Students miss out on opportunities due to academic commitment
Between homework, working and having something resembling a social life, it's not easy for students to fit family-time in there as well.
Often overlooked is the amount of sacrifices students make for their academic involvement.
Westland sophomore Aubrie Scott has already come to terms with these losses.
“Last year, being away from home wasn’t bad at all. This year it really hit me. I miss my family more and more everyday,” Scott said. “Especially my 8-year-old brother, he is my heart. I feel like I am missing out on him growing up. This is the second year I have missed his first day of school, and I hate it.”
A major contributing factor in Scott’s case is the location.
“I wouldn’t say I regret attending college, I just wish Central Michigan University was closer to Westland,” she said.
While Scott, along with other sophomores, are just starting to endure the sacrifices, upperclassmen have been coping with them for four to five years now.
Farmington Hills senior Grace Stevenson knows the feeling.
“I am going to have a fifth year of college," she said. "At times it is hard being away from home, especially when I was up here for a 12-month period."
As if having to be away for five years isn’t bad enough, she said she also has to deal with missing special events.
“Finals week always happens to land on my sister’s birthday,” Stevenson said. “As much as I want to celebrate with her on her actual birthday, I never can.”
Along with distant struggles comes the refusal of an opportunity to student obligations.
Before attending CMU this past summer, Caro freshman Caitlin Murphy was offered a higher paid position that she was forced to decline.
“Before I left for school, I was offered a promotion as manager,” Murphy said. “I would have made double my paychecks.”
While academic involvement is time consuming, Murphy is devoted to getting her degree.
“I wanted to go to a four-year university to get a good degree, which meant leaving my home and job,” Murphy said. “If I had taken the position, then I would have been forced to attend the nearby community college.”
Fremont junior Alicia Brummel knows that the schooling ahead of her will force her to miss some bigger events. She plans on getting her doctorate and faces a total of eight years of schooling.
“My best friend's wedding is this month and I will not be able to attend,” Brummel said. “I can’t afford to take off work on the weekend of her wedding, and I have a huge exam the following week.”
