Oct 12, 2010

Woh! Stop Right There.

I decided last year to give up my comfortable lifestyle to go back to college. While studying in the library I notice the school newspaper and flip through it for a break from Marine Biology. A change from The Wall Street Journal and New York Times but mostly expected information for college students. Women at risk for sexual assault, A student who does not give up, medical history on line, spotlight on a professor,teen pregnancy....Ways to get cash in college. I stop and read.
The Below is a paste from the article. That made me feel compelled to write this.

http://nsucurrent.nova.edu/?p=1306
"If your book bag is heavy and your wallet is light, you’re most likely a college student. But being broke doesn’t have to be part of your college experience. Here are some ways to make extra cash.

Sell your stuff online
List your personal items and sell them on eBay or Craigslist. Someone might want to buy your old videogames, movies, comic books or other items.
Sell your body parts
Don’t start removing your organs just yet. These body parts are replaceable. Clinics will pay you up to $35 for blood plasma, $40 for sperm, and $5,000 or more for eggs.
Turn your car into an advertisement
If you are willing to give your car a makeover, you can get paid to put advertisements on your car. Companies pay drivers to display their advertisements with bumper stickers, graphic panels or a full car wrap.

Sell your clothes
Clean out your closet and trade your used clothing for cash. Consignment stores such as Plato’s Closet buy used clothes in exchange for money.
Get an on-campus job
Having trouble finding a job off campus? Become a lab monitor, work at the food court or become a security officer — just a few of the jobs offered at NSU. On-campus jobs provide good salaries and some include benefits such as discounted tuition.
Participate in medical research
If you don’t mind being a guinea pig, then participate in a research study. The pay for volun-teering varies depending on the amount of time involved and the study’s risks.
Sell your books
When the semester ends, don’t throw your textbooks in a corner of your room. The bookstore will buy back many of your used textbooks for half their selling price. If not, you can sell them online.
Get coupons
With coupons, you can sign up for birthday club rewards, get free breakfast at IHOP, get $35 off a Benihana meal or receive free ice cream from Coldstone.
College life can be expensive and taking advantage of creative options of making extra money can alleviate money woes and make the college experience that much sweeter."

Back up A MINUTE. ...Ok fine sell your Nintendo if you can but BODY PARTS. I'm all for donating blood if you can but actually suggesting that college students make the desperate decision to donate sperm or eggs is deep. Your going to have a child running around out there! Or maybe 400 children guys! Not to mention do you know what kind of hormones you have to go through to donate an egg? You also can not have sex for a significant amount of time. So 18 year old's, please consider what your semester would be like on hormone drugs without having sex to donate an egg for a child that will have your genes.
Cool put a magnet on your car and advertise for Viagra, Monster Energy or Ebay. But that's not as easy as it sounds either especially if your car looks like most I see on campus. Company's don't want your 89 Buick as a model for their reputation.
Sure sell your clothes but if their not top designer and from the last 3 months you wont get anything for them and you will have wasted your time washing them and driving them to the store. Plus when your their you will probably buy more then you sell. I speak from experience.
So when you apply for these on campus jobs you notice that even grad students walk away with best 12hr for max 25h a week right? That is $300 a week (before taxes) , $15,000 year (before taxes) Not to mention most positions only pay $8 and hour and you can only work for 20hrs a week. There is few positions available and not always on your campus. Can you even buy books and food off that income? Not to mention why your here in the first place... your educational expenses.

Be a Guinea Pig?! on I'm a Science Major and this is a NO in my books. I'm all for having a beer even though it kills brain cells, and catching some rays even though it can cause some serious harm but treating me like a lab rat? Your recommending this? You have and education? I believe medical research should only be performed on death row inmates but I will spare readers my rant and just suggest you do some serious researcher before ever making this choice.
Sell your books because you will not use them again. If you ever need the information there are way better data bases then some of these stupid books anyway. And sure cut coupons if you find time but its more like $1 of your $40 grocery purchase, lets be real.

We all know these options are out there but for this writer to suggest these things in a college newspaper is shocking to me.  I knew I was giving up  a lot to go back to school ...but my organs?! I also left out that this college is a expensive private institution and I have higher expectations then this. I'm disappointed in your suggestions and Ill keep my bartending job. Thanks college news paper, I think Ill continue reading The New York Times.

1 comment:

  1. I can agree with you on some of the outrageous things this school paper sudjested! Donate eggs! that is crazy when your trying to focus! lmao! or being a lab right! i doubt ill be dong that anytime soon! they might as well sudjest for people to just "Marry a rich guy and you won't have to go to school!". One thing that i like that was mentioned was the selling clothes and items on craigslist. my husband and i have sold alot of items on craigslist that i never thought anybody would buy. and as for clothing... other people are struggling to buy clothing so by not taking it to plutos closet and maybe to a neighborhood in need you could actually sell more and make more then you think just by pricing them for $1-$2. i think to me going and buying used clothes from some random girl would be out of the question...but there are plenty of people out there that will. i had 2 garage sales and made most of my money off clothing. Most of the poeple buying the clothes were taking them to swap meets and flea markets to sell themselves. so even by going to flea markets yourself and selling your clothes directly you can still make money...everything adds up and you might as well make money off the things you dont use. Thanks casey for writing about this article your critique of it was cracking me up! i hope everything is going well in school. -dani

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