Cerritos College
Cerritos College • Norwalk, Calif.

Talon Marks

Cerritos College • Norwalk, Calif.

Talon Marks

Cerritos College • Norwalk, Calif.

Talon Marks

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Student work full time

Student work full time
Jamie Lee

Cindy O’vivion glances at her watch.It is 2:15 a.m. Her eyes scan across the page, over her notes, onto her books. If she works quickly, the Cerritos College student can be done with her homework in an hour. Tonight is a good night.”I do my homework until about four in the morning,” O’vivion says. “As long as I get three hours of sleep, I’m okay. After that, I’m grumpy.”O’vivion is a full time student and a full time worker. After putting in her daily nine to five, she rushes to school for the first of her15 units worth of classes. Her English 100 days are long over. With all sophomore level classes under her belt, studying outside of the classroom is not optional. It is absolutely necessary.Even if that means losing sleep.”You have to do what you have to do to get through school,” O’vivion stated.But how does one do all of that?”It’s not easy,” O’vivion explains. “I’m very organized. I write everything down.”O’vivion is not alone in her dilemma.”The majority of my classmates work full time,” she said.It is widely known that the preferred method for getting through school is to work part time and attend school full time.For some students, that is not possible.Counselor, Dr. Preston Hampton, understands this. “Some students are required to work.”He says, “It then becomes a matter of reviewing the socio-economic status of the individual student.”Hampton explained that ideal situation would be one in which a student, who is in need, could obtain financial aid, thereby offsetting some of the costs of college.He says, “I always prefer that because that will alleviate the need to work.”Some students also meet their financial through other sources, such as parents who are willing to pay for books or tuition.If they don’t have to, I recommend students do not work during their first year of college,” Hampton stated.Time is not the only problem for students who work full time. Very often students who work full time attend classes a night, when there is less opportunity for campus involvement.”The downfall of taking night classes is that you don’t get to join any clubs,” O’vivion remarked.Hampton said, “Research shows that the more involved the student is in college life, the more likelihood of their success.”Other students attribute health problems to the stress brought on by work and school.First semester student, Lisa Law said, “I’m having all kinds of health problems. Between work and school and everything else I do, it’s just too much.”Similar thoughts can be found all over the campus. College students are busy.O’vivion comforts herself by recognizing her busyness as a stage in her life. “It’s a life experience. Everyone goes through it. Everyone will have to learn to budget their time sooner or later.”

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Student work full time