Once upon a time, I thought a few college scholarships, part-time jobs, and intense budgeting could bridge the gap between THE HAVES (wealthy students) and the HAVE-NOTS (me) at my expensive university — but I could never relate.
The other students were super rich, and I wasn't just a struggling student, I was broke-broke. The difference in how nonrich and wealthy students experienced school was almost as if they were from entirely different planets.
I'd love to hear from you: What are some of the most out-of-touch things you witnessed from rich students at your reaaaallly expensive school?
Maybe you spent the last $5 of your paycheck on a box of shrimp-flavored instant noodles before going to dinner with friends because you couldn't afford a real meal. Everyone at dinner ordered $30 carbonara plates and $20 cocktails, and you ordered the $4 side salad, thinking you'd pay with pocket change. But then all your classmates suggested splitting the $1,000 bill because "it's only a couple hundred bucks each" and "it's not cool otherwise."
Perhaps your wealthy classmate walked into the room decked out in a $2,695 Balmain jacket and $477 Stuart Weitzman knee-high boots and started bragging about how they hate wearing an outfit more than once.
Maybe you were in a group chat with friends planning a spring break trip. Just when you thought you might be able to spend your life savings for a cute beach day two hours away, they start throwing out suggestions like Saint-Tropez, Brazil, Japan, Croatia, and Cuba. One person even dared to suggest that the group hop between countries over the seven-day vacation.
Or maybe you sprained your ankle walking to school on the worn-down soles of your generic cross-trainers, hiking eight blocks to campus while listening to "Mr. Brightside" through a single chewed-up, knockoff AirPod. Just when you felt as if you couldn't walk any farther, your classmate pulled up in a brand-new white Mercedes G-Wagen and asked if you needed a ride. Then you spent the whole ride listening to them scream at their dad for being a day late transferring money into their bank account.
