I don’t get federal work study. Before you decide that I’m a privileged piece of shit, shut up and listen.

My family didn’t have anything growing up. We owned a business that went under when I was eight years old and my parents drained everything from our savings and searched couch cushions for coins to keep up with bills. 

After a decade, we made it to the other side. My parents have great jobs and money isn’t giving them high blood pressure anymore. But affording college was always going to be an issue because we had nothing stored away in the bank.

Then we got sort of lucky. My grandma passed away two weeks before I came to Quinnipiac. Honestly, shoutout Grammy D. I miss you every day, but you put a fat check in my savings account so I could go to school debt-free.

It still sucks that I don’t qualify for federal work study jobs. I understand students make more in a non-federal work study position because there’s no pay cap, but how much more would I really get? I’d still be working around 10-15 hours a week.

Non-federal work study jobs at Quinnipiac claim they’re constantly hiring, but I’ve never heard back from anyone after submitting an application. How do I get ghosted by the campus career department for a proofreading gig? Isn’t that literally what I do as a copy editor? Why can’t I just work at the freaking gym? I’m there every day.

And before you ask, yes, I’ve applied to probably 100 local part-time jobs in the area. And yes, it is possible to be rejected from CVS, Walgreens, The Paper Store, Gap and Old Navy in the same week.

I’m not a pompous asshole. I don’t think I deserve things because I’m me. I think I deserve federal work study opportunities because my family isn’t rolling in dollar bills. We were in debt until 2023.

The paycheck doesn’t equate to the situation, and I hate that it does on paper. We’re comfortable, but anything could happen.

My dad might need a kidney transplant tomorrow instead of 10 years from now. Oh, right, I forgot to mention I live in a household that will be paying for dialysis one day. I’ve heard that’s pretty cheap.

I wish the university provided normal, mindless jobs to non-federal applicants like they do for federal work study students. But hey, we live in America. As long as you can manage to cough up the cash, you pay the piper.