An ironic and unfortunate twist has developed in the life of Miriam Weeks, the Duke University student better known as porn star Belle Knox: Due to her illustrious porn career, which Weeks undertook to pay her tuition at Duke, she will no longer qualify for financial aid. It seems like her porn work can cover the full tuition, so she’ll stay at Duke — but in response, Weeks has criticized the college-crazy culture that tells “every kid to go to college, regardless of their future plans or ability to graduate” and the that we have become accustomed to.
“Sky-high tuition bills result from a culture, from our president on down, telling every kid to go to college, regardless of their future plans or ability to graduate,” Weeks writes. “Everyone is focused on my decision to perform in porn to pay my tuition. Let’s start paying attention to what got me here.”
– Miriam Weeks
(Bell Knox)
The Duke University student who gained fame for her unorthodox way of paying for college — acting in porn — has an explanation of college tuition that’s better than anything your alma mater’s financial aid officers could have come up with.
, Miriam Weeks (also known by her performance name Belle Knox) writes about how she lost her $13,000 financial aid package due to her income, even though she’s legally financially independent from her parents. Why can’t colleges make tuition more affordable? Weeks gives the simple answer: They don’t have to.
“Demand for education, kind of like demand for porn, is pretty inelastic. Kids like me have been told our whole lives that higher education is the only way to be successful in America … Colleges today have zero incentive to lower tuition or make college more affordable. Either way, demand is high and the money will keep flowing. So why bother with thrift?”
In her , Ms Weeks states:
“This year, even after student aid, I faced a $47,000 bill to attend Duke University. My turn to porn to close the gap was so famous, in part, due to my reasoning. Faced with either a degree from a less prestigious school or decades of crushing debt, a few hours of work on a porn set revealed itself to be the best way to avoid getting screwed.
[…] Porn To Pay College Loans?!? […]
After I graduated from high school I went to a local college for three semesters. Hated it, didn’t want to be in school anymore. Joined the Navy and didn’t contribute to the GI Bill because I wasn’t going to go back to school EVER. Several years down the road I changed my mind with the belief that I would never get anywhere in life if I didn’t finish my Bachelor’s Degree. So I went back to college to finish my B.A. I majored in History because I just wanted to get something done quick. It took another 4 years to finish. Because instead of just letting you focus on your major they pad your tab with all these silly extra classes that have absolutely nothing to do with what your major is. Then, because I didn’t want to teach in a classroom, I went on and got a Masters Degree in Library and Information Science. I was able to finish in about 3 years and get a job before I graduated but I had a lot of student loan debt. We managed to pay it off before I got let go from the job I really liked. And almost 20 years later I am still not working in either field. I would advise anyone to really make sure that what they really want to do is go to college. I am not saying don’t go I am just saying that it isn’t for everyone.
Never made sense for me to go back. I was studying music and got hired to tour with a band after 8 weeks in. These days, I study with some amazing teachers without the burden of student debt.
In the business world, I learn from some amazing coaches.
If college makes sense for folks, they should definitely follow that course. But, if it doesn’t … why take on extra debt to get a degree you won’t actually ever use?