2008 Woodie Awards
Many IUPUI student juggle work, family, classes
Rachel Meacham
Issue date: 3/19/08 Section: College News
At IUPUI there are 18,305 full-time students, many of whom juggle classes and homework with families and full-time jobs. And as they could attest, school doesn't wait.
"There is always something to write, a project due, a test, reading and then family life," Arthur Miner, a mathematics education major, said.
Miner, 52, works around 32 hours per week for Federal Express at the airport. Then he coaches and referees soccer, teaches Sunday school and, of course, spends about 20 hours each week on homework.
"Time each week seems to fly," he said. "I am always on the go with something to do."
Miner is not alone. According to the 2007 IUPUI Student Satisfaction Survey, 68 percent of students work for pay at jobs off campus. And 57 percent of those jobs are more than 10 miles away from IUPUI.
Law school student Jeremy Buchanan said it can be a struggle to balance school and work.
"Once I leave work for the day I have to go straight to school, so there isn't a lot of time to study in between there," he said.
Buchanan said he takes around nine to 11 credit hours during fall and spring semesters and has been taking five to eight credit hours in the summer. Although undergraduate students are considered full time at 12 or more credit hours, graduate students are considered full time at eight. The law student also works between 40 and 45 hours a week at Pedcor, a real estate development company in Carmel. To keep up with his studies, he reads textbooks about two hours a day and three hours on weekends.
"Our entire grade relies on the final, so if you fall behind on the readings you are in trouble," he explained.
These students have become experts in time management. To keep organized, Miner keeps his school schedules on his refrigerator for a quick reference. It seems to work. He said he has been in school for seven years and hasn't missed a day.
"I can't live without my planner," Melanie Rosinko said. Rosinko, a 22-year-old communication studies major, is taking 15 credit hours. She also works as a legal secretary around 30 hours per week at Indiana Legal Services. "I give myself a list of things to do, and a date to get them done by," Ashlee Fouch, 20, said. "I just do what I can."
"There is always something to write, a project due, a test, reading and then family life," Arthur Miner, a mathematics education major, said.
Miner, 52, works around 32 hours per week for Federal Express at the airport. Then he coaches and referees soccer, teaches Sunday school and, of course, spends about 20 hours each week on homework.
"Time each week seems to fly," he said. "I am always on the go with something to do."
Miner is not alone. According to the 2007 IUPUI Student Satisfaction Survey, 68 percent of students work for pay at jobs off campus. And 57 percent of those jobs are more than 10 miles away from IUPUI.
Law school student Jeremy Buchanan said it can be a struggle to balance school and work.
"Once I leave work for the day I have to go straight to school, so there isn't a lot of time to study in between there," he said.
Buchanan said he takes around nine to 11 credit hours during fall and spring semesters and has been taking five to eight credit hours in the summer. Although undergraduate students are considered full time at 12 or more credit hours, graduate students are considered full time at eight. The law student also works between 40 and 45 hours a week at Pedcor, a real estate development company in Carmel. To keep up with his studies, he reads textbooks about two hours a day and three hours on weekends.
"Our entire grade relies on the final, so if you fall behind on the readings you are in trouble," he explained.
These students have become experts in time management. To keep organized, Miner keeps his school schedules on his refrigerator for a quick reference. It seems to work. He said he has been in school for seven years and hasn't missed a day.
"I can't live without my planner," Melanie Rosinko said. Rosinko, a 22-year-old communication studies major, is taking 15 credit hours. She also works as a legal secretary around 30 hours per week at Indiana Legal Services. "I give myself a list of things to do, and a date to get them done by," Ashlee Fouch, 20, said. "I just do what I can."
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