Four-year university students with jobs may be using their paychecks for expenses like entertainment, food and “beer money” rather than tuition, according to a recent study.
These findings seem to hold true at Penn.
Conducted by Ohio University professor Charlene Kalenkoski and Bureau of Labor Statistics researcher Sabrina Pabilonia, the study — “Parental Transfers, Student Achievement and the Labor Supply of College Students” — gathered data from first-term students from both four-year and two-year universities.
It found that an increase in tuition costs did not result in students increasing work hours at four-year universities, whereas the same increase did cause students at two-year universities to increase work hours.
Pabilonia said these results led her to believe that students at four-year universities most likely have their tuition paid for by their parents, while many two-year university students use loans and some of their own money.
She added that although there is nothing in the study to indicate what students spend their money on, the researchers presume that student paychecks are going toward rent, entertainment, clothing and other expenses.
College sophomore Esther Baranov, who works at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, agreed with this idea, saying that she spends most of her money on food at restaurants, clothing and going out on the weekends. Her parents pay for tuition.
“Even if your parents would pay for things, you don’t feel right asking them to pay for your alcohol and clothes after spending $50,000 on your tuition,” she said.
Gerald Andah, a College sophomore and work-study student, said his financial situation also corresponds with the study’s findings.
Andah, who works at Harnwell College House’s Cafe du Soleil, explained that the money he earns from his job is intended to be used for food, clothes, books and other expenses, while he pays his tuition with student loans and financial aid.
The study also showed that students who worked fewer than 20 hours a week have a slightly higher average GPA than students who work more than 20 hours a week and students who do not work.
The study hypothesized that these students are “motivated to help out and earn money, and they’re also motivated to get good grades,” Pabilonia said. She added that these students may be able to better manage their time.
On the other hand, the study also found that, among students who work, an increase in hours will decrease their GPA, but only slightly, Pabilonia said.
Andah and Baranov both said they did not think their work had a negative effect on their GPAs.
Andah added that even if his parents paid for everything, he would still want to have a job.
“It’s extra money in my pocket,” he said.
