The Idea of an Essay, Volume 3

152 The Idea of an Essay: Volume 3 Disability Services, similar to the Steps to Success program at St. Catherine’s University, is made available to both nontraditional students with children and traditional students who have unusual circumstances (i.e. mental and health challenges, temporary and permanent physical requirements, family service needs, and counseling needs, etc.). These services have been recommended to me because in addition to having a child I have a chronic illness and other serious health concerns. But, I choose not to utilize these services because I don’t need special arrangements and advantages in order to succeed, and I don’t want to be comfortable receiving personalized alterations or presume that my future employers will make modifications for me. I expect to be held to the same standard, and meet the same requirements that traditional students must meet. Being the sole provider and raising a family is a notable challenge for a student, but having a family is neither a detriment nor a disadvantage. Motherhood has been a foremost advantage for me personally, academically and otherwise. Grants and scholarships rarely satisfy the full burden of school and family expenses, and a student can feel forced to borrow money in order to continue their education and provide for their family. An article from the Hudson Valley Business Journal titled “Single Parents Carry a Debt Burden in For-Profit Colleges Ten Times Higher Than Those in Community College” emphasizes the statistics regarding single parent students with college loans. Additionally, data provided by the Institute For Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) indicates how it is so difficult for nontraditional students to manage their financial burdens that it is almost impossible for their debt not to triple. If nontraditional students are unable to obtain sufficient financial assistance from scholarships and grants, choosing another straightforward alternative, like student loans, is the most obvious option. According to the article “Single Parents Carry a Debt Burden in For-Profit Colleges Ten Times Higher Than Those in Community College” single parents have 10 times more debt after graduating than their childless classmates. The debt parents have one year after graduation is estimated to be 20 to 30 percent higher than traditional students, and three times higher ten years after graduation. If a student interrupts his or her education for over six months, their student loans will no longer be deferred. The monthly