Feature Story Prep

Facts:
-Full-time employment may impair student performance. For example, 55 percent of those students working 35 or more hours per week report that work has a negative effect on their studies. Students working full-time also reported the following liabilities: 40 percent report that work limits their class schedule; 36 percent report it reduces their class choices; 30 percent report it limits the number of classes they take; and 26 percent report it limits access to the library.
-Students who work full-time are also more likely to drop out of school.
-Since full-time work appears to have negative effects on student enrollment rates and perhaps also on academic performance, it is therefore of particular concern that full-time work among full-time college students has risen sharply over the past 15 years. For these students, the research suggests that, if possible, it may be prudent to find other ways of financing college so they can complete their degrees, maintain their academic performance levels, and thereby reap the long-term benefits of a college education.
-Part-time student employment may have beneficial effects: for example, an on-campus research position may spark a student's interest in further academic programs or provide important work experience that will improve future labor market prospects. Working part-time as a student generally appears to supplant only non-productive activities, such as watching television. In addition, students who work fewer than 10 hours per week have slightly higher GPAs than other similar students.


Possible Interviews:
Theresa Makism: Third year college student, full-time worker, full-time student, sorority member holding positions, grades higher than 2.5, pays for everything on her own.
Contact information: (408) 375-6922


Sandhya Kodippily: Third year college student, full-time worker, full-time student, sorority member holding positions, grades higher than 2.5, pays for everything on her own.
Contact information: (408) 887-8536


Kristina Gehret: Third year college student, doesn't work, parents still pay for everything.
Contact information: (818) 307-3562


Other Articles:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/06/08/work
http://www.thedigeratilife.com/blog/index.php/2009/01/19/how-to-work-full-time-college-full-time-student/
http://www.financialnewsline.com/finance/despite-poor-economy-college-enrollment-numbers-increase/
http://www.nineronline.com/opinion/holding-a-job-for-full-time-college-students-1.2470171
http://www.miller-mccune.com/education/full-time-students-part-time-education-16764


Outline:

-I want to focus the paper on full-time students that are also full-time workers and how they are able to manage their time to do all of these things at once.

-Most of the attention will be on full-time workers but I want to interview maybe one or two people who are part-time workers or don't work at all and see some of the differences between those who work a lot at those who do not.

-I also want to focus on grades between workers and non-workers


Ideas for possible sidebars:
-Time-management skills
-The types of jobs people get in college
-What college students do who do not work
-The benefits of having a job in college
-Getting involved on campus