Nina2332

Thanks for the advice, I'm going to try to do that, I hope the financial dept here does that, all the conversations I've had with them on the phone were very brief and not very helpful.

MommaJ

Nina, I don't know how you did the math, but do you mean you and your parents never realized that interest would accrue on your loans? It's hard for me to believe anyone smart enough to be admitted to AU would be that naive, and it's just as hard to believe that parents with enough income and assets not to qualify for any financial aid at all would be equally naive. It sounds like no one gave any of this any real thought at all, which is tragic--you now have a hefty loan to repay for a semester at a school where you won't even get a degree. When you start making plans for your new college, please do come here for assistance before you make any financial commitments you don't understand. If you had come here in April, you wouldn't be in this predicament now.

Nina2332

No, I guess we just didn't think the interest would be so high. The loan I took out is at approx' 7.5%, I'm not sure if that's normal or not, but I remember my parents saying they expected it to be less.

kelsmom

It is really important that you speak directly with a financial aid officer at your school, Nina. You need someone to sit down with you, look at your financial aid file, and speak candidly regarding your situation. When you call, you most likely talk to a peer counselor, technician, or enrollment specialist. You need to talk directly with an aid officer ... the sooner, the better.

Nina2332

Okay thank you, I sent an email to the FA dept to schedule an appointment, if I don't get an answer after a few days I'll just go to the office and schedule one in person. I don't have much hope, but have nothing to lose in trying.

Iron Maiden

Go to the office today and schedule an appointment. Why on earth would you wait a few days?

This trend of kids not wanting to communicate in person is troubling.

momofthreeboys

Any college the OP attends after American, if she needs to leave American, is going to cost money. It is very important that she AND her parents understand the financial situation with clarity before the OP starts looking at other colleges or continues on for another semester at American.

Nina2332

well I went to my FA office and they were of no help. all they did was give me a list of places with scholarships and once again tell me to send an appeals letter. Should I do that but also try to look for better private student loans or do those just not exist...

MommaJ

It doesn't matter what kind of interest rate or generous bank you manage to find--you can't afford to borrow 8 semesters of room, board and tuition even at no interest. That's $200,000 before interest accrues. (I'm assuming you're talking about borrowing the full amount--is that correct?) How would you expect to pay it back?

If you decide to file an appeal, the gist of it will have to be what circumstances have changed since you were denied aid (that is, if you actually applied and were denied, which is still unclear to me). In other words, what new information can you supply that the finaid office didn't have before but can now can use to reconsider its decision? (The fact that you didn't realize that interest compounds is not sufficient.) On the other hand, if you didn't file FAFSA out of ignorance about the availability of Stafford loans, you might be able to make a case that you should be able to file now, though I don't see how $5500 in loans is going to solve your problem. And if you didn't file the Profile, I can't even imagine what reasoning you could use to explain that lapse and request a late filing. And since we don't know your parents financial situation, it's impossible to guess whether even in the best of all possible worlds your appeal results would be enough to enable you to remain at AU. Again, you need more specific info, Nina. That may mean asking your parents about what they submitted when/if they applied for aid and what AU's the response was, if any, since you don't seem to have any knowledge yourself. I don't see how you can appeal until you know what you're appealing. Please answer these questions, and find out the answers if you don't know:

Was a FAFSA filed for you? If so, what was the EFC? Was the Profile submitted?
If these forms were not submitted for some reason, are your parents willing to submit them now?
Did you receive a financial aid package from AU, and if so, what was in it, and what if anything has changed in your family's financial picture since that package was offered?
Do you and your parents have any money to contribute to paying for the upcoming semester and years, or were you planning to borrow 100%?

Once you (and we) have a handle on the above info, you'll have a better understanding of your options (i.e., appealing, withdrawing) and can have a more useful conversation with the financial aid office.