What We Want Our Professors to Know: Student Worker Edition

“We are exhausted,” and “We do most everything last minute,” are just two of the many things Concord University students want their professors to know.

College can be difficult by itself, but so much more extra pressure is placed on students when they must work full or part-time jobs. From books to supplies to tuition, the expense of college can be overwhelming. Even with scholarships and other forms of financial aid, some students find it difficult to cover the expenses that are incorporated in the college experience. The most common solution for covering these costs is finding a job to work during the semester.

Students across America, including students at Concord University, work in various jobs to help ease the blow of the costs of college. These jobs can range from servers to secretaries to managers. Whether it be part-time or full-time jobs, they require significant time out of a student’s day that they may not necessarily have.

After four to five hours of class every day or every other day, student workers head to work to spend five to eight hours working their job. Of course, the typical employer would never allow their employees to work on homework while on the clock. This means after spending hours at school and work, students then must go home to produce quality homework. When I asked student workers about their daily routines, they described the effects of working and going to school.

Interviews with students around campus reveals how overwhelming working and going to school can be. According to students, the average number of hours worked per week by the interviewees is between twenty and twenty-five. For part time workers, this means about 5 hours per shift. A senior from the English department explains, “Some of my professors assign reading assignments and homework problems every class. Instead of giving something every other class, we have an assignment due every single class. It is very stressful.”

Other students explain that out of all of their classes, at least three of them assign daily work. Depending on the course, the homework can range from having ten math problems assigned to reading and comprehending multiple chapters out of a book.

One student from the biology department says that “Some nights when I get home from work, I literally do not have time to finish my assignments. Even though the classes are every other day, I must do assignments the night before the specific class. It is so easy to get behind.”

One business major believes that these out of class assignments should have certain restrictions. “It really bothers me that these assignments impact grades. Homework should be for students to practice things. For instance, if I am having trouble with a certain problem, I should have to practice it until I understand. I should not be forced to do things I understand over and over again just to get a grade.”

The student from the English department posits that students would not do any homework if there was not some sort of consequence for not doing it. “I think I can speak for my fellow classmates when I say nobody would do it if it wasn’t mandatory.”

Assigning too much homework and making it for a grade is too taxing on students. Not making it a grade at all will lead to it being uncompleted. These students agree that a compromise can be made by simply giving students more time to complete the work.

The English student says, “Maybe instead of assigning everything separately and each night, pick one night to assign everything and don`t make it due until the following week.”

“More time,” and “leniency” are a few words that come up repeatedly throughout the conversation. Many professors on campus are incredibly lenient with their homework policies because they realize college students have a life off campus.

The English major points out, “I know my teachers will give me a break every now and then, but it is still stressful knowing I have things assigned that I just can`t finish.”

College students do have a lot on their plates; that is to be expected. All students interviewed agree that grades and financial stability should not be affected by an excessive amount of homework.