Bottom Line

Ever since they were a junior in high school, Jen, a Bottom Line student, knew they wanted to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U of I). As an extrovert, Jen was looking forward to living on campus, meeting new people, and starting to take classes on the variety of subjects they were interested in.  

When it became clear that the pandemic would make their first year in college a bit different than what they originally imagined, they considered taking a gap year.  

“It crossed my mind a few times that maybe I should just take a break given everything that was going on,” said Jen, now a freshman at U of I. “My mom told me that if I don’t go to school, I would have to go to work to help support the family.” 

Jen let that sink in and recognized that they felt they had to continue the momentum they already had with school.  

“I would have a higher risk of getting COVID-19 if I had to go to work every day, and I was afraid that if I deferred and had to re-apply, whether or not I would be admitted to U of I again,” Jen said.  

Jen’s decision to start college this year and adapt to the new environment has been the right decision for them, but it hasn’t been without other hurdles they’ve had to navigate. 

A week before they planned to leave for U of I to live on campus and log into classes virtually, Jen and their family were diagnosed with COVID-19. They have since recovered, but that was another layer added to the other responsibilities on their plate.  

While managing their first semester of classes, Jen took care of their mother while recovering from COVID and oversaw virtual learning for their two younger sisters in kindergarten and 7th grade. Their parents leave for work very early in the morning, so they make breakfast for their sisters and manages their day until their parents come home from work while juggling their own virtual learning. 

“Sometimes I’m a mom, a student, and a sister all at the same time,” Jen shared.  

Jen has been in Bottom Line’s program since they were a high school senior, where they got support from their Bottom Line Advisor in writing college application essays, submitting college applications, and ultimately choosing an affordable college. Looking for support in the college application process and college, Jen’s older friends recommended they apply to Bottom Line while still in high school.  

“I like Bottom Line because they seem to help everyone, despite what their test scores or grades are,” they shared. “Bottom Line made the whole process easier and a lot less nerve-wracking. I’m the oldest child, so it was really great having help for that. As the oldest, I’m the example for my family.” 

While in Bottom Line’s Access program, Jen got support in figuring out the most affordable college for them. They were able to qualify for and secure Illinois Promise. This financial aid package provides scholarships and grants to help cover tuition and campus fees for U of I students who are Illinois residents and whose family meets the household income threshold.  

“The price tag was very important to me,” Jen said. “Also, choosing to attend U of I was a risk because it’s really far away, but I wanted to study a lot of different things, and U of I had all of them, including astronomy, medicine, and art.”  

Now in college, Jen has continued as a student in Bottom Line’s Success program. During such a stressful first semester, they worked with their Bottom Line Advisor to manage the anxiety of navigating their different responsibilities and were encouraged to reach out to their professors when they needed extensions or help.  

“In my Bottom Line meetings, my Advisor would ask about pronouns and elements of my identity,” Jen said. “I’m happy that Bottom Line cares about helping students with their college journey, but I also like that they really care about the students, who they are, and how they identify themselves.”* 

With virtual classes often being less engaging, Jen has found ways to stay organized and motivated through their coursework, such as bullet journaling and designating a specific area of the house for their classwork.  

“When classes started, I was so excited that I was finally in college,” Jen said. “I was excited to learn new things and meet people who share the same interests, but I soon started losing momentum. My astronomy class has no live class, and I had to watch a lot of videos and read a textbook. This was hard because I wasn’t learning anything.”  

Jen, who is majoring in Environmental Sciences and will possibly minor in Astronomy and Art, has also been exploring different school clubs to join virtually, and they make the most of the breakout rooms in their virtual classes to make new connections with classmates.   

As for what happens in 2021, Jen plans to continue the remote learning from their family’s house through the spring semester and focus on starting their life on campus in their sophomore year.  

“For now, I can stay home and stay safe, and help my sisters get in the groove of their schooling,” Jen said. 

And Jen feels like there have been some silver linings about their first year in college, for which they are grateful.  

“I’m so happy that I’m getting the chance to strengthen my relationships with my sisters and my family and that I get to eat my mom’s cooking,” Jen said.  

*For more information on Bottom Line’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practices, as well as our usage of inclusive pronouns, click here.