Some College Students Are Balancing Much More Than We Think: The Benefits and Struggles Of Being A Full-Time Student And Working A Job
By: Grace Haile
Student Workers:
UNC’s campus is flooded with talented individuals who work tirelessly to balance academic difficulties, while maintaining a healthy and enjoyable social life, and putting aside time to enjoy and pursue interest outside of school. UNC has proven to foster students who are beyond successful in the journalism, business, medical and many other fields, but the University’s rigorous course load has forced students to master another skill: time management. What some students and professors don’t know when walking around campus, is that some individuals passing by in the hallway, wake up at 4 a.m. to work a job before their 8 a.m. class, or that some students are enrolled in 17 hours of classes, and still work every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to pay for their campus housing. A study was conducted in 2018 by the National Center for Education Statistics, and it found that 43 percent of full-time undergraduate students in the United States were working a job while being enrolled in classes. Of this 43 percent of students, 17 percent were employed 20 to 24 hours a week, which was the second highest number of hours included in the study. For most students, that means they are spending more time in their week working an outside job, than they are doing classes.

Does A Busy Schedule Improve Academic Ability?
For some students, working a job is not always a stressor, it can be more of a productive way to fill free time throughout the day, and a way to stay busy. For others, working on top of being a full-time student, especially at an extremely rigorous University, induces large amounts of stress and anxiety. Experiences vary from person to person, and are dependent on the place of work, what college the individual goes to, and what their schedule looks like, but, there has proven to be a positive correlation between full-time students who also work, and their grade point average. The article, Balancing Work and Academics in College, written by Lauren Dundes and Jess Marx, goes over several studies which conduct research on the success and GPAs of full-time University students who also are employed, compared to students who are not employed. According to one of the studies in the article, which was conducted by King’s College, full-time students who are employed but work fewer than 15 hours a week, are more likely to graduate in four years, than students who do not work a job. Constantly having things to do, whether homework, studying, or whatever tasks the students’ job entails, creates an environment where productivity is absolutely necessary, and efficiency is a definite outcome. Students who know they have to work a four hour shift the following day, will set aside the appropriate amount of time the day prior to get schoolwork done. While doing so, students learn to limit all distractions so that they work efficiently and diligently. This trend has led to a positive impact on students GPAs and success in and outside the classroom.
UNC Student Employment Opportunities:
When walking around campus, or searching for a quiet place to study, UNC students are running across businesses and establishments almost completely staffed or run by UNC students and they don’t even know it. Meantime Coffee is a charming coffee shop that sits in the lobby of the Campus Y, and is fully staffed by UNC students. Although the coffee shop is popular, and a favorite on campus, during lulls, and when business is slow, the job allows and understands that employees might need to do schoolwork so they can be as efficient as possible. Blue House Café is another coffee shop located right off campus, that is student-run and owned. Anna Wesley Dubach, a current sophomore at UNC and part-time barista at Blue House, spoke extremely highly of the job and how it has affected her day-to-day life.
“The job forces me to be as productive and efficient as I can with my schoolwork, and my busy days have actually had extremely positive effects on my grades here at UNC” – Anna Wesley Dubach, UNC 2024
Studies have shown that free time often has a way of demotivating people, allowing them to lose sight of their priorities and become less efficient in their work. In her experience, Anna Wesley spoke towards this same idea, that with all the free time she once had in her day, she found herself procrastinating too much, to the point that she was losing focus and drive, which is why she inquired about working at Blue House Café. She noted that balancing the two was of course difficult at first, and she wasn’t sure if she would be able to get everything done, but UNC’s workload over the years has forced her to manage her time well, and organize her day in a way that prioritizes schoolwork.
Why Not Try It Out?
With the correct resources and appropriate communication, working a job while taking classes is doable, and can surprise you. By being honest with yourself and your employer, you can create a great, healthy atmosphere, where you properly balance school and work. Finding the proper balance can improve your way of life, both academically, structurally, and mentally; it is a great way to learn how to schedule efficiently, and learn time management skills, both of which can’t just be learned in a classroom. UNC prides itself in employing over 9,500 of its students with on-campus jobs, and with these jobs comes an understanding that students need flexible work hours and considerate employers. For student employment opportunities, visit the Student Employment page on UNC’s website to find jobs both paid and unpaid!

Anna Wesley’s Story:
Even while taking 15 hours of UNC courses, Anna Wesley Dubach who is a current sophomore at UNC and studying Journalism in the Hussman School, has chosen to fill some of her free time by making and serving coffees at a small coffee shop on Franklin Street. Listen to what she has to say about her job, why she loves it, and how she’s grown to balance employment on top of being a full-time student.