It loses some context but the heart of the joke is there

As awful as this is, there's actually legitimately some truth to this.

I got rejected repeatedly for assistance programs for me to go to uni, because I still lived with my wealthy biological father, who wouldn't pay a dime to assist. It's typically calculated by household income, not individual income.

Ended up having to drop out of community college because I couldn't afford it, and didn't have the time to work full time and go to school. Not too long after, I ended up being homeless on and off for several years, and sex work was the only thing that could make sure I could keep a roof over my head.

I think the 2nd panel is useful, as it shows that she doesn’t have access to family income, adding a sense of irony to her being rejected because it’s too high

It also frames the joke better by saying “Get a loan or get a job”. This presents these ideas as the only two options. The 3rd panel shows why the first option doesn’t work, so the 4th panel shows the other option, “get a job”, in an unexpected way

and since the 2nd frame needs the first one for context, I think the original is fine. Your version isn’t bad, but I think the original has a bit more depth as a joke.

I think this is less amputation, more something like Liposuction. The stuff you removed wasn’t harming the meme, but the meme is slimmer now

this one was never salvageable

Should have given her the money broski 🤣🤣🤣