By Somalilandtimes network

Faced with skyrocketing tuition and no financial help from parents, some college students are stuck in a round-the-clock cycle of classes and jobs.

Wayne Knight, 21, from Eagan rests before a nursing assistant class.

Allie Shah

Bloomington, March 16, 2006 – There are college students who nap -- and then there's Liban Mohamed. With two jobs totaling nearly 40 hours a week and a full course load, the Normandale Community College student has no time to snooze.

Mohamed is among the many students who must work long hours to cover the ever-increasing cost of tuition. A nationwide study by Junior Achievement last year found that 33 percent of college students are working to pay for college. And a record high 47 percent of incoming college freshmen said there was a good chance they'd need to get a job to help pay for college, according to a 2004 UCLA Higher Education Research Institute study.

For Mohamed and others like him, there were simply no parents with deep pockets to rely on and scholarship money was not an option. So their days are a marathon of running between jobs and classes. They tend to be determined and focused on graduation, prefer to stay busy and have clear career goals. What they lack in good fortune and exceptional grades, they make up for in pluck and stamina.

Homework and sleep? Those are electives.

"They're working harder and longer, which is affecting their capacity to learn deeply and study enough," said Linda Baer, senior vice chancellor for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Higher education experts say working too much can hurt a student's grade point average, although students who work between 10 and 15 hours a week actually see a benefit in their grades over those without part-time jobs.

A 2005 survey of students in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system found that more than 80 percent of the 615 students polled had jobs, and more than half worked at least 30 hours a week. We talked to three students who say they must work to pay for school.

Liban Mohamed: From refugee to college student

"Nothing is easy in this world. Struggle comes first, then success," Mohamed says. He's on a mission to complete his bachelor's degree in radiology and become a medical technician.

Originally from Somalia, Mohamed, 25, grew up in a refugee camp in Kenya, where he received no formal education. Six years ago he came to the United States and began attending Roosevelt High in Minneapolis. "I had no educational background. I started from scratch -- seriously," he says.

Getting to college was a battle both financially and academically. After he graduated, he spent eight months working at a Mall of America store and scraped together enough money to go to college.

No sooner had he begun what were supposed to be the best years of his life than tragedy hit. His two older brothers, ages 35 and 42, died in Somalia, one of stroke complications, the other from diabetes.

"After that, I became more serious about my life and my final destination," Mohamed said. "It made me realize that no matter what, you're going to die. You can die in a good way -- help people, work hard and it will pay off."

Now he's in his third year at Normandale Community College in Bloomington and earning all A's. He plans to transfer to the University of North Dakota and complete his studies.

To pay for his education, Mohamed still works at Nordstrom and also has a job as a campus security officer. On average, he logs a combined total of 35 to 40 hours a week. A full-time student, he is also president of Normandale's Somali Student Association.

The money Mohamed earns helps cover his tuition and living expenses. His father is battling serious health problems and is unable to support him. Mohamed said that even with his two jobs, he does not always have enough to make ends meet. "Sometimes, I go into overdraft in my bank account," he said.

His weekdays are jammed from morning until night. If he's not working, he's in class. If he's not in class or at work, he's running a club meeting. If he's not doing any of those things, he's in the student organization office, trying to catch up on homework.

To stay organized, Mohamed leaves voice-mail messages for himself, reminding him of sudden changes in his schedule. He makes to-do lists, using the organizing tools on his cell phone and computer. He sleeps only during the allotted times -- after 10 or 11 at night.

"I read in a book that you only have seven or eight years that you can study," he says, explaining his no-napping rationale. "So why sleep in school?"

On a recent Friday, Mohamed was on campus at 7 a.m. to start his first of two jobs that day. With a walkie-talkie at his hip, he patrolled the hallways, keeping an eye out for trouble.

He passed a few guys shooting hoops in the gym, some students socializing at a campus coffee shop, and others resting comfortably in the TV lounge. These are luxuries of time he cannot afford.

Later, he would go back to his apartment for a quick change of clothes before working another long shift at Nordstrom. His day would finally end after 10 p.m. Weekends find Mohamed working all day at the department store and then studying at the library.

He dreams of a day when his struggle isn't so acute.

"When I close my eyes and think of [the future], I say, 'You won't be like this. You'll be better than this.' "

Kristen Huehbner: Middle-class angst

The worst day of the week for Kristen Huehbner, 20, is Thursday. That's when she has four classes back-to-back, starting at 8:30 a.m., and then works seven hours before going home after 10 p.m. to start her homework.

Huehbner, a student at Concordia University in St. Paul, works 40 hours a week and is taking six classes (19 credits) this semester. The whirlwind pace is necessary, she says.

"I have to pay for bills -- cell phone, car insurance, health insurance, random other things," she explained. There's also college expenses. "My parents don't pay for any of my tuition, so I have to come up with the extra money myself."

She receives grants and scholarships, but it isn't nearly enough to cover everything. Huehbner estimates the aid doesn't cover even one-fourth of her tuition. So she took out a personal loan. It still wasn't enough, so she started working at a group home for mentally disabled adults and earning $15 an hour.

Her parents tried to take out a loan through Concordia's parent-plus loan program, but they were denied because they don't make enough money to support both their daughter and themselves, she said.

Yet they make too much money for Huehbner to qualify for the numerous need-based scholarships that she's sought. "We're not poor, by any means, but we're middle-class," she said.

Amanda Dubel: Combining work and play

Amanda Dubel's parents had told her she could borrow money from them and pay it back when she graduates, take out student loans or work her way through college. Faced with a choice between taking out a bunch of loans to pay for college and working two jobs, Dubel, 20, chose the latter.

The University of Minnesota nursing student often works 35 hours a week as a server at the Library, a popular Dinkytown bar, and at a Medina country club while taking 16 credits at college this semester.

Her wages and tips help cover her tuition and her portion of the rent for an off-campus apartment she shares with two friends. Living like a drone can be a drag, but Dubel says her jobs actually enhance her social life.

"All of my roommates and friends are 21 and I'm not," said Dubel, who said they like to hang out at the bars where she works. "It actually increases my chances of hanging out with my friends."

Still, leisure time is a rare commodity.

"A lot of my friends are like, 'You're always working. The only time we see you is when you're working,' " said Dubel, who has a 3.4 grade point average. "Plus when I get sick, other students get to rest but I don't have that resting time."

Allie Shah • 612-673-7530

Source: Star Tribune