury. In order to do so, first you must be able to take care of your primary financial needs, have enough money to attend school and have the time necessary. Everyday people face challenges, and obstacles are put in their way, which make going to school more difficult. Sometimes the barriers are so big that they cannot be overcome and cause people to leave school, or not attend in the first place. Every individual has unique problems that intervene with their education, but the one problem that most students have in common is lack of money. Money is a potential deal breaker for me; community college is supposed to be affordable, and it is, but can also become expensive after the cost of books, gas, and food. I receive financial aid, and if it wasn't for that i would probably not be able to attend college full time. Money is an issue that I struggle with, but I wouldn't have considered it a "deal breaker" until recently. As soon as I was able to register for summer and fall semester I did. My summer classes got paid for by my financial aid, so I assumed my fall classes were also paid for. I paid the registration and other fees for both semesters, so I was surprised when I received a letter in the mail charging me over six-hundred dollars for my fall classes. My FAFSA did not cover my fall classes; I reapplied and once again I got approved, and at that point I thought that problem had been solved. When I log into class web a few days later to check my fall schedule, it said that I was not registered in any classes. My plan now is to show up the first day of class, and try to add, but that will be difficult because there will be many people on the waiting list ahead of me. If I had the money at the moment when I got the bill, my plans for next semester would have stayed consistent. Now I have to rearrange my plans for the next few months. Missing a semester will not be bad, I can work full time and possibly have a better idea of what I want to do when I come back to Chabot College in the spring semester, but it is a problem I wouldn't have to have faced if I was doing better economically.

Money can be the root of other issues. For example, lack of time, health problems such as stress and anxiety, hunger and malnutrition, and transportation. In my case I am fortunate enough to not be affected by more harmful problems, like health, but I have has issues with transportation. Last semester, my car broke down in Oakland when I was on my way to visit my dad who had just gotten surgery and was in the hospital. Fortunately, I have very supportive family that helped me out. My brother used his insurance to tow my car, and let me borrow his old car that had been sitting in his drive way for years. I considered myself very lucky to have found a replacement car, even though the car isn't very comfortable. Sometimes it wont start and I have to wait about 5 minutes until I can try to start it again. The trunk cannot be closed after it is opened, unless I have the right tools to make it work, and lastly two out of the four windows will not open, so by the end of the semester it was super hot in my car every time I got in. A couple months later my car got fixed, and I no longer had to deal with my brothers defective car. I felt confident once again, and was grateful for my car; until about a week and a half ago when my car broke down again. This time it was the transmission, so repairing it will be more expensive, and once again I'm borrowing my brothers car. Transportation has not been an obstacle I can't overcome, but it has been an issue. It is because of my shortness of money that I cannot afford a reliable car.