美国大学生作文选.docVIP

《美国大学生作文选》P1、21、35、57、102、158、227、239 教师：W.M 2001/9/25 FEELING THE PINCH When I started on my long journey to the school I would be calling home for the next four years, I had no idea of the challenges I would be facing. I was leaving my home, my siblings, and my parents, the people who had raised me and protected me for eighteen years. I was leaving a place where all my necessary needs were taken care of my food, clothing, and medical bills. The only hardships I encountered in high-school were paying for gasoline, the movies, or that new CD I wanted. I had it easy living at home, and I took that for granted. The first day I arrived on campus I got a little taste or what I would be experiencing for the next four years. I was told my tuition had not been paid, and I could not move into my dorm room until my balance was paid. For the first time in my life I had to handle a serious financial situation on my own, because my parents were no longer around to help me out. My parents did not fully support my decision to attend Marywood College because they know they could not afford it. I had decided at the last minute to take my chances that the loans I had applied for would be approved, and that I could afford to come here. So after writing out a check that would almost completely delete all of my savings, I moved into my dorm room. Being safely moved into my new home and having my tuition bill, for that moment, squared away, I felt relaxed. Nevertheless, that relaxation did not last very long. I soon realized that although I did not have to pay for heat, water, or electricity, I had to pay for almost everything else. By that I mean food, phone bills, car insurance, cable, and all my own necessities, and without a job that was almost impossible. luckily, I was eligible for work-study, but seventy dollars every two weeks is not much to live on. I was desperate and falling more deeply into debt every day. I hated asking for help from