Summer time means work, not play, for Alberta students
Aug 11, 2011 
Calgary Herald | By Mario Toneguzzi
Summer break is no breeze for students stressing over looming tuition payments.
And when it comes to paying for post-secondary schooling, Alberta students are most likely to be spending their summer days at work, according to a TD Canada Trust survey of student finances released Wednesday.
More than half (55 per cent) of the Alberta respondents said they felt either anxious (38 per cent) or stressed (17 per cent) when thinking about how they will pay their way through school. Almost 60 per cent expected to graduate with debts, with 21 per cent anticipating owing more than $25,000. One third (35 per cent) said their top savings priority is debt repayment.
Mirissa Kampf-Aitchison, 20, is working as a server at Original Joe's in the Mission neighbourhood to save up enough money to return to school.
She recently completed a broadcasting diploma at Mount Royal University and wants to return in another year to take a journalism degree.
Tuition alone will cost $5,000 to $6,000 a year, she said.
"Everything else? Oh my goodness, I've actually never added up all of the costs, but around $600 for rent, then food, utilities, groceries. It ends up being a lot," said Kampf-Aitchison, who received a scholarship from Original Joe's that helped cover her $1,500 tuition costs for her last spring semester.
"I worked almost full-time going to school as well. But I pick up extra shifts in the summer just to get ahead. There's a lot of expenses involved in going to school."
The TD survey found the top discretionary costs for Alberta students, outside of staple expenses, were for transportation, including gas, insurance and public transit (41 per cent), eating out at restaurants (31 per cent), and new technology such as cellphones and laptops (14 per cent).
Dex Dunford, 21, Servus Credit Union's Young & Free Alberta Spokester, received a diploma in broadcasting from Mount Royal University. The Servus program provides financial information, tips and advice for the 17-to-25-year-old age group.
Dunford worked year-round to pay for his education.
"In the summer, I would pick up extra hours. Maybe a second job, whatever, to make sure I had that extra money so hopefully I could pay off my school and then after that the goal was to work as few hours during school as possible so I could focus on studying," said Dunford.
His advice to students: Work hard during the summer months so you can focus on studying in the fall.
"You're just starting to become independent in your life. You're trying to figure out what you want to do with your life. And on top of all that you have to think about money. Sometimes it's not very fun."
According to Statistics Canada, in July there were 508,700 Albertans between the ages of 15 and 24 with 319,400 of them employed. The unemployment rate for this age category is 11.1 per cent compared with a 5.5 per cent unemployment rate for the entire workforce.
The TD poll found tuitions the major challenge for students, with the average cost of a four-year university degree at $80,000. Three-quarters work during the school year (76 per cent) and more than half (55 per cent) work more than 11 hours a week.
The survey polled a representative sample of 1,000 Canadian adults aged 18 to 24, including 108 in Alberta, who are currently enrolled or were previously enrolled in the past two years in post-secondary education.
