How ‘Badger Promise’ would have helped me as a first-generation Wisconsin student

Kim Krautkramer:

I worked hard academically as a teenager, graduating first in my class at Marathon High School. I was accepted to UW-Madison but couldn’t swing the cost. Instead, I enrolled my freshman year at UW-Marathon County, a decision that turned out to be exactly right for me.

The cost was lower, the professors were exceptional, and the smaller campus allowed me to ease into college life, strengthening my confidence and teaching me how to advocate for myself. When I arrived at UW-Madison my sophomore year, I felt up to the challenge academically, though money was still a major issue.

I worked constantly: retail clerk, climbing gym instructor, certified nursing assistant, campus lab employee. A part-time job is by no means a bad thing for a college student, but it can become counterproductive.

Related: 1. Ivy League payments and entitlements cost taxpayers $41.59 billion over a six-year period (FY2010-FY2015). This is equivalent to $120,000 in government monies, subsidies, & special tax treatment per undergraduate student, or $6.93 billion per year.