Advice for USD financial aid (transfer student)

blossom
Sun, 06 Dec 2015 00:36:45 +0000

OP- big hug to you.

You need to get a grip. And sadly- that means returning to San Marco. If you need to take a semester off to work and save up for a better car then do that. The way you explain your situation to your parents is that you can’t finish your degree but taking out loans they can’t afford to repay. pretty simple- there’s no culture gap there.

You need to set up three meetings back at your old college.

1- Financial Aid- make sure that your plan of either returning for next semester, or taking a semester off and returning in August with a financial cushion and a more reliable car isn’t going to mess with any of the aid you are currently receiving, and make sure that a counselor in the aid office reviews your numbers to make sure there isn’t something else (a small departmental scholarship?) that you might be eligible for.

2- An adviser in the bio department- you need to review all the classes you have taken and put together a plan for what you are going to take every semester until you graduate. Check that you are taking courses in the right sequence. You simply cannot afford an extra semester of tuition if you find out you can’t graduate on time.

3- A Dean in the office of student life/student services or whatever they call it at your college. You need to find out if there are any resources that might help you that you aren’t aware of- vacant dorm rooms where commuters can sleep during exam week for example, so you aren’t driving long distances when you could be studying. An on-campus job which might pay more than your current job and will take less time to get to. A community chest type organization which makes interest free loans to first generation students to help them with extra college expenses.

I am sad to tell you that how much you love or hate this college isn’t germane right now. You have too much to lose by leaving it for a college you CANNOT afford. You need to figure out (with the help of the three grownups I’ve listed) how to get out of college with your degree in the quickest way possible. And that means- San Marco.