Before new freshmen students are enrolled at NIT, their parents receive a note along with their admission letter advising them to give their children 600 Yuan per month for living expenses while at college. This advice has triggered heated discussions around campus. Many are asking themselves the question, “Can a college student really survive on 600 Yuan a month?” Of course, opinions vary from person to person. The NIT Post recently interviewed several NIT students to learn more about their views on this issue.

A freshman with the English name ‘Emily’ said that it was right to encourage students to be frugal. From her perspective, many young people nowadays are attaching too much importance to money and are becoming very money-oriented. A college has an obligation to encourage students to be economical and to spend their money wisely.

Some students, however, do not think that this advice is reasonable. Generally speaking, they believe that 600 Yuan per month is not enough for them to lead a normal life at college, especially because the cost of living is always increasing. Zhang, a junior student, commented that she not only has to spend quite a lot of money on necessities, but that she also needs to buy things on occasion that just make her happy. Li, a senior, expressed a similar view, saying that even though he is frugal, he easily spends about 1,000 Yuan each month just to meet his basic needs.

Whether or not 600 Yuan is enough for a college student to survive these days is still under rather heated discussion, but we all know that NIT’s real intention in recommending this monthly allowance is to advocate that students reflect carefully on their daily expenses and be frugal.