The end of every school year brings students to a crucial fork in the path of their college career. In one direction there’s the dream summer: spending days on the beach and making little to no money. The memories may be plentiful but pockets are left empty. The alternative involves long shifts earning minimum wage or waking up at 5:30 a.m. to join in the madness of rush hour traffic. Each path has its own benefits and consequences, but there is one problem: after four months, these paths meet again.

Syracuse University’s social scene hit the ground running this weekend. Right away, the disparity between friends without comparable bank accounts is noticeable. Suitemates chip in for that luxurious flat screen only to be disappointed when one roommate can’t contribute to the pool. These situations can exemplify the paradox of college living: money is tight and debt is common yet everyone keeps spending.

College is an expensive place, especially for freshman who begin to manage all of their own expenses. The university is no help, charging at least twelve hundred dollars on a meal plans, not to mention the astronomical prices for textbooks. Even the cheap eats around campus can add up quickly to become unnecessary and unfulfilling expenditures. There is a real need for pocket money while living away at school.

So what should students do if they’re broke? The most important thing is to stay out of debt. High percentages of college students graduate deep in credit card debt. It should be a priority to avoid this trap, especially when combined with student loan collections. Don’t be afraid to get a job. If it means waking up at 6 am twice a week to work in the dining hall, it’s worth the effort, as long as grades don’t suffer. Finally, don’t get mad at your friends when they can afford to go out drinking even when there aren’t three dollar pitchers.

Conversely, those who worked and saved over their four-month break should remember how to treat your cash strapped peers. Don’t wallow in their hardships. Be a pal and agree to get Natty Light even though brand name beer is only a little more. But don’t become your friend’s bank-they have parents for that and money can too easily break up a good friendship.

The time has come for the two summer paths to merge and for everyone to carry on affording life at SU together. Things may get costly at times, but just think of how much money you’re going to make when you graduate (sarcasm). For now those with money and those without must coexist, and should learn the lesson that it is best to work during the summer. But then again, there are no beaches in Syracuse.