financial aid rant

[mark414]

ok, long story but i need to vent

so instead of giving me full tuition for each semester for the year, financial aid fucked up and gave me what i needed for a semester for the entire year, creating a $1500 hole, with no chance of getting additional aid for the year. luckily, i had a nearly $5000 americorps education award (which i don't want to use, because i have to count it as income and pay taxes on it, which i probably won't be able to afford)

so i talked to someone in the bursar's office a couple weeks ago and they said that as soon i had proof that the money was coming, they could lift the hold on my account and i could register for classes for next semester. and it took me 2 weeks to even get a copy of the voucher from americorps because THEY screwed up my account too. but i finally get the voucher and go to the bursar's office, and they say, "sorry, we can't lift the hold off your account until we receive payment in full." completely the opposite of what the other person told me. so i ask how long it typically takes for all the money to arrive...they say 6-8 weeks...too bad 2nd semester starts in 5 weeks...and my parents certainly can't afford to drop $1500 all at once...

so looks like i won't be going to school next semester...

the richest fucking country in the world and we get reamed in the ass when we try to further our education...college should be free for all, fuck republicans

[RoeBear]

1. Earn your degree

and you'll appreciate more.

[mark414]

3. ?

that's what i'm trying to do...but i can't do it without the help of financial aid

i don't get what you're saying?

[RoeBear]

5. You said...

"so instead of giving me full tuition for each semester"

it didn't sound to me like there was any of your money in this project,
and why shouldn't there be? You are the major beneficiary of your education.

[mark414]

9. there is

i'm just going to have to pay it off once i'm done with school

i'm the only one who's going to be paying off my loans, but i need them while i'm in school since working part time (and being a full time student) i make about $600 a month, just enough for rent, food, and bills

[bleedingheart]

14. I worked a full time job in college and didn't have any money

left over after rent, food, bills (heating, electric) and books...

I loaned $20K but was able to pay it all off in 5 years.

[mark414]

22. that's about what i'll owe

although with tuition spiking every year it might get as high as $30K, and i go to a state school

[Nikia]

23. Would you be better off aid wise if you lived on campus?

Since I went to a private college, a high percent of my tuition was covered by financial aid. My college didn't really allow me to live off campus, but a man with similiar financial need who lived at home would have been worse off if his housing wasn't covered by his parents since that wasn't figured into to his aid formula.
You may or may not be living cheaper. It is just something that you might want to look into. My financial aid did apply to both my room and board, which enabled me not to have to worry about those things except as part of my tuition payment.

[mark414]

25. probably

but my headaches would only get bigger...

i'm not antisocial, i just don't really like people my age...all my friends are older, out of college, ugghhh i need to stop being a cynical bastard and get out and meet some kids my own age

[Cuban_Liberal]

2. Does your college have a loan program?

Both my undergrad and grad schools have had a short-term loan program, just for things like that.

[bicentennial_baby]

4. You can't get a $1500 Stafford Loan?

?

[dean_dem]

6. Man, I can relate. Admissions is a picnic compared to F/A

I've learned to anticipate and deal with the headaches, because they don't get any easier.

But did they actually "fuck up," or was it a decision they made based on your parents' information or something? Because that will hurt your award substantially. Funny how I've been on my own since I was 19, but I still had to get mommy to co-sign all my papers up until this semester. It's friggin' ridiculous.

[buckettgirl]

21. I hear ya there

financial aid is ridiculous. I was planning on getting married before I decided to start back to college. I ended up starting college and the only way I could get any financial aid other than a small unsubsidized stafford loan (because of my parents income) was to get married.
I was denied my appeal for independent status because "lots of people live with their boyfriends" and that was told to me 3 weeks before I got married - even though my husband had supported both of us for 3 years and I had recently lost my job (this was in summer 03). I certainly was not dependent on my parents then or now - all that changed was having a marriage license.
It sounds bad, but essentially I had to get married so I could go to college. Otherwise I would have had to wait until I turned 24, which is next August, which means I couldn't have started school until the o6 - 07 school year - that is when I plan on graduating.
How damn dumb

[Nikia]

7. Your college won't do a payment plan?

Granted this was in my last term of my senior year, but I was unable to come up with enough money to pay for my last term of college. I agreed to have approximately 75% of my my on campus job wages garnished and had to come up with an additional $400 a couple weeks before graduation, which I ended having to take out a cash advance on my credit card for. They did have a special form for the agreement though so I don't think that I was by far the only student who needed help like that.
I don't know your situation, but even if you are getting full or almost full tuition, it is good to work during the summer and a little during the year. Even if you end up not needing it for tuition, it can come in handy for buying the things that you need. It also unables you to get a credit card more easily so you can have credit or money in case of an emergency.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

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[bleedingheart]

11. do you know what Americorps is?

Perhaps if you read about it you will apologize to the poster..

http://www.americorps.org/

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mark414]

13. i have a job

and i'm not living off my parents

i only make enough money to pay for rent, food, and bills, and i'm going to be the only one paying off my loans once i get done with school

i've been on my own since i was 17, so stop judging me

[Midlodemocrat]

10. Go back to the bursar's office

and insist on speaking to the person you spoke with originally in the presence of their supervisor. Chances are if you are polite, but insistent, the person who screwed up will admit it and you will be okay. Good luck.

[bleedingheart]

12. while credit cards make me feel icky...

you could charge the $1500...of all things to charge...your education is a good one....granted it is not the best idea but it will help you attend next semester.

[buckettgirl]

15. that sure doesn't sound right...

I don't know where you go to school, so I can only say that this sounds weird to me - besides the fact that they messed up your financial aid. Make sure that you get everything in writing and a name with who told you what. I learned that lesson the hard way.
When we enroll for each semester, we have to choose a payment option - financial aid, fee payment arrangements, or payment in full from personal funds.
We have a few weeks after the semester starts to either make payment arrangements or pay before we are dropped from our classes.
Shouldn't they let you make payment arrangements?
Also, if you have good credit or know someone who does, go to www.salliemae.com and apply for a sallie mae alternative loan. You can get as much as you need as long as you or your cosigner are credit worthy. It works like a student loan, except that interest accrues immediately. You can get the money by the time school starts.

[Metatron]

17. If you're receiving less loan money than what should have been disbursed,

there is a form you can fill out to request additional federal student loans. You just have to prove unanticipated economic hardship (medical, car problems, etc.) I would think a screw up by the financial aid office would qualify.

Also, I would verify with someone higher up at the bursar's office to ensure that they could not somehow defer your bill (and allow you to register) while the Americorp money is on its way. Since it is also a federal program, it should be treated the same way as expected student loans. Another option is to contact Sallie Mae and find out if you can apply for more federal student loans directly through them since your finacial aid office sounds incompetent. Best of luck.

[sandnsea]

18. Use the Americorps

I would bet you've got enough school expense tax credits to offset any tax you might owe. I can't imagine you earn enough to have to pay more tax than what interest on a student loan would be. You can put taxes on a payment plan too, very very easily. Also, you ought to be able to just sign some kind of payment agreement with the college. I hope to heavens they haven't done away with that too. That's how people always used to get registered when they had financial aid problems. And ignore these bozos who are criticizing you, they're assholes who are probably basing their opinions on what it was like 20 years ago. Things have changed considerably, I'm learning with my own son.

[mark414]

20. yeah that's what i'm doing

but it takes 6-8 weeks for the payments to go through and they won't let me register until the payment goes through...

as a couple people mentioned i might be able to secure some other loan but that's just more paperwork and more headaches...but if it's what i gotta do then it's what i gotta do...

[sandnsea]

24. Oh good

I guess I didn't understand. Just go there and refuse to leave until somebody helps you. Just keep saying, "may I speak to your supervisor", until you get all the way to the head of the office. There has to be a way, this just makes no sense.

[bobbieinok]

19. what I learned...get full names and positions of everyone to whom

you talk about anything that is important....this is especially true when talking to school/university departments, businesses and the government...

..write down everything

At our school there had been a great many foul-ups. One of the faculty members had had problems when one of his children was enrolled. He appointed himself ombudsmen for the students and let as many faculty members and students know they should come to him if they ran across a problem. It helped that he was in very good standing with the administration.

Point of the above---are there any faculty members you could talk to: your advisor, the head of your major dept (or the secretary--often the one who really knows where the power is and whom to contact), a trusted teacher, the student association, etc

[Dastard Stepchild]

26. Have you talked to the head of the department?

This exact same scenario happened to me as well. I mean, the lack of $1500 for my tuition. Both myself and the FA office underbudgeted b/c we failed to realize I had to take a 6 credit hour class in my last semester... so I needed to make up the additional $1500. My school had a payment plan that allowed me to pay off the balance over the course of that semester. I was also able to put some of the expense on a credit card.
Might you be able to take less credit hours? If you could take 1 less class, that might be enough loan money to cover the $1500 gap.
Sometimes it is best to just march on down to the office every day and meet with someone in person. It is easier to dismiss a problem over the telephone, but a pleasant, daily visit to the office may expidite the solving of this problem.
Best of luck to ya...